REDMOND, Wash., May 22, 2000 — Continuing its leadership in bringing digital media to audiences worldwide, Microsoft Corp. today announced the addition of 13 international versions of its Windows Media™
Player 7 Media Guide, featuring localized audio and video from more than 260 of the world’s foremost content providers.
Three international versions of the Media Guide — Brazil, Japan and Latin America — are available immediately. Ten more will be launched by the end of May: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The Media Guide, a feature of Windows Media Player 7, offers direct access from the player to featured audio and video content.
In a related announcement, edel music, the largest European-based independent record label, has chosen Windows Media as a preferred format for secure downloads and audio and video streaming.
“Digital media is a worldwide phenomenon, and we are committed to providing the best audio and video experience to computer users around the globe,”
said Dave Fester, general manager of marketing for the Digital Media Division at Microsoft.
“With 13 localized Media Guides and more than 260 featured international content providers, Windows Media Player 7 offers the most compelling localized content available in a player.”
Today’s announcements build on Microsoft’s leadership in delivering a digital media platform for consumers and content providers worldwide. In addition to the 13 international Media Guides, Microsoft offers Windows Media Player 6.4 in 24 languages. Windows Media Player 7, now available in beta, will be distributed in 26 languages at its release this summer. Windows Media Services, the Windows Media server software, is available in 17 languages.
Illustrating the international popularity of Windows Media, more than 2,000 radio stations from 39 countries broadcast online in Windows Media Format.
The international content providers that will be featured in the Windows Media Player 7 Media Guides include many of the most significant entertainment and Internet media companies in their regions. A sample of the companies represented in the international Media Guides includes:
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Antena 3 TV (Spain), a leading national broadcaster
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CTS (Taiwan), a major Chinese television service
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Deutsche Welle, a German television and radio broadcaster
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DigitalOne, Australia’s leading Internet audio entertainment network
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Dotmusic.com (United Kingdom), the online presence of Music Week magazine
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L’Equipe, a leading French sports publication
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Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, the organization driving Singapore ONE, the nationwide broadband initiative
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Naxos, the largest distributor of classical music in Hong Kong
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NBC Giga, the German online presence of NBC Europe
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RadioMoi (Canada), the first online radio station to get approval from Radio Industry Association of America (RIAA)
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Radio Nacional de Espana, Spanish national radio
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Rockacola (Taiwan), one of Asia’s leading music sites
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Sanity.com, Australia’s largest music retailer
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SBS, the leading Korean broadcaster
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Skyrock, a leading French radio station
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Soundbuzz (Singapore), one of Asia’s leading digital music sites
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TBS News-I, one of the leading Japanese television stations
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TCS, the largest television network in Singapore
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Television Broadcast Limited, a leading television network in Hong Kong
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Tokyo FM, the biggest FM radio station in Japan
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TSN, one of the largest Canadian sports networks
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Univision, one of the largest broadcasters in Central and South America
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Vitaminic (European Media Guides), one of Europe’s largest online music distributors
“Windows Media offers not only the high-quality audio and video but also the international scope we need to reach music fans around the world,”
said C.M. Murphy, DigitalOne’s founder and executive chairman.
“The Windows Media Player 7 Media Guide is an ideal showcase for our radio programming.”
Windows Media Player 7 offers one place to find, organize and play digital media and provides one-click access to the most common digital media activities, including digital recording and playback of CDs as well as streamed and downloaded audio and video. The player is available for download as a beta at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/ .
About Windows Media
Windows Media, the leading digital media platform, provides consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations with unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media Technologies, which includes Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows Media Tools and the Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK), is available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/ . The Windows Media Player is the fastest-growing digital media player and is available in 24 languages. To date, there are over 100 million licensed copies of the Windows Media Player, growing by more than one every second.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft® Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
