MSN Hosts Billboard Latin Music Awards Web Site, Debuts Spanish-Language MSN Video Content

MSN Hosts Billboard Latin Music Awards Web Site, Debuts Spanish-Language MSN Video Content

Expanded services for U.S. Hispanic consumers yield valuable online advertising opportunities.

REDMOND, Wash. and MIAMI, April 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MSN today launched the new Spanish-language version of its popular MSN(R) Video service and announced that it is hosting the official Web site for the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards, an event that starts today and culminates with an awards show Thursday night, April 28 in Miami, which will be broadcast live on the Telemundo Network. Through these offerings, MSN is delivering broader and richer online entertainment content to Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States as well as greater opportunities for advertisers to reach the valuable U.S. Hispanic market.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )

Accessible at http://billboard.latino.msn.com/, the Billboard Latin Music Awards site will feature exclusive photo galleries, interviews with finalists, related news items, links to downloadable songs and albums from the MSN Music service, video coverage of the awards, and other content. Warner Bros. Pictures, the exclusive sponsor of this year's Billboard Latin Music Awards Web site, also is featuring banner ads for the May 6 release of Dark Castle Entertainment's production of "House of Wax" on the Web site.

"As presenter of the most celebrated awards show in the Latin music industry, we wanted that same high level of prestige and dedication from our online content partner for this year's event," said John Kilcullen, president and publisher of Billboard. "Billboard has been investing heavily in the Latin music market for many years, and this strategic relationship with MSN complements our other successful platforms such as our highly respected editorial coverage and world-renowned charts including Top Latin Albums, Hot Latin Tracks, Latin Pop Airplay, Tropical Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay. We're thoroughly impressed with MSN's creativity and commitment in delivering extensive, quality entertainment content to Hispanic audiences on the Web."

Accessible at MSN Latino (http://latino.msn.com/), the new Spanish-language MSN Video service will offer selections of music videos, with news reports and additional entertainment content to come. Featured content available through MSN Video in Spanish includes interviews with award finalists, and footage of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, the Billboard Latin Music Award red carpet event and the awards show.

"With this debut of one of the first Spanish-language online video offerings in the U.S. market, and with exclusive Web content surrounding the Billboard Latin Music Awards, MSN Latino is now an even more attractive destination," said Hadi Partovi, general manager of MSN Channels. "These new features on MSN also carry tremendous potential for advertisers and marketers to effectively reach young Hispanic consumers who compose one of the fastest-growing audience segments on the Web."

MSN plans to continue expanding the range of Spanish-language content available through MSN Video as well as the opportunities available to advertisers, such as streaming video ads, integrated into the regular content rotation. Advertisers can receive more information at http://advertising.msn.com/.

About MSN

MSN attracts more than 380 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 40 markets and 20 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/. MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx.

About Billboard

Now in its 111th year, Billboard is the world's premier music publication and a diverse digital, events and brand-licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video and digital entertainment issues and trends. Billboard is the flagship property for the Billboard Information Group, which also consists of Billboard.biz, Billboard.com, Entertainment Law Weekly, Billboard Chart Alert, Billboard Information Network (BIN), Billboard Directories, Billboard Licensing & Events and Billboard Radio Monitor. Billboard's many strategic partners include Fox-TV, Microsoft, mForma, Reuters, Sirius Satellite Radio, Telemundo, Univision Radio, ABC Radio Networks, Azteca America and Billboard sister companies Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. These partnerships leverage Billboard's proprietary data, charts and information resources to develop broadcast entertainment, digital and mobile platforms and contextual commerce applications that expand Billboard's franchise and consumer reach.

Billboard is headquartered in New York with bureaus in Boston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and Washington DC. The Group is a unit of VNU Business Media, a worldwide media company that provides specialized publications, electronically delivered data, expositions and marketing services and is owned by VNU Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Netherlands-based VNU, an international publishing and information company.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft and MSN 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.

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