I applied months ago and never received a response. I use Adsense so I'm not too disappointed, but would liked to have given it a try to see how well they pay compared to other publisher programs.
Microsoft adCenter helps you manage your search advertising campaign simply and efficiently. Start today to get connected with customers. You won't be charged to create an account. You only pay when someone clicks your ad. Signing up should take you about 10-15 minutes. You'll need your credit or debit card and billing information.
One of the microsoft employees told my fried that adcenter is closing the beta program finally this oct and will roll out the offering to some more countries (mostly in europe and asia) subsequently....so it seems the wait is over for folks who are waiting for a strong alternative to adsense.
Microsoft adCenter provides plenty of information for the new advertiser. In fact, there's so much help available that you can get swamped working through it.
Microsoft has now started its own affilate programs for publishers, Microsoft® adCenter Publisher Program, which is similar to Google adsense. If you are already a advertiser, you automatically become a publisher. Over the years, MSN adCenter affiliate network has been rated as one of the best paying ppc affiliates alongside Google Adsense, Kontera, Chitika affiliate, Yahoo publisher and AdBrite networks. MSN AdCenter's attractive click rates makes it one of the most sought over online affiliate networks. MSN adCenter network ads are similar to those of Google Adsense, except that the ad palette contains MSN's logo instead of Google Adsense's logo. Further, MSN ads can be served in webpages alongside other affiliate ads as well.