On the Backlot

OK, OK, I know it's been awhile since we've posted anything - I promise we'll get better, really :) But we have a good excuse - the team has been hard at work launching the Emmy-winning series Arrested Development on MSN!

Starting today, viewers can go to http://arresteddevelopment.msn.com and watch full-length episodes for free exclusively on MSN. The launch of Arrested Development on MSN represents 2 important events in online video – 1) it is the industry’s first TV-to-web first-run syndication deal for a major network TV series, and 2) it premieres a new version of the MSN Video player specifically designed to improve the playback experience for long-form content and community interaction. Some highlights of the new player experience on MSN Video include:

• Themed player UI and experience
• “Sit back” large view mode, but ability to keep an eye on email and IM
• If you get interrupted, the player will remember your place and pickup where you left off, even days later
• Quick 15 sec “jump back” to help user relive a missed portion
• Jump to a specific show chapter
• Community area exposed and links directly in-player to Live Message Boards
• Send a friend a specific scene in the show, not just link to 22 mins of video
• Episode-specific blog and email content info for friends
• RSS feed to keep people in tune with the episode update cycles

Many of these features will be included in the core MSN Video playback experience with our next major release, so this is a great “sneak peek” at what’s to come…

The John Legend show from Royal Albert Hall is live now - exclusively on MSN! Watch live performances from his new album, "Once Again", due out Oct 24...

A little behind in posting this one, but earlier this week MSN signed a multi-year agreement with Control Room (formerly Network LIVE - the team behind Live 8 and a leader in live music events) to bring the hottest live concerts online - exclusively on MSN. The first show is John Legend on October 2nd at The Royal Albert Hall in London, and next up is Rod Stewart on October 9th at The Nokia Theater in NYC. The shows will be streamed live and on-demand - for free - around the world. So get out your lighters and get your front row seat to some amazing live music on MSN...

Update: The "MSN Music Presents... John Legend" page is now live - check it out!

Fall is my favorite time of year - the crisp chill in the air, the turning of the leaves, but most importantly - FALL TV! And our friends at The CW Network are giving MSN viewers a sneak preview of some of their great season premieres - one full week before they premiere on TV! That's right folks - you can watch the full episodes for free on MSN first. Here are the great shows that we've got lined up:

In the small town of Bridgewater, Iowa, a new family has just moved in. There is nothing out of the ordinary about The Hollands: Dad, Mom, three kids, a minivan. They're a normal, middle-class American family. But beneath the surface, this family has a secret. First of all, their last name isn't Holland. Paul Rader (Donnie Wahlberg, "Band of Brothers," "Boomtown"), his wife Lily (Leslie Hope, "24," "Commander in Chief"), teenagers Henry (Dustin Milligan, "Butterfly Effect 2," "Final Destination 3") and Hannah (Sarah Ramos, "American Dreams"), and 8-year-old Tommy (Nathan Gamble, the upcoming film "Babel") are on the run, struggling to blend into a new life, hiding from the legal system that unjustly accused Paul Rader of a terrible and violent crime.

Everybody Hates Chris
9/24 – 10/1

Inspired by his childhood experiences, comedian Chris Rock narrates the hilarious, touching story of a teenager growing up as the eldest of three children in Brooklyn, New York, during the early 1980s. Uprooted to a new neighborhood and bused into a predominantly white middle school two-hours away by his strict, hard-working parents, Chris struggles to find his place while keeping his siblings in line at home and surmounting the challenges of junior high. This responsible, resilient adolescent brings a distinct, funny spin to his everyday trials and traumas, in the critically acclaimed, single-camera comedy "Everybody Hates Chris. The series won the NAACP Image Award for Best Comedy and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and People’s Choice Award in its first season.

Veronica Mars
9/26 – 10/3

Hoping to leave the ghosts of Neptune High behind her, Veronica, along with boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring, "Judging Amy") and best friends Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III, "The Guardian") and Mac (guest star Tina Majorino, "Napoleon Dynamite"), are now freshmen at Hearst College. But with each determined to soak up the college experience in their own way, it quickly becomes obvious that some ghosts are here to stay. Even their high school graduation was marred when Veronica’s unlikely ally Eli "Weevil" Navarro (Francis Capra, "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation") was arrested and dragged out of the ceremony in handcuffs.

Update - Everyone Hates Chris and Veronica Mars are streaming now on MSN TV - see them before everyone else!

 Some of the key features of Soapbox include:

Easily upload and share your creations

• Simple sign-up using Windows Live ID
• Accepts all major digital video formats (AVI, ASF, WMV, MOV, MPEG 1/2/4, 3GPP, DV, H.263, H.264)
• Single-step uploading, with background video processing and transcoding (so you don’t have to stare at a “processing” message for hours on end)

• A.B.W. (“always-be-watching”) – do anything: search, browse related videos, comment, tag, share. All without interrupting whatever video you're watching.
• Browse & search videos in 15 categories by tag, user, or popularity
• Subscribe via RSS to automatically get notified of new videos in your favorite tag, user, category

“Reap what you sow” - participate in the Soapbox community

• Easily add ratings, comments, and tags to any video
• Share links to your favorite videos via email, IM
• Include your favorite videos right within your blog with the embeddable Soapbox video player

Dancing Butterfly

Remember how much fun it was as a kid to play in the sandbox? You could get your hands dirty and let your creative juices flow - until Lisa Moretti threw that toy shovel at you and sent you to the hospital... oh sorry, maybe that was just me. Well, here at the Backlot we're giving you backstage access to our sandbox at http://video.msn.com/sandbox/. This is where you'll find some of the cool projects that the team is working on before anyone else sees them. Like our Related Tag Explorer, which lets you browse the MSN Video catalog by searching in the center yellow box and then clicking on the various tags that show up around it.

You'll also find the MSN Video beta gadget for Live.com, and we'll be adding even more new cool stuff all the time. So check out our sandbox, and please - no throwing things...

Welcome to "On the Backlot", the official spot for behind-the-scenes info on MSN Entertainment & Video Services (we're the team behind MSN Video, MSN Movies, MSN TV, and MSN Music). We'll keep this blog up-to-date with the latest product and content news from MSN, and even give you access to some super-secret cool stuff that we've got cooking, so check back often!

- Rob Bennett, General Manager - MSN Entertainment & Video Services