Fox Entertainment Group and MSN have announced the beginning of a partnership that would allow MSN Video service to run free episodes of the TV comedy Arrested Development. MSN licensed the rights of distribution to the whole three season run of the dysfunctional family's series. Microsoft's Internet unit has stated that it will not charge viewers for the show, but instead will bundle display and video ads with the comedy's content.

"We're thrilled that this groundbreaking, critically acclaimed show will find an entirely new audience through a complementary array of platforms - from rich media, to hi-def TV to cable," said Peter Levinsohn, president of Fox Digital Media. "The aftermarket for high-end content is exploding right now, and we're actively developing this exciting new arena with partners like MSN, HDNet and G4."

"On TV, 'Arrested Development' created an incredibly passionate and dedicated fan base, and we're thrilled to bring this series to the global MSN audience," said Rob Bennett, general manager of Video and Entertainment Services for MSN. "Our collaboration with Fox Entertainment Group further demonstrates MSN's commitment to being the best source of great entertainment content online."

With this agreement, MSN will own exclusive portal rights over all 53 Emmy award-winning episodes of the series, and will be able to syndicate the show for a period of three years.