REDMOND, Wash., and NEW YORK, April 23, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. and NBC today announced plans to join forces again and merge the MSN® MoneyCentral™
and CNBC.com Web sites into a comprehensive personal finance powerhouse distributed exclusively through MSN on the Internet. Through the multiyear agreement, MSN will become the online home for the new merged site, CNBC MoneyCentral, combining the award-winning personal finance offering from MSN with content from the most popular financial cable news network in the world.
Building on the success of the MSNBC joint venture created by Microsoft and NBC in 1995, this new agreement brings together CNBC’s powerful financial industry brand and programming expertise with Microsoft’s extensive online distribution and technology experience. The two sites combined will have a powerful reach extending to approximately 16 million monthly unique visitors. The new site can be reached at http://www.cnbc.com/ or http://www.moneycentral.msn.com/ , or by visiting MSN.
MSN MoneyCentral has been praised by Barron’s, Forbes and Money magazine for having the best personal finance site on the Internet. Likewise, CNBC is widely recognized as the broadcast leader in investing news and analysis, and since its inception CNBC.com has been the
“stickiest”
financial site on the Web. CNBC MoneyCentral will provide consumers with all of the sophisticated software services from the MSN MoneyCentral online personal finance service, such as tools to manage their portfolio, research companies and screen stocks, as well as highly regarded content from CNBC.com, including Stocks to Watch, Guest List, Stock Picks, Sector Watch and portfolio-specific CNBC-TV guest alerts.
“The MSNBC alliance has demonstrated that combining a network’s core programming competencies, brand and promotional expertise with a technology company’s distribution strength and technological know-how produces an unparalleled resource for consumers,”
said Bob Wright, vice chairman of GE, and president and CEO of NBC.
“With the strength of MSN’s reach and the power of the CNBC brand, we have a unique ability to create yet another formidable television/Internet franchise. By teaming up again, we’re creating an incomparable combination of personal finance information and tools for consumers.”
“We’ve had a great relationship with the NBC family for many years now, and the opportunity to bring together the best of what we each can bring to the Web in the finance category is clearly a win-win situation,”
said Rick Belluzzo, president and chief operating officer at Microsoft.
“By combining CNBC’s leading content with Microsoft’s award-winning personal finance site, MSN MoneyCentral, we are merging the best of both worlds into a personal finance powerhouse on the Web.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will prominently promote the new site across the CNBC cable channel, which reaches 79 million homes daily, and the MSN network of Internet services, with more than 230 million visitors per month. Throughout the daily broadcast, CNBC television will send its viewers to the joint site for in-depth commentary, investing news and a wealth of personal financial tools.
“We’ve made great strides on the Internet with CNBC.com and have established a strong competitive foothold in this medium,”
said Pamela Thomas Graham, president of CNBC.
“Working with Microsoft will enable us to take the foundation we have built to a new level and maximize the potential of the Internet with the new CNBC MoneyCentral.”
The new site is expected to launch this summer. Like MSNBC.com, the site will operate from Microsoft’s offices, with the editorial team split between Fort Lee, N.J., and Redmond. Microsoft will oversee general operational management for the site under the direction of Erik Jorgensen, general manager of the Consumer Financial Products Group at Microsoft. A joint editorial board will provide strategic editorial direction for the site.
Microsoft and NBC will hold a conference call on April 23, 2001, at 11:30 a.m. EDT in which key executives will discuss the companies’ agreement. Interested parties should call (800) 314-7867 to participate. A replay will be available after 2:30 p.m. EDT by calling (888) 203-1112 (confirmation code: 583633).
About CNBC
CNBC is the recognized global leader in business news, providing real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 166 million homes worldwide, including more than 79 million households in the United States and Canada. The network’s business day programming (weekdays from 5 a.m.-8 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC’s headquarters in Fort Lee, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC news bureaus in midtown Manhattan, the New York Stock Exchange, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London and Singapore. CNBC viewers can manage their individual investment portfolios and gain additional in-depth information from on-air reports by accessing CNBC.com.
About NBC
The nation’s first broadcast network, NBC has evolved into a diverse, international media company. In addition to the NBC Television Network and 13 television stations, the company owns CNBC, operates MSNBC in partnerships with Microsoft, and maintains equity interest in Arts & Entertainment, the History Channel, and Rainbow Media Holdings Inc. NBC owns equity stakes in several new media companies in addition to NBCi. International holdings include CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia, which are services of NBC and Dow Jones, and an equity position in National Geographic Channels International.
Members of the media can get more information about NBC and its programming on the NBC Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcmv.com/ .
About MSN
MSN gives consumers a new home on the Internet – a central place where they can get everything they need from the Web and make the most of their time online. With more than 230 million visitors per month, the MSN integrated network of content and services is the most popular destination on the Internet. MSN is available in 33 markets and in 17 languages – a broader global presence than any other network. MSN takes advantage of the Microsoft® .NET platform to offer leading services, any time, any place and on any device, with an integrated and personalized user experience for communications, search, shopping, personal finance and entertainment.
MSN Internet Access and the recently introduced MSN Explorer offer quick, personal and exciting ways to get on to and take advantage of the Web. Best-of-breed services include the MSN Hotmail® Web-based e-mail service, the world’s largest Web-based e-mail system; MSN Messenger Service, one of the fastest growing instant messaging services on the Web; MSN
Search, the second most popular online search service; MSN Mobile, the customizable wireless information service; the award-winning MSN MoneyCentral online personal finance guide; MSN eShop, the one-stop online shopping resource; and MSN Custom Web Sites, the easy way to share information on the Web. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ .
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, MSN, MoneyCentral and Hotmail 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.
