MSN’s latest version, released last week, extends the power of broadband to advertisers and provides additional opportunities for marketers to more effectively reach MSN’s audience.

Fueled by feedback from consumers, marketers, and ad agency executives, MSN now offers advertisers TV-like ads, via a new, free, streaming-video service, MSN Video. Other additions include new MSN home page ad products such as expandable ad space, and Universal Ad Package (UAP) standardized ads.

"MSN has taken online advertising to the next level by offering a rich array of innovative options for advertisers," says Joanne Bradford, vice president and chief media revenue officer of MSN. "The 50 percent revenue growth we've experienced in our advertising business over the past year demonstrates how important online advertising has become and specifically how MSN has solidified itself as a top media property across all media."

The video product offers 15-second spots run on a scheduled rotation—a model similar to that of television advertising. The spots are integrated with MSN Video's high-resolution news, sports, entertainment and other programming. Contextual ads are displayed on the MSN Video on-screen player to help tie the emotional impact of television with the instant interactivity of online. For example, following each video advertisement, the advertiser's contextual ad remains on the MSN Video on-screen player until the next ad runs, enabling the advertiser's message to stay top-of-mind without intruding on or detracting from the consumer's experience.