NBC and Microsoft Launch MSNBC Business Video

First Website to Offer Live and Archived Streaming Audio and Video of Business and Financial News Events Worldwide

NBC and Microsoft officials today announced the launch of MSNBC Business Video -- the first Internet site offering unfiltered coverage of breaking business news events worldwide, as live streaming audio and video and multimedia archives. The announcement was made by Mike Wheeler, President of MSNBC Desktop Video, at a press conference with Thomas S. Rogers, President of NBC Cable and Business Development and Executive Vice President of NBC; James Kinsella, General Manager of MSNBC on the Internet; and Merrill Brown, Editor-in-Chief of MSNBC on the Internet.

MSNBC Business Video ( www.businessvideo.msnbc.com ) is part of a new company, MSNBC Desktop Video, formerly known as NBC Desktop Video. MSNBC Desktop Video is the latest joint venture between NBC and Microsoft. MSNBC Business Video will offer key news events in several formats: live, unfiltered audio and video coverage; on-demand multimedia reports; full-text transcripts; and an on-demand archive with more than 300 exclusive CEO interviews a month. MSNBC Business Video is available via the Internet and corporate intranets.

"MSNBC Business Video is breaking new ground on the Internet and corporate intranets. Never before have people had the ease of turning to their computer to get live and archived audio and video coverage of breaking business news and analysis and commentary from CNBC NA, CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia," said Wheeler.

"MSNBC Business Video represents the convergence of live video and the personal computer so corporate users and savvy personal investors can actually be at the site of breaking business news events without ever leaving their desks. It's also about getting personalized business television to the computer without any of the technical and cost problems that pre-Internet solutions have involved. This is a great result of the NBC content and Microsoft technology," said Rogers.

The ability to offer streaming video of global events on MSNBC Business Video results from the latest developments in Microsoft technology with the introduction of NetShow 2.0 software. The new software provides the easiest way to multicast live video over the Internet to corporate intranets. NetShow 2.0 provides streaming multimedia for a variety of browsers and applications. MSNBC Business Video also utilizes the Microsoft Commercial Internet System (MCIS), a comprehensive set of standards-based, commercial-grade server applications that deliver next-generation Internet services for managing and personalizing Web content.

"Technological expertise, like Microsoft's, is the key to giving corporate executives and consumers a front-row seat at the world's most important business and financial events. Finally, the hour has arrived -- we can watch live, unfiltered video on MSNBC Business Video," Kinsella said.

In addition to technological breakthroughs, MSNBC Desktop Video has spearheaded partnerships with several companies to create unheralded connections for news and information.

"We are happy to be adding MSNBC Business Video to the Bloomberg service. It is an excellent opportunity for us to enhance our product by offering additional benefits to our customers," said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder and CEO, Bloomberg LP.

"We are very excited to be partnering with MSNBC Desktop Video in this venture," said Alfred R. Berkeley, President of The Nasdaq Stock Market. "Both organizations share the same philosophy in harnessing World Wide Web technology to distribute timely information. Nasdaq's focus in partnering with MSNBC Desktop Video is to provide individual investors with broader information on Nasdaq-listed companies." Nasdaq will provide a link between their site and MSNBC Business Video.

In addition to the arrangements with Bloomberg and Nasdaq, MSNBC Desktop Video has signed distribution deals with a number of leading companies in high-technology and media fields, who will carry all or some of the multimedia content available on MSNBC Business Video.

The companies that have partnered with MSNBC Desktop Video include: Bell Technology Group Ltd., Bloomberg LP, Bridge, Check Point Software, CISCO, CMP Media Inc., Desktop Data, Federal Document Clearing House, First Call/Research Direct, Individual Inc., IPC, Multex, Nasdaq Stock Market, NY Quotes, PC Week, Progressive Networks, Robertson, Stephens & Company, TIS and Trellis Software.

MSNBC Desktop Video has three services: MSNBC Business Video, MSNBC Professional (Pro) and MSNBC Private Financial Network (PFN). MSNBC Business Video, available on the Internet and corporate intranets, offers live and archived audio, video and multimedia clips of: market-moving events, breaking national and international stories, analysis and interviews from CNBC North America, Europe and Asia and more. MSNBC Pro and MSNBC PFN are dedicated broadcast channels offering breaking news events, exclusive interviews and presentations. All three are subscriber-only services.