Xbox 360 Dashboard Adverts Coming?

Author Hugo Jobling
Published 1st Jul 2009
Xbox 360 Dashboard Adverts Coming?
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Microsoft may be planning to bring 'real' adverts to the Xbox 360 dashboard within the next year. I don't think any of us need to be brain surgeons or rocket scientists to see this has the potential to go horribly wrong.


According to MediaPost Microsoft "plans to bring IAB [Interactive Advertising Bureau] specifications for rich media technologies, including Silverlight, to Xbox Live within the year." The intention, says Sean Alexander, Microsoft's Advertising Business Group director, is to make it simpler for advertisers to run campaigns across multiple platforms, suggesting that that advertising on the Xbox 360 will be offered alongside Web, TV, mobile phone and Surface - the other four platforms Microsoft plans to span. According to Alexander, "We are just starting to scratch the surface of what's possible."

Microsoft says that by offering Silverlight across a wide range of platforms advertisers will be able to spend more time working on creating quality creative and less time repurposing that content to suit its intended point of display. Which sounds pretty plausible, I suppose.

The main issue here is where those adverts will be displayed on the Xbox 360. There's certainly space on the dashboard for ad placements. However, the display of any adverts will presumably have to be limited to Silver Live accounts - I can't see anyone paying for their access to the full-fat Live experience being too happy about seeing ads on their screen; especially when the neither rival platform charges for a similar level of access ad-free.

Update: Microsoft responds.

Link:
MediaPost.
Image courtesy Kotaku.

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Latest 4 of 13 Comments

Have your say: Leave a comment below about this article.

comment MGDdrinker said on 1st July 2009

I want McDonalds to bring me a Big Mac when I complete an achievement. Now that'd be cool.

comment Voldenuit said on 2nd July 2009

Ironic that TR is itself sustained by ads.

Cable TV? Ads.

Take the bus or subway? Ads.

Ads are an unfortunate necessity in the reality ... more

comment Joe said on 4th July 2009

I would probably buy an xbox if they had free, ad-supported gold membership. I will never buy a subscription as I feel every moment I'm not playing it I'm wasting money.

comment Nick Hustak said on 5th July 2009

Soooo Joe, I guess you don't have cable or DirecTv or Skye then? Are you saying you have no subscriptions to anything you can have in use 100% of the time? Just curious what... more

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