MSNBC.com Continues to Dominate Online Video
Video Distribution Expanded to Include MSN Messenger
For Immediate Release—In a summer notably marked by online video events, MSNBC.com’s leadership in this area continues to grow. Confirmed by record breaking video usage and growing advertising revenues, MSNBC.com is alone atop the online video news marketplace, with competitors scrambling to offer video services comparable to that which MSNBC.com has provided since the late 1990s. To further fuel this leadership, MSNBC.com is partnering with one of the largest free, global instant messaging services, MSN Messenger, to offer links to MSNBC.com video directly from the main MSN Messenger window.
With more than 170 million active users worldwide, video on MSN Messenger significantly adds to MSNBC.com’s already impressive reach. MSNBC.com consistently ranks among the top Current Events & Global News websites according to Nielsen//NetRatings, drawing 23.8 million unique visitors in June 2005 and beating all other broadcast and cable news websites including CNN.com, CBSNews.com, ABCNews.com, and FoxNews.com.
MSNBC.com 23,760,000
CNN General News 21,353,000
ABC News Digital 7,687,000
Foxnews 6,013,000
CBS 5,863,000
Source: June 2005 Nielsen//NetRatings
“Online video is becoming more and more mainstream,” said Charlie Tillinghast, General Manager and Publisher of MSNBC.com. “One out of every five visits to MSNBC.com includes a video play and we’re reaching audiences that traditional broadcasters are struggling to reach. The enormous number of MSN Messenger users will extend this reach and further solidify NBC News as the leader in video news, regardless of the platform.”
MSNBC.com’s video success is perpetuated by a growing number of consumers who are choosing to engage in broadcast news online – in some cases exclusively. During the recent terrorist bombings in London, 4.4 million videos of NBC News coverage were watched on MSNBC.com throughout the day. Many U.S. viewers followed the story at work, making the Internet the only available outlet to watch the events unfold.
Advertiser support is reflective of the success of MSNBC.com video. Big advertisers such as Proctor & Gamble and GM are dedicating big dollars to online advertising and are shifting their creative specifically for online video rather than simply repurposing TV ads. Last year alone, 26 of the top 50 TV advertisers place ads among MSNBC.com videos including Proctor & Gamble, GM, Visa, Target, Ameritrade, Lowes and Johnson & Johnson.
“Watching our competitors race to implement the video model we pioneered nearly a decade ago is extremely flattering,” continues Tillinghast. “We plan to continue to set the industry standard in video news with many exciting things to come.”
