—MSNBC Video Player Cuts Ad Clutter: MSNBC.com is beta testing a new video player that uses time-based ad serving technology that lets viewers watch a variety of clips uninterrupted by advertising for at least three minutes. MSNBC recognizes that viewers of short-form video will either navigate away from the site or ignore the messages if bombarded by too many ads. In addition to cutting ad clutter, MSNBC is trying to improve the look and ease of its player with full-screen view and a wider range of navigation tools.

—Social Networking Shows Greater Ad Potential: Global ad spending on social networks will grow from $1.2 billion in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2008, 82 percent, eMarketer predicts. By 2011, worldwide spending on the category will reach $4 billion. In the US, spending is expected to grow to $1.6 billion in 2008, from $920 million in this year. And despite the recent troubles Facebook encountered over its Beacon system, which listed members purchases on other users feeds, eMarketer believes that if social nets get peer recommendations right, the current flow of ad dollars will turn into a flood.

—Heinz Gives User-Gen Ad Contestants Another Shot: Heinz is giving the thousands of amateur admen who submitted commercials to he tketchup marketer’s first user-gen commercial contest this summer another chance. The company received roughly 8,000 online video submissions on YouTube, with half being judged good enough to make the first round of the competition, called the Heinz Top This TV Challenge. Like the last contest, the winner gets $57,000 and Heinz runs the spot on broadcast TV. The contest runs through mid-March.

—Digital Chocolate Partners With Greystripe On Ad-Supported Mobile Games: Digital Chocolate, a San Francisco video game publisher, will deliver its games for free on Greystripe’s AdWRAP ad network. Digital Chocolate will have six of its games available on Greystripe’s platform, including titles such as Mafia Wars Yakuza and Café Solitaire. A selection of Digital Chocolate’s mobile games will be delivered through all 20 of Greystripe’s Catalog Platform partners in addition to GameJump.com, the world’s largest free, ad-supported mobile game portal. Additionally, Digital Chocolate will monetize their content via Greystripe’s AdWRAP advertising network, which includes brands like Yahoo, (NSDQ: YHOO) New Line Cinema, Progressive Insurance and Zagat.

—Clearspring Forms Widget Ad Network: As widgets become a more common fixture for online media, widget syndicator Clearspring has decided this is the right time for a widget ad network. For its launch, Clearspring has signed up Fox TV, The Huffington Post, IDG, NHL and others. Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) and Lionsgate are the two marketers participating in the launch.