Report: Xbox Live could feature targeted political ads

Xbox Live could become a host for targeted political ads in the midst of midterm elections, along with platforms such as Skype and MSN, The Washington Post reports.

According to the publication, Microsoft officials were seen handing out promotional materials for the campaign at the Conservative Political Action Conference that took place this past week. Ads would reportedly build a profile of Xbox users by combining their IDs with public data. These ads would then appear on the Xbox Live dashboard.

Politics have made their appearance on Xbox Live before, but in a more engagement-driven fashion. During the last presidential election, Microsoft launched the Election 2012 hub, which used live polling systems during the debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Obama, meanwhile, had in-game ads featured in Madden NFL 13 and mobile titles such as Tetris.

Xbox Live has more than 25 million subscribers in the United States, of which 38 percent are women. The Washington Post reports that Microsoft is "particularly aggressive" in regards to its ability to sell to specific groups, such as women, Latinos and millennials.

We've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update accordingly.