Microsoft promotes Discovery programmes

Microsoft Advertising announced an agreement with the Discovery Channel to launch a simultaneous three-screen advertising campaign promoting the upcoming fifth season of the television reality series Deadliest Catch.

Microsoft has sold more than 90 per cent of its advertising inventory across its web, mobile, and video game businesses to the Discovery Channel for a one-day campaign to promote the television series.

Discovery has purchased 90-per cent of available inventory across the MSN, MSN Mobile, Windows Live Hotmail, Microsoft Live Search and Xbox LIVE channels to promote the primetime season debut of Deadliest Catch, which documents the lives of crab fishermen in the waters of Alaska.

The campaign will feature a variety of Microsoft-developed video, mobile and interactive media efforts, as well as in-game advertising assets supported by Microsoft's Massive Inc. subsidiary.

Besides this, on April 14 Discovery will take over the MSN Mobile home page, with Microsoft subsidiary ScreenTonic introducing a related WAP site enabling viewers to receive tune-in text alert.

Discovery Communications said that the show's full online marketing budget has been devoted to the deal.

Besides running interactive ads on the MSN home page, Discovery will also allow users to set reminders or text and email alerts. In another example, Discovery will run a "Deadliest Catch" sweepstakes on Xbox Live in which the audience can win award points that may be used to buy games.