14 DAY TRIAL // New Year's Eve 2006 revelers from all around the world now have the opportunity to experience nonstop streams covering New York City's Times Square New Year's Eve countdown event in real time via an exclusive webcast from MSN Video. MSN Video is the exclusive online provider of the official Times Square New Year's Eve 2006 celebration, and revelers can begin their New Year's Eve journey now at http://msn.com/newyears .
The initiative delivers party coverage, live performances and a number of exclusive online entertainment appearances; real-time experience to be provided by as many as 26 cameras and multiple streams bringing six hours of broadband content directly from Times Square.
The live event in Times Square on Dec. 31 begins at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. It will include a multistream, multicamera look at numerous performances and celebrations happening in and around the New York City Times Square location. On the Web site now through December 31, 2005, online visitors can watch exclusive video flashbacks of 2005. This marks the second consecutive year that MSN Video has webcast the Times Square New Year's Eve festivities.
Three live co-hosts will help online viewers navigate through numerous events and performances in and throughout Times Square. The specially assembled team, positioned for maximum coverage in Times Square, includes Romeo, host of "Romeo on the Radio," which is featured on New York's No. 1 radio station, Z100; award-winning comedian Angela LaGreca, who is seen and heard every morning on "The View"; and Brandi Williams, entertainment reporter and host of "Ultimate Poker Challenge." Romeo, LaGreca and Williams will guide viewers throughout the MSN Video site (http://msn.com/newyears ), assisting them along the way to create their own New Year's Eve program.
The live webcast will include an "all-access backstage pass" to Little Steven's Underground Garage Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, where Steven Van Zandt ("The Sopranos," Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Sirius Satellite Radio's "Little Steven's Underground Garage") will perform and present the evening's New Year's Eve music performances. Throughout the evening viewers will be able to watch live performances by The Woggles, The Charms, The Chesterfield Kings, The Troggs, The Mooney Suzuki and The New York Dolls. The co-hosts will enable viewers to contribute to the evening's celebration by e-mailing in comments or questions about the evening's performances and celebrations and well-wishes for the coming year, which will be interspersed with coverage of the New Year's Eve countdown, ball drop, Times Square festivities and crowd frenzy.
"We are very excited to be producing this one-of-a-kind view of the ultimate New Year's Eve experience live from Times Square, the most historic and thrilling place to ring in the New Year," said Steve Sterling, executive producer of the MSN Video Times Square New Year's Eve Celebration. "This webcast clearly provides a broader, more extensive New Year's Eve Times Square program than any other medium can offer. We can't wait for webcast viewers to see New Year's Eve their way on MSN Video."
"For the second year running, we're giving New Year's revelers around the world a unique view of Times Square," said Rob Bennett, product unit manager for MSN Video, TV and Movies. "Last year viewers spent 45 minutes on average watching the celebration on MSN Video and this year we are making it even more interactive by giving consumers the opportunity to choose the camera angles and the events to focus on, instantly shaping their New Year's Eve experience."