Microsoft Selects Activate's Webcasting Services

Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) has chosen Activate ( www.activate.com), a provider of webcasting solutions for enterprises, to provide live and on-demand webcasting services for Microsoft's three technical conferences scheduled for the summer and fall of 2001.

Activate began its relationship with Microsoft's technical events by providing webcasting services for the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2000. According to Activate its success with that event led to Microsoft's selection of Activate as the webcastng provider for PDC, Tech-Ed and MEC for the 2001 calendar year.

Tech-Ed 2001 is the first conference to follow this announcement. Microsoft selected Activate to capture and deliver all of the live feeds for the Tech-Ed 2001 conference, including Bill Gates' keynote address and 21 Microsoft designated sessions with live chat interactivity, and on-demand hosting of the remaining 247, 75-minute sessions. In addition, Microsoft will use Activate's solutions including encoding and production services, indexing, slide synchronization and media library.

Activate also announced this week a strategic alliance with StreetFusion (www.streetfusion.com) , the global financial events network. Activate and StreetFusion will join technology and business initiatives to service the increased demand for live and on-demand corporate Webcasts.

StreetFusion will utilize Activate's streaming distribution network, ActiveConference Center and other interactive presentation tools to deliver audio and video communications of earnings calls, annual meetings, analyst presentations, guidance calls and general financial conference and announcement services over the Web.