The digital network that includes msnbc.com on Tuesday announced the acquisition of the BreakingNews.com Web address, with the aim of creating a Web site to complement its @BreakingNews alert service on Twitter.
The latest addition to the msnbc Digital Network will focus on up-to-the-second news coverage from multiple sources, executives of the company said. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft – NBC Universal joint venture.)
“It’s a different experience for news users, rather than any kind of diminishment for msnbc.com,” Charles Tillinghast, president of the msnbc Digital Network, said in an interview. The move is “consistent with our strategy of creating different news experiences for different user interests,” he said.
In December, msnbc.com took over management of the @BreakingNews Twitter account, which provides updates to nearly 1.6 million subscribers, or “followers.” The arrangement was part of a deal under which msnbc.com became the first client for BNO News, a wire service established by @BreakingNews founder Michael van Poppel.
Tillinghast said van Poppel played no role in BreakingNews.com or in the acquisition.
For now, the BreakingNews.com Web site provides nothing more than an updated feed of @BreakingNews’ Twitter alerts and Web links. “It essentially is a Twitter feed for people who don’t use Twitter,” Tillinghast said. But the site is likely to evolve into a service that also provides news stories and minute-by-minute updates on developing stories. Tillinghast said such features would differentiate the Web site from the Twitter feed, where “you have to regulate how many dispatches you send out” to avoid overwhelming followers.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34694904/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/#storyContinued
Tags: breaking news, consumer, msnbc, twitter
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