Microsoft Seeks More Malaysian Content For New Msn Portal

By Jason Tan KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Microsoft Corp is in talks to rope in 10-15 more Malaysian content providers for its newly revamped MSN portal by year-end. The US software giant is sourcing content not limited to news and entertainment, but also in areas such as lifestyle, video, health and fitness, food and drink, as well as travel, among others, said Microsoft's Asia Director of Advertising and Online, Ken Chang. MSN has so far partnered with the Malay Mail, the Malaysian Insider and the Edge, and will engage more providers as it seeks to beef up content with local context to netizens, he said. "We want to expand coverage from entertainment and lifestyle, in which we had been very strong in the past. "Now we are beefing up content in other areas and give users the choice to personalise the portal by choosing the content sources and topics of their interests," Chang told Bernama. He said MSN now has 50 content providers from Southeast Asia, and is in talks to take in 15 more in Singapore and 10 more in Indonesia in the near term. Microsoft in September last year laid off dozens of contract and freelance writers from MSN, paving the way for more reliance on third-party content. The new MSN, simultaneously launched across 57 markets, including Malaysia, on Oct 1, is organised into 10 sections that consist of sport, news, money, travel and video. It aggregates content from over 1,000 providers, including the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Independent, the New York Times and Le Monde. It has a Me Stripe at the top of the page, which gives quick access to Microsoft services such as Outlook.com, One Drive and Skype, as well as third-party sites like Facebook and Twitter. New tools are available for users to personalise their MSN homepage and track up-to-the-minute news on any topic. They can also browse over 300,000 recipes, and convert ingredients into a shopping list on their mobile phone at the touch of a button. About 98 million users in Asia, including 17 million in Southeast Asia, browse MSN at least once a month, said Microsoft. --BERNAMA