Free msnbc.com iPhone Application Continues Strong Growth

Innovative News App Attracts Multiple Advertisers; Sponsorships Sold Out for Next Two Months


REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 5, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Msnbc.com's free application for the iPhone and iPod touch continues to soar in popularity with both consumers and advertisers. The innovative app, launched in June, continues its rapid growth trend and has doubled its number of daily active users in the past two months.* In addition to offering outstanding news and lifestyle content, the msnbc.com app also offers compelling advertising opportunities, with sponsorships sold out for October and November.

Msnbc.com's free application offers advertisers a rich environment for premium brand sponsorships. Msnbc.com, in partnership with Zumobi, has integrated an innovative sponsorship for Lexus for the entire month of October. Msnbc.com's audience, combined with the flexibility that the iPhone delivers, creates an ideal environment for Lexus to engage with consumers.

"Our new mobile offerings have experienced tremendous growth. We see consumers not only downloading the free app, but coming back to use it again and again -- a trend that shows they're truly engaged with our content," said Charlie Tillinghast, President of msnbc.com. "For advertisers, the opportunity to creatively showcase their brands in such a rich environment makes a sponsorship with us very attractive."

With the msnbc.com app, millions of "news explorers" can immerse themselves in a fuller spectrum of video and news stories -- right from their iPhone or iPod touch. The radial interface allows for easy navigation by offering consumers a full view of the colorful menu so they can select what they want to explore. The settings allow users to easily scan and scroll through content, play and pause video, or select and read news stories. A Twitter integration feature enables consumers to easily share articles as well as track Twitter feeds from their favorite NBC News and MSNBC Cable anchors.

The free msnbc.com app (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=319740707&mt=8) is available on the Apple App Store. Consumers can also download free apps for TODAYshow.com (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=309546027&mt=8) and The Rachel Maddow Show (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=315016072). These apps are all part of The Zumobi Network, which offers a portfolio of entertaining, informative and useful programming and applications to enjoy on next-generation smartphones.

*Source: Internal application reporting

About msnbc.com

Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Based in Redmond, WA, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal (NYSE:GE).



            

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