MSN Video Brings New York City Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration to Worldwide Audience Online

MSN Video Brings New York City Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration to Worldwide Audience Online

Provides viewers with party coverage, live performances and a number of exclusive online entertainment appearances; real-time experience to be provided by as many as 26 cameras and multiple streams bringing six hours of broadband content directly from Times Square.

REDMOND, Wash. and NEW YORK, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- New Year's Eve 2006 revelers from all around the world now have the opportunity to experience nonstop streams covering New York City's Times Square New Year's Eve countdown event in real time via an exclusive webcast from MSN(R) Video. MSN Video is the exclusive online provider of the official Times Square New Year's Eve 2006 celebration, and revelers can begin their New Year's Eve journey now at http://msn.com/newyears .

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

The live event in Times Square on Dec. 31 begins at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. It will include a multistream, multicamera look at numerous performances and celebrations happening in and around the New York City Times Square location. On the Web site now through Dec. 31, 2005, online visitors can watch exclusive video flashbacks of 2005. This marks the second consecutive year that MSN Video has webcast the Times Square New Year's Eve festivities.

Three live co-hosts will help online viewers navigate through numerous events and performances in and throughout Times Square. The specially assembled team, positioned for maximum coverage in Times Square, includes Romeo, host of "Romeo on the Radio," which is featured on New York's No. 1 radio station, Z100; award-winning comedian Angela LaGreca, who is seen and heard every morning on "The View"; and Brandi Williams, entertainment reporter and host of "Ultimate Poker Challenge." Romeo, LaGreca and Williams will guide viewers throughout the MSN Video site ( http://msn.com/newyears ), assisting them along the way to create their own New Year's Eve program.

The live webcast will include an "all-access backstage pass" to Little Steven's Underground Garage Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, where Steven Van Zandt ("The Sopranos," Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Sirius Satellite Radio's "Little Steven's Underground Garage") will perform and present the evening's New Year's Eve music performances. Throughout the evening viewers will be able to watch live performances by The Woggles, The Charms, The Chesterfield Kings, The Troggs, The Mooney Suzuki and The New York Dolls. The co-hosts will enable viewers to contribute to the evening's celebration by e-mailing in comments or questions about the evening's performances and celebrations and well-wishes for the coming year, which will be interspersed with coverage of the New Year's Eve countdown, ball drop, Times Square festivities and crowd frenzy.

"We are very excited to be producing this one-of-a-kind view of the ultimate New Year's Eve experience live from Times Square, the most historic and thrilling place to ring in the New Year," said Steve Sterling, executive producer of the MSN Video Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration. "This webcast clearly provides a broader, more extensive New Year's Eve Times Square program than any other medium can offer. We can't wait for webcast viewers to see New Year's Eve their way on MSN Video."

"For the second year running, we're giving New Year's revelers around the world a unique view of Times Square," said Rob Bennett, product unit manager for MSN Video, TV and Movies. "Last year viewers spent 45 minutes on average watching the celebration on MSN Video and this year we are making it even more interactive by giving consumers the opportunity to choose the camera angles and the events to focus on, instantly shaping their New Year's Eve experience."

About The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are the organizers of Times Square 2006. The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the energy, edge and distinctiveness that have made it an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life. Countdown Entertainment, which represents the owners of One Times Square and the New Year's Eve Ball, is a marketing management and consulting services company specializing in the Times Square area.

More information about New Year's Eve in Times Square, plus a host of information about Times Square's restaurants, hotels, special events, what's new, and other key facts, can be found at the Times Square Web site, located at http://www.timessquarenyc.org/ .

About MSN and Windows Live

MSN attracts more than 440 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live(TM), a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com/ . MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .

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.

NOTE: Microsoft, MSN and Windows Live 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.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Microsoft Corp.

CONTACT: Erika Bitzer, +1-503-443-7000, or erikab@WaggenerEdstrom.com,
or Rapid Response Team, +1-503-443-7070, or rrt@WaggenerEdstrom.com, both of
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Web site: http://www.timessquarenyc.org/

Web site: http://msn.com/newyears

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft(R) Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx .

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