If you’re based in the UK, click on the above image and you’ll be whisked towards over 300 hours of VOD content from series like Peep Show, Shameless, Hustle and League of Gentlemen to classic comedy shows like The Young Ones.

With 16m users visiting MSN.co.uk every month the team are stepping up its efforts in online video, a sector that PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts will grow 26% by 2010 and be the UK’s fastest evolving internet channel.

For the pilot, the MSN Video Player will offer TV shows distributed by BBC Worldwide and All3 Media and is free because of an exclusive advertising partnership with GroupM for their advertisers to appear in the pilot.

The team will be working with broadcasters, studios, producers and distributors throughout the pilot period to extend the service and build a fully comprehensive library of entertainment.

So with 50% of the UK’s online reach, Ashley Highfield (who gave us the BBC iPlayer during his time at Auntie) and co have created a nice little corner of the web for advertisers to target a rich and diverse audience of lingering eyeballs.

For more on ad opportunities in the UK check out Microsoft Advertising UK.

Cheers

Mel