MSNBC.com Is the #1 News and Information Site on the Web (News Release)   5/17/2005 - 611 views,

REDMOND, Wash., May 16 /PRNewswire/ — MSNBC.com is ranked the #1 News &
Information website by Nielsen//NetRatings again in April. MSNBC.com had
23.6 million unique users and a 40% increase in page views over March.

“We work very hard to delight our consumers and our spot at the top
confirms that we are doing just that,” said Charlie Tillinghast, General
Manager and Publisher of MSNBC.com. “People turn to MSNBC.com for the news,
information and entertainment that we share with them in the most satisfying
way.”

Without question, the Internet is the medium of choice for today’s news
consumers. As evidence, MSNBC.com can claim twice the monthly audience than
the nation’s top newspapers. MSNBC.com credits their leadership position to
dedicated focus on understanding news consumers. Their heritage of
journalistic excellence from NBC and technological innovation from Microsoft
allows MSNBC.com to be proactive in the exemplary presentation of information
to consumers in a cluttered news world.

“Our competitors are trying to catch up,” Tillinghast said. “For example,
some competitors are finally making the effort to provide streaming video. We
were the first to offer free streaming video in the late 1990s and currently
average 30 million streams per month. MSNBC.com provides more free,
streaming-video coverage than any other news source. By the way, our premium
services such as streaming video have always been delivered at no cost to our
consumers.”

In June, MSNBC.com will up the ante once again with a site redesign that
combines a refined consumer interface with technology that delivers the utmost
online news experience. It is expected that these changes will propel
MSNBC.com to an even greater lead in the news and information category.