The launch marks Microsoft’s entry into the advertising networks space - they’ve partnered with publishers like Bollywood Hungama (entertainment), Equitymaster.com (finance), HDFC Sec (finance) and, well, Facebook (social networking) for the launch of its “Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions” platform. NDTV Media will do advertising sales for Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT). MS also announced the launch of its mobile advertising initiative, allowing advertisers to buy search keywords on Live Search, for which MS has a tie-up with Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) Live, and buy banner space on msnmobile.in. MS believes that the platform gives the publishers it has signed up, access to over 350 advertisers who advertise on MSN and Windows live.

MS also announced the launch of its video ad platform with MSN Video...there’s nothing in the release on whether it is any different from Microsoft’s Desktop TV, which streamed bandwidth leeching 30 second commercials on portals. I hope they’re putting an end to that, though unlikely.

Cerius Shah adds: is an India specific content arm of the international MSN video. It currently hosts ANI and Movie Talkies video along with proprietary MSN content although the music sub-section has international content only. The player displays rollovers featuring advertisers such as Shaadi.com with ungodly 31 second prerolls of Coolhotmail.com. The menus, in true MS style, have compatibility issues with firefox. We had previously covered Bollywoodhungama having only MS inventory and a likelihood that both MS and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) will start paying top tier Indian publishers for parking inventory to battle Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) dominance in the local SEM market.