Award-winning news site MSNBC.com announced that it has joined forces with Action Engine® Corporation to launch a beta mobile news service featuring an advertising business model. Unlike paid subscription services, the beta launch of MSNBC.com Mobile is provided free of charge to consumers by incorporating video and banner advertisements within the service. The service gives consumers access to MSNBC.com news, videos, and pictures using their wireless device. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Embedded Devices Division is the exclusive advertising sponsor for the launch of this new service.
MSNBC.com, Action Engine and Microsoft collaborated on consumer research to better understand the mobile experience, the concept of shifting mobile costs from consumers to advertisers, and the potential scenarios for mobile advertising. With this beta launch, the companies will solicit consumer feedback to discover and deliver a rewarding consumer experience. In addition to ongoing consumer monitoring, MSNBC.com and Action Engine will gauge interest from advertisers and wireless operators to determine the ideal business model.
Consumers who join the beta MSNBC.com Mobile program can use the free service to read top headlines, watch news videos, save news articles for later viewing, and view photos. Key features of the service include the ability to:
Read news articles including Top Headlines, US News, Business News, World News, Entertainment News, Sports News, Tech/Science News, and Health News
Watch Headline and Business News videos
Watch popular slideshows such as “The Week in Pictures”
View video from “The Today Show” and other NBC News properties
Save news articles in a folder for later offline viewing
Consumers can get the service by visiting http://gomobile.MSNBC.com and following the instructions for download.
The service requires consumers to have a data plan with their mobile operators and an Internet-enabled device. For the beta launch, the service will run on an initial set of Windows Mobile powered devices with support for additional devices, including Java and BREW powered devices, to follow post-launch. A complete list of currently supported devices can be found on the download page.
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