The UK site of the Microsoft Network (MSN.co.uk) last week began carrying content from beeb@ the BBC, a joint venture between the BBC and ICL. A button on the MSN site opens content from the beeb.co.uk site which users then view through the MSN frame. MSN currently carries content from around 500 hundred web sites, but this deal with beeb.co.uk is the largest in terms of the quantity of content involved. In most of the 500 cases, only two or three modules of distinct content (or clips) are carried, but in the case of the BBC there are already around 20, with plans to expand this to a complete integration between the two sites. The clips now being carried come from BBC webzines such as Comedy Zone, television listings and Top Gear, a webzine based on the BBC’s highly popular motoring television show. However, nothing is yet certain. A spokesperson for MSN said the current duration of the agreement is 6 months, in what appears to be a trial period involving no financial transactions. The spokesperson said the beeb clips featured on MSN will be reviewed separately and agreements will be ‘formalized’ individually depending on popularity.
