The MSN® TV division (http://www.msntv.com) of Microsoft Corp., a leader in the delivery of interactive services for television, and CinemaNow Inc. (http://www.cinemanow.com), a leader in broadband video-on-demand (VOD) distribution and technology, plan to offer broadband customers of MSN TV the ability to stream CinemaNow content directly from the Internet to an ordinary TV set by using the MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player with service from Microsoft.1

MSN TV intends to collaborate with CinemaNow to optimize its Internet-delivered digital movie and television content for TV viewing. The new functionality is expected to be made available to MSN TV 2 subscribers in spring 2005 as part of a free automatic upgrade. The upgrade will include support for Microsoft® Windows Media® 10 Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, which will help ensure that customers can play Windows Media-protected content.

"We know people prefer to watch movies and videos in the comfort of their living rooms rather than being tied to their computer screens," said Sam Klepper, general manager of MSN TV at Microsoft. "Together, MSN TV and CinemaNow make it easy and convenient for consumers to watch Internet-based Windows Media-compatible movies and video on a TV by using the MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player."