Included in the announcements release at Microsoft’s Build conference was a number of new monetization tools including the availability of a new preview advertising SDK for Windows 10. Here are highlights of the announcement:
- Preview advertising SDK for Windows 10 is now available. This universal ad SDK supports phone, tablet, and PC. The ad SDK also supports video interstitial ads.
- “Promote Your App” improvements are now available. These include new targeting functionality (age and gender), app install tracking, and the ability to launch an app promotion campaign from within Windows Dev Center preview.
- Expansion of markets served. Developers can reside in and get paid in over 110 markets.
- Support for Windows ad mediation across tablet and PC on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 is coming this summer. This builds upon existing support for Windows ad mediation on Windows Phone previously announced.
- Video interstitial ads for Windows 8.1 and 10 will debut this summer.
Windows 10 Preview Ad SDK
Microsoft Advertising is making available a preview ad SDK that is designed to work with Windows 10 apps across phone, tablet, and PC. The Windows Store will open for Windows 10 app submissions in the coming months and Microsoft Advertising will release a new ad SDK after the preview period concludes. Later this summer, Windows ad mediation will expand to also support tablets and PCs.
Video Interstitials Ads
Microsoft is currently conducting a pilot with select partners for video interstitials. The Windows 10 preview SDK supports video interstitial ads, and Microsoft plans a release this summer that will support Windows 8.1 phone, tablet, and PC.
“Promote Your App” Offerings
Windows Dev Center integration now allows developers to launch a “Promote Your App” campaign directly within Windows Dev Center (preview mode). Developers can also now target by age and gender, which is included in a new feature called “auto-targeting” or available via manual controls. Auto-targeting optimizes targeting parameters automatically based on a current install base. More targeting options are going to be released later this year.
A beta version of app-install tracking (beta) is currently available to track app downloads generated from a “Promote Your App” campaign, helping measure return on investment and budget for future campaigns.