The relaunch of the Microsoft MSN portal in the UK brought with it a new creative approach for the portal. The creative agency Duke & Earl were commissioned to develop a series of promotional materials to promote the new UK portal. The portal was rebuilt in vectors before Microsoft settled on the final layout. FNF created the visual style and animated the landing page. MSN’s new design and layout have gained a high degree of recognition since it launched.
Internet Explorer homepage
If you’ve got an Internet Explorer browser, you may want to change the MSN UK homepage. This popular entertainment and news portal has been revamped to work better with your browser. You can choose between the classic MSN home page, or use the new MSN Next. MSN Next has a news section that ranks stories based on how popular they are among other users. You’ll need the Silverlight browser plug-in to use it, and you can customize the experience for your Hotmail or Windows Live ID if you’re logged in.
If you’re using a Windows system, the default browser is Internet Explorer. This may happen due to a misconfigured network, or if your PC is blocked from certain URLs. If you are using the default browser, the MSN page keeps appearing even if you log out. You should check your internet connection settings to ensure that you’re using the latest version of Windows. If your browsers are set to use the same home page, you should be able to set MSN as your homepage.
Video drama
Microsoft is adding a web video drama series called Kirill to its Xbox Live video section. The three-minute episodes of the show, produced by Endemol UK, are being run to increase the installed base of its Silverlight Flash competitor. Microsoft expects to hit a million downloads for the series by the end of the month. Kirill is a British-produced drama series that stars David Schofield. Several clips of the show have already been posted on YouTube.
MSN UK has expanded its editorial coverage and focuses on original content. In December 2006, Bale took the reins as executive producer and grew the team to 38. He hired freelancers and paid bloggers to help supplement the company’s editorial output. The site gained 26 million unique users in October and introduced its first original video content commission. This move has given the service a new lease on life. MSN UK’s video content strategy is clearly aimed at the millennial generation.
Microsoft has launched a new online video service in the United Kingdom, complete with 1,000 hours of full-length television shows. It will also include film trailers and video clips. Although Microsoft has struggled to build a credible library, it has partnered with independent production companies and worked on building a relationship with broadcasters. As of yet, the service does not have any broadcaster content. Ultimately, Microsoft will need to convince viewers that MSN’s video offering has a place in the online video market.
Interactive multimedia
MSN UK has just relaunched its online multimedia section with the introduction of a new trending blogs feature. These trending blogs feature visualisations of the top three stories of the day, and also show the most popular phrases and topics surrounding these stories. The new feature was launched this weekend, and was displayed underneath the liveblog of the Eurovision contest. Advertisers can also benefit from the improved experience, as these features help to generate more engagement.
Search engine
The new iPad app from Microsoft offers the latest UK news, sports, and entertainment from its six main channels. It also allows users to search via Bing. MSN UK’s Executive Producer, Peter Clifton, explains the purpose of the new app. Founded in 1990, MSN is already available on mobile, PC, and Xbox 360. This latest app is a step towards more mobile-friendly MSN. Despite its popularity, many users still feel that MSN’s mobile experience is lacking.
The company’s commitment to search started in 2003, when it decided to launch its own search database. This search engine debuted in Spring 2005 and was followed by a pay-per-click advertising service. It replaced Overture, which was owned by Yahoo. The new search engine also added new management tools to its platform. The changes were gradual but significant enough to make MSN the top choice for many UK users. Nevertheless, it’s still a long way from Google’s dominant position.
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