This past December, owners of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 were treated to a new dashboard that promised to streamline the console’s navigation process and bolster its aesthetic merit. While both of these were achieved to an extent, the New Xbox 360 Experience has become more notorious for a proliferation of ads that occupy its every nook and cranny. TV apps, a continued area of focus for the Washington-based publisher, were perhaps most effected by this transition as companies were allowed to purchase 15 and 30-second commercial spots across the entire spectrum of applications. Today, the likes of MSNBC, the Today Show, and UFC were joined in this marketing partnership by ESPN, Gamespot, Last.fm, Manga Entertainment, and MUZU.TV.

Microsoft’s push to create a box that accounts for an entire entertainment center has resulted in the Xbox 360 and, by extension, Xbox Live becoming the next frontier for advertising. Users of the console’s online service, a number that totals over 40 million, have proven to be an engaged demographic conducive to being marketed towards with the level of interactivity that only dedicated gaming hardware can provide. In even better news for potential clients, this is a base that is rapidly expanding as use of the console’s entertainment applications has more than doubled on a year-over-year basis.

Players or, as this news story might imply, consumers can expect to be affronted with advertisements from ESPN, GameSpot, Last.fm, Manga Entertainment, and MUZU.TV in the very near future.