NBC Internet Inc. Monday launched a portal for broadband and high-speed
Internet users, whose features include multimedia content and navigation.
NBCi (NBCI)
is positioning the NBCi.com portal as an
interactive tool to use video and audio to engage online users, powering new
marketing and commerce opportunities in a world where television and the
Internet converge.
The new service features more than 20 content providers in entertainment, news, finance,
sports, games, computing, shopping and travel.
The high-speed and broadband market represents a significant
revenue-generating opportunity for NBCi. Currently, nearly 10 percent of
NBCi home users access the Internet at high speeds, with NBCi home users
46.6 percent more likely than the total population of Internet home users to
connect at high speed.
“Today’s launch of NBCi.com only marks the beginning of the next-generation
of high-speed ‘Internet 2.0’ services, in which NBCi will lead the way,”
said Chris Kitze, chief executive officer of NBCi. “The rapid growth of
broadband brings the Internet to NBCi’s home court and we look forward to
expanding our NBCi.com broadband portal with more top quality content and
distribution deals.”
Also, more than 20 broadband and Digital Subscriber Line providers, cable modem
services and Internet media services have agreed to distribute the new
NBCi.com service. Each carrier or distributor is offering customized
versions of NBCi.com, tailored exclusively for their retail customers and
communities.
NBCi also reached a deal with Macromedia Inc. (MACR) which makes Macromedia’s Flash the network’s preferred media type for advertising and other interactive content. Macromedia Flash is the base for NBCi.com’s control panel, which
allows users to explore various data utilities, including weather forecasts,
financial market summaries and search and directory applications.
