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Xtra Launches XtraMSN Web Site

Thursday, 28 June 2001, 10:34 am
Press Release: Telecom New Zealand

With the launch of xtramsn.co.nz, New Zealand’s growing Internet population will find their favourite Net features on one comprehensive site.

The merger of Xtra and Microsoft’s MSN New Zealand Web sites into xtramsn.co.nz, set to go live on 28 June, will improve the online experience for New Zealanders, says Xtra’s Consumer General Manager Rod Snodgrass.

“The site combines Xtra’s New Zealand and international coverage in areas such as entertainment, sport, news, health and travel, with world-leading Web services from Microsoft including MSN Messenger and MSN Chat.

“Combining the two sites will make it even easier for kiwis to find their favourite features on the Net. Our focus has been on how we can help New Zealand Net users get the most from their time online,” he says.

Figures from Nielsen//Netratings, which surveys home Net users, estimate a potential unique audience of 735,000 New Zealanders will visit xtramsn.co.nz in its first month ¯ a whopping 75.4 percent of all New Zealand Internet users viewing over 73 million pages.

“If the xtramsn.co.nz audience was a region, it would qualify for its own Super 12 Rugby team,” says Snodgrass.

Xtra is also promising the new xtramsn.co.nz Web site will be easier to use, have more content and more functionality.

“The new home page has been designed to make it simple to get around and easy to find what you’re looking for. We’ve also added some new features that will make it easier for people to get straight to the fun stuff on the Net.

“The new Kid’s Corner has a link direct from the xtramsn.co.nz home page, and it’s chock full of fun, games and stuff for school projects,” says Snograss.

Rod Snodgrass says the Internet has experienced phenomenal growth in New Zealand.

“Already over half of all New Zealand homes are online and nearly 60 percent of all businesses are connected.

“New Zealanders surfing the Net from home on average spend nearly half an hour online at a time, 15 times a month. Add to that the time people spend on the Net at work, and you are talking about significant numbers,” he says.

The agreement to merge the Xtra portal with Microsoft’s MSN in New Zealand was jointly announced by Microsoft co-founder and chief software architect Bill Gates and Telecom CEO Theresa Gattung on 11 May.

Ends

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