MSN announced it will be cutting back on the number of pre-roll ads a video viewer sees in order to create a better user experience, reports Mediaweek.

The change entails a shift from ad delivery based on number of clips viewed to total time spent on the site, echoing Nielsen's shift in the determination of what constitutes as "valuable" tracking data early this summer.

Company executives said the previous model led to visitor exposure to a disproportionate number of ads, versus the amount of content they were actually viewing.

The new ad-delivery model comes at the same time MSN integrates its Soapbox video site more fully into the larger MSN Video portal. The combination of the two will lead to users watching more videos as they switch between professional and amateur content.