Microsoft pays Machinima video partners to mention Xbox One on YouTube

It can be hard to tell at times when the videos you are watching on YouTube are legitimate content created because someone likes what they are showing off or when they are paid to produce the content. That line between paid content and normal content is a bit murkier on YouTube thanks to a marketing campaign that has surfaced from Microsoft. The campaign paid YouTube video partners to produce video content mentioning the Xbox One.



The photo you see above promoting the advertising campaign for Machinima video partners on YouTube surfaced recently. Microsoft is paying these video partners on YouTube to make and post videos that mention the new Microsoft game console, the Xbox One.

Microsoft is paying $3 per CPM for the videos. That means Microsoft will pay the video partner an extra $3 for each 1000 views the video gets. Considering some popular videos can generate tens of thousands of views, this program could pay out significant money to the video partners. The program limits payouts to the first 1.25 million views meaning that the video maker could earn a max of $3750 for the video.

The advertising campaign required the video partners to include at least 30 seconds of Xbox One game footage and mention the console by name. The video also had to have the tag "XB1M13" listed. The legal terms behind the campaign also leaked and clearly state that to get the money the video producers can't say anything negative about the Xbox One or any of its games in the video and have to keep the terms of the advertising campaign confidential.

SOURCE: ArsTechnica

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Microsoft's Xbox One was No. 1 console in US after selling 908,000 units in December

Research firm NPD Group has released December sales figures for the Xbox One, and Microsoft liked them so much it decided to share the results on its Xbox Wire blog.

According to NPD group, Microsoft's Xbox One was the No. 1 console in the US after selling 908,000 units during December. It sold an additional 643,000 Xbox units during the month, too. That means the Xbox 360 was the No. 3 top-selling console, though it was No. 1 for last-generation hardware.

"Together, Xbox One and Xbox 360 held 46 percent of the hardware market share in the U.S. and showed a 10 percent year over year growth from December 2012," quoted Microsoft on its blog.

NPD also revealed that consumer retail spending hit $1.39 billion for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 (50 per cent came from the US alone), and that six of the top 10 new-generation game titles were for Xbox One. In fact, US consumers have purchased an average of 2.9 games per Xbox One console since launch.

"We’re grateful for the excitement and support of our fans [...]," added Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing, strategy and business for Xbox at Microsoft. "Our journey is just starting, with more innovation, games and entertainment coming in 2014 and far beyond."
Source: Microsoft

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