Fox Interactive Media Launches Proprietary Widget Platform; Releases API to Developers

Business Wire, Nov 6, 2006

Initial Widgets Available to Consumers Include an IGN Entertainment RSS Reader, a FOXSports.com Scoreboard and a MyFox Local Weather Room

LOS ANGELES -- Fox Interactive Media today announced the launch of the company's first-ever proprietary widget platform at the Widgets Live! Conference in San Francisco. The new platform, called SpringWidgets, is available now to both consumers and developers at http://www.springwidgets.com. FIM Labs, a new division within Fox Interactive Media, today also released a developer toolkit for the new platform, marking FIM's first Application Programming Interface (API) release. The SpringWidgets Software Development Kit (SDK) gives developers the ability to easily build widgets for blogs and websites using news feeds and other dynamic content.

In conjunction with the launch of SpringWidgets.com, FIM Labs will release a series of widgets built on the platform that integrate content originating from several FIM sites, including IGN.com, FOXSports.com and MyFox local station sites. Partner sites such as FeedBurner.com will also provide exclusive tools and services that allow publishers to develop enhanced widgets powered by the SpringWidgets platform.

"By launching our first widget platform and releasing an initial set of APIs, FIM has taken two important steps forward on our path as a next generation media company," said Dan Strauss, VP of FIM Labs. "We are constantly striving to find new and innovative ways to deliver media content online and empower consumers. These tools mark our first effort to bring together a thriving community of developers in order to collectively reach this goal."

Examples of initial widgets released today include a gaming-focused RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Reader from IGN.com; a personalized Scoreboard from FOXSports.com; and a Weather Room, RSS Reader and Clock widget from MyFox local station Fox 6 in Birmingham, AL. In addition, MySpace members will have the option to integrate any of the new FIM Labs-produced widgets within their MySpace profile. Developers will also be able to utilize the SpringWidgets platform to build widgets for use within the MySpace community.

"SpringWidgets bring social content distribution to a new level, while providing users and bloggers with an easy-to-use platform to share video, audio and text content," said Don Synstelien, Creative Director for FIM Labs. "Each embedded or downloaded widget creates new reach for FIM by empowering users to add its content to their desktops, websites or blogs with a single click."

"FeedBurner has consistently advocated simple tools that enable broad distribution and make monetization opportunities more readily available for online publishers," said Don Loeb, Vice President of Partner Services for FeedBurner, Inc. "This integration makes it easy for our customers to quickly customize, brand and share SpringWidgets to widen their content's reach and distribution potential."

FeedBurner, the leading feed management provider and advertising network for blogs and RSS feeds, will enable its 275,000 publishers to customize and distribute FeedBurner feeds within the SpringWidgets platform.

Information about the new platform; widgets; the developer API and toolkit (SDK); and new SpringWidget releases are all available at the SpringWidgets site (http://www.springwidgets.com).

About Fox Interactive Media

A division of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS) (NYSE:NWS.A), Fox Interactive Media (FIM) is an integrated network of sites offering socially rich media experiences centered on entertainment, news, information and self-expression. The company's network includes Internet assets from News Corp., including the highly trafficked Foxsports.com (http://www.foxsports.com), Americanidol.com (http://www.americanidol.com) and Fox.com (http://www.fox.com). FIM also owns and operates such category leaders as MySpace.com (http://www.myspace.com), the number one social networking site on the Web; Scout.com (http://www.scout.com), a dynamic collegiate and pro sports network; and IGN Entertainment (http://www.ign.com), a network of leading gaming and entertainment sites including men's lifestyle site AskMen (http://www.askmen.com) and premier destination for movie-goers Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com), among others.