Online Portal MSN sets expansion in RP

MSN, a leading Internet site with more than 350 million users worldwide, announced yesterday a new portal that would serve the needs of its growing user base in the Philippines.

The portal, designed to download quickly even when accessed via a dial-up connection, offers local news and search, as well as third party offerings such as the dating service Match.com. Future plans for the Philippines include subscription services for MSN Mobile and Hotmail Extra Storage.

Kevin Hou, MSN managing director commented: "Hotmail and MSN Messenger are already hits in Philippines, and usage is growing rapidly. We’ve responded to the market’s need and create the new Philippine portal to make these services quickly and easily available."

In the Philippines alone, there are 164,391 active unique users on MSN Instant Messenger service and 483,528 MSN Hotmail active accounts.

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines, will be MSN’s pioneer advertising partner on its new Philippine portal.

Claro Carmelo Ramirez, PLDT senior vice president, said the company is pleased to be a pioneer advertising partner of MSN in the Philippines.

"MSN is known all over the world as one of the most popular web destinations and its services are widely used by many. We are certain that by partnering with MSN in terms of our advertising and marketing strategies, we will stand to gain great brand visibility and be able to communicate our services to our customers in and out of the Philippines. This partnership represents only the beginning of a strong alliance between MSN and PLDT in the Philippines," he said.

MSN Philippines also offers marketers an immediate and compelling way to reach the nation’s growing online – and mobile – population.

"Here in Philippines, as we do around the world, MSN offers not only the best products and localized services, but also market insights into digital marketing to help advertisers and clients build close and personal relationships between their consumers and their brands," said Shriram Adukoorie, director of MSN Southeast Asia. "The new MSN Philippines allows companies to reach their customers in ways marketers never thought possible just a few years ago."

MSN attracts more than 350 million users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 20 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and digital marketing solutions to businesses worldwide.