I stopped using XBL a long time ago. There are two things I will accept:
1) Paid subscriptions, no ads.
2) Free, but with ads.
If XBL was free, I would not be thrilled but I know money has to be made somewhere. This is just greed, pure and simple, and people are too weak to stand up to it.
Paid subscriptions that still include heavy advertising will never earn my patronage. Ever.