BermanBraun and the Msnbc Digital Network Announce WONDERWALL Extension

BermanBraun and the Msnbc Digital Network (msnbc.com) today announced a partnership to create an original destination site which will go beyond policy and polls to explore the celebrity side of politics.

The new site will launch in late 2010 and will be an extension of the popular entertainment and celebrity destination Wonderwall. The site will take the audience inside the beltway to explore the lives of politicians as celebrities, giving politics the Wonderwall treatment.  It will leverage the same entertaining voice and innovative design as Wonderwall.

Politicians have now become part of popular culture, and de-facto celebrities, attracting considerable media attention. This new site will be designed to appeal to the highly valuable 25-49 year-old audience, and enable the Msnbc Digital Network to offer consumers another compelling site in its collection of innovative and powerful news brands.  The Msnbc Digital Network provides something for every news consumer with its comprehensive array of offerings that deliver the best in breaking news, original journalism, lifestyle features, commentary and local updates down to the block level.

A partnership between MSN and BermanBraun, Wonderwall launched in February 2009, and has become one of the top celebrity online news destinations, reaching an average of 12.3 million unique visitors monthly in the U.S. in 2010.*  Wonderwall consistently averages number one against its top competitors in engagement – averaging over 30 page views per visitor this year.  Wonderwall has proved to be popular with advertisers, compelling BermanBraun to look at ways to expand the brand into other content areas.

The new site aims to build on this success. BermanBraun will spearhead the design, programming, and operations of this new digital brand. The Msnbc Digital Network will distribute the site, provide unique content and lead the advertising efforts in partnership with Microsoft and BermanBraun. The site will also be promoted on MSN.

"We are excited to partner with BermanBraun to build content experiences that are not only compelling for consumers but also attractive to our advertisers," said Charlie Tillinghast, President of the Msnbc Digital Network.  "BermanBraun has been innovative and creative with advertising and we look forward to reaching out to our key clients to continue to deliver effective and impactful solutions."

"Many of our most fascinating public figures live in the world of politics," said BermanBraun partners Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun.  "We feel the political arena is a natural extension of the Wonderwall brand, and we are excited to partner in this new endeavor with msnbc."

In addition to Wonderwall, BermanBraun also partnered with MSN and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) to launch lifestyle site Glo.com in April 2010.  Glo focuses on style, beauty, living and relationship content through a unique experience that combines the imagery and feel of a magazine with dynamic social media features.

About the Msnbc Digital Network
The Msnbc Digital Network is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver the most compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on the consumer’s platform of choice.  The world-class brands featured in the digital network include msnbc.com, TODAYshow.com, Nightly.msnbc.com, TV.MSNBC.com, NBCSports.com, Newsvine, and EveryBlock.  The Msnbc Digital Network provides something for every news consumer with its comprehensive array of offerings that deliver the best in breaking news, original journalism, lifestyle features, commentary and local updates down to the block level.

About BermanBraun
BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions — television, feature film and digital media — create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms. In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL — the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space.  In April 2010, partners BermanBraun, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and MSN launched GLO, a lifestyle destination site.  BermanBraun is currently producing THE CAPE for NBC’s 2010/2011 television season.  They are also producing DECODED for the History Channel for Fall 2010.   BermanBraun also produces SWORDS for The Discovery Channel and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? on MTV. 

*Source: comScore

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