Spotted over on the always good (as long as you're really into HTPCs) TheGreenButton.com media center blog by Chris Lanier, it seems that Microsoft are introducing "interactive ads" to it's Media Center platform, through the currently USA only "Internet TV" plug-in.

This is very interesting.  Why?  Well, because in the UK we've had so called "Red-Button" services for some time in advertising, providing interactive ads for viewers of digital satellite and OTA TV - but it's not worked well, and the reactions from the audience have been poor ot say the least.  So much so that one of the main OTA TV channel, Channel Five, has decided to quit offering it as a service for prospective advertisers.

So, what's interesting is that MS now start to implement what looks to be a more advanced, but very similar  in some ways, interactive ad platform to it's Media Center environment (US only so I can't test it annoyingly).

It may be that the environment and audience types that you get in a media center are more open to this kind of placement, certainly right now in an early-adopter and I am guessing mainly male, way, but I wonder if MS know something that the TV channels over here in the UK don't with regard to interactive "want to know more?" style ads?  Perhaps they will work better in an environment that feels more like a PC than a TV?  Who knows - but it's a brave move for something which hasn't worked well at all so far.

Howard
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cross-posted from a comment on Chris Lanier's blog