MSN UK wants to be a self-contained content brand, and it’s not afraid to use Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) rivals’ devices to do it.
The portal on Tuesday unveiled an iPad app containing much of the content from its website.
Organised a little like all-web aggregators Pulse and Taptu, the MSN app includes plenty of photos, video and integrates Microsoft’s web search via a Bing box.
http://img.widgets.video.s-msn.com/fl/customplayer/current/customplayer.swf
MSN also last month introduced its video app on Xbox Live’s new app platform.
There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain in MSN arriving on devices that are seeing high content dwell times. After all, the platform on which MSN has relied to date, Internet Explorer, is waning in proportional popularity.
But it remains to be seen whether the idea of an all-encompassing portal brand, conceived as the internet on-ramp for Internet Explorer users, can be as impactful in an age of disaggregated specialist media brands.
BBC News’ veteran interactive chief Pete Clifton took the helm as MSN UK executive producer in November.
I don’t get it – is MSN really a destination for UK readers? “Microsoft releases Pulse-like MSN UK iPad application bit.ly/w6jq4q“
— Bede McCarthy (@bedemccarthy) January 24, 2012
@darrenwaters hi darren – the strategy I guess – what’s the target market?
— Bede McCarthy (@bedemccarthy) January 24, 2012
@bedemccarthy The 28 million people who read MSN UK every month as a starter….
— Darren Waters (@darrenwaters) January 24, 2012