In a deal that expands MSN's reach in the burgeoning business of online video, the Microsoft unit Wednesday said it would syndicate its video player to affiliates of the Associated Press and sell rich
media video ads to accompany the APs news videos. Under the deal, any of the AP's roughly 3,500 affiliated sites will be able to use MSN's Video Player, and MSN will be able to sell ads to go with the
content. The ads will follow the same model as those on MSN Video--one ad runs before playing, and then another after every two content pieces. -- Shankar Gupta