MSN “Rock Star: INXS” Web Site Attracts Growing Fan Base

(I-Newswire) August 24, 2005 - REDMOND, Wash. - Aug. 22, 2005 - Fans of Mark Burnett Productions' "Rock Star: INXS" have made the new reality television show's official Web site on MSN a go-to destination, with significant growth in visitors' activities throughout the interactive site at http://rockstar.msn.com. To date, MSN® Video has streamed 7.1 million clips of the rockers competing for the chance to become the new lead singer of INXS.

Every remaining contestant on Rock Star: INXS has appeared in the top 100 most downloaded tracks on MSN Music, and the contestant performances, along with unaired and behind the scenes footage from the show, are some of the top streamed videos on MSN Video.

The number of people voting for their favorite contestants through rockstar.msn.com is growing rapidly. Voting on MSN continued its consistent week-over-week growth as the show completed its sixth week. In addition, fans are flocking to MSN Spaces, where each rocker has a personal Web log (blog), to get the latest updates from the contestants themselves. Visits to the contestants' Spaces have more than doubled since the show's premiere, which may be because the rockers aren't keeping very many secrets when it comes to talking about their lives inside the mansion.

Beginning this week, fans who visit http://rockstar.msn.com will also have the chance to vote on the songs they'd like the contestants to sing on an upcoming encore performance show. People are wasting no time making their opinions known, casting hundreds of thousands of votes in the first 24 hours.

"This surge of activity on rockstar.msn.com attests to the outstanding talent of these performers as well as how much enjoyment fans have gained from interacting with contestants and each other through the Web site," said Mike Conte, general manager of MSN Marketplaces and Digital Media. "Our goal is to help people find what they love, so we're thrilled to be involved in exposing the great music and amazing people from 'Rock Star: INXS' to an even broader worldwide audience."

"It was just a few years ago that the only feedback producers would get would be from critics and ratings," said Mark Burnett. "Now, thanks to the Internet and specifically our relationship with MSN, very detailed feedback comes across through voting, message boards and blogs, and from the large number of video clips watched and songs downloaded. The music downloads specifically are an incredibly valuable measure of customer feedback, as there is nothing more reliable than when people vote with their pocketbooks."

"Rock Star: INXS," airing on the CBS Television Network and VH1, debuted in July with a cast of 15 rockers competing to become the new lead singer for multiplatinum band INXS. Votes cast online by visitors to http://rockstar.msn.com help determine which contestant gets dropped from the show each week. This is the first time that Mark Burnett Productions, the company behind such landmark reality TV series as "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," has used online voting to influence the outcome of a show on a weekly basis.

The Web site also gives fans unique opportunities to chat, play games and view show-themed content in real time through MSN Messenger, watch exclusive "Rock Star: INXS" content on MSN Video, purchase contestant performances on MSN Music, buy INXS merchandise through MSN Shopping, learn about the contestants' personal lives through their MSN Spaces, and more.

About MSN

MSN attracts more than 420 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 41 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com. MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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