Microsoft Experiment in Political News Aims to Increase Participation Among Disconnected Youth as Xbox Features Election Coverage For First Time Ever

Microsoft To Launch “Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE”

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced “Election 2012 on Xbox LIVE,” a unique opportunity for Xbox 360 owners to watch and interact with live election coverage of the presidential debates, learn the facts about the candidates and issues from Face the Facts USA, register to vote through Rock the Vote, and participate in live daily polling from YouGov. NBCNews.com will deliver daily election programming to keep users up-to-date on the latest news and analysis about the election and the candidates. All these experiences will be featured on a brand new Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE. Members will be able to fully access the first wave of content, which will focus on convention-related news, beginning Monday, Aug. 27.

Through this innovative platform, U.S.-based Xbox LIVE* members — part of a large, diverse and actively engaged audience of more than 40 million members worldwide — will be able to interact in real time throughout the three scheduled presidential debates, as well as enjoy live feeds from the Republican and Democratic national conventions. Xbox LIVE members will also be able to voice their opinions by responding to poll questions throughout live programming of the debates and other unique election events hosted on Xbox LIVE throughout the campaign season.

“We want to provide our passionate Xbox LIVE community with a great way to experience the election process with TV that makes them participants — and not just viewers,” said Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This is a great example of how our Xbox capabilities are making the promise of interactive television a reality.”

“As a leader in digital and broadcast news, NBC News is always looking for more places to deliver its high-quality multimedia content, particularly in this critical campaign year. This relationship with Xbox LIVE is a unique opportunity to expand our reach on a really innovative platform,” said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and chief digital officer at NBC News.

Additional original programming will be featured through the Election Hub on Xbox LIVE with the “Conversations with the Next Generation” youth town halls in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 29 and Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 5. National Journal, The Atlantic and Microsoft are working together on these one-of-a-kind events at the Republican and Democratic national conventions to engage with younger Americans and students in a dialogue about issues facing their generation. The event moderators, including NBC’s Chuck Todd and Chelsea Clinton, will lead keynote interviews, panel discussions and audience Q&A with unique perspectives on the youth vote, education and the future of America’s economy. Participants such as George P. Bush; Kal Penn; Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill.; MTV’s Andrew Jenks; Michelle Rhee; OUR TIME’s Matthew Segal; and the national presidents of both the Young Democrats of America and the Young Republican National Federation will further explore ways in which people can empower youths to get involved in the political process and make their voices heard.

“Technology has been a transformative force in politics during recent years,” said Fred Humphries, vice president of government affairs at Microsoft. “The launch of the Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE marks another exciting moment of change. This platform will innovate how some voters engage in the political process, and it provides greater access to valuable information such as the perspectives of youth at our town halls, newscasts and voter registrations. By bringing the elections directly into the home through this Xbox platform, we hope to encourage greater participation in the democratic process this fall.”

As part of Election 2012 coverage, Xbox LIVE is joining with Face the Facts USA, a nonpartisan, independently funded research initiative supported by The George Washington University and backed by “Americans who believe facts should come first in the national debate.” Thanks to this initiative, Xbox LIVE members will have access to videos that will help them more accurately understand the major issues surrounding the election and the candidates involved. Frank Sesno, former CNN correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau chief and director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, will host this important video content.

Microsoft has also teamed up with Rock the Vote to encourage and facilitate voter registration. Rock the Vote will deliver information and programming directly into the Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE, while also providing local voter information and the ability to register to vote through https://www.xbox.com/election2012. Rock the Vote will also make available exclusive musical content to be streamed directly to the Xbox LIVE community. Xbox and Rock the Vote previously worked together in 2008, successfully driving tens of thousands of citizens to register to vote and become active participants in the election process.

“We are thrilled to be working with Xbox again to deliver important election and voter registration content to millions of voters through this truly unique and impressive Xbox LIVE platform,” said Chrissy Faessen, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Rock the Vote. “There’s a growing audience of individuals getting their election information solely from online platforms; Microsoft has set itself apart by providing for its users a level of content and interactivity that’s second to none.”

Underlying this entire experience will be daily polling of the Xbox LIVE community aligned with relevant happenings on the campaign trail. Working with YouGov, the daily results will be weighed to reflect both the Xbox community and likely voters. Further, timely polling will provide quick feedback from the Xbox community during major campaign events this fall.

To understand more about the political attitudes, behaviors and issue priorities of Xbox LIVE members, Xbox commissioned StrategyOne to conduct a survey of 1,678 Xbox LIVE households. The survey, which was conducted June 19 to July 3, 2012, found that 40 percent are Xbox Swing Voters — those who are not firmly committed to a presidential candidate.

Xbox Swing Voters say the most important issues facing the country are unemployment and jobs (39 percent), healthcare (29 percent) and taxes (22 percent). Xbox Swing Voters say they follow politics and public policy matters in the news at least once per week, including 23 percent who follow these issues daily. Thirty-nine percent say they often watch information about the presidential election with other people in their household.

“A large, engaged but uncommitted audience, Xbox Swing Voters are a technically savvy and passionate voting bloc,” said Douglas Rivers, YouGov’s chief innovations officer. “We’re proud to be working with Microsoft and its game-changing, interactive Xbox LIVE platform to provide meaningful insights that are shaping the current election landscape.”

About Xbox

Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. It’s home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of music, movies, TV and sports. With Kinect, Xbox 360 transformed gaming and entertainment in the living room with a whole new way to play games and find entertainment — no controller required. More information about Xbox can be found online at https://xbox.com/election2012.

About Face the Facts USA

Face the Facts USA is a project of the Center for Innovative Media at The George Washington University that presents myth-busting facts as a starting point for better understanding of America’s seemingly intractable problems. Working with a number of digital media, university and outreach partners, Face the Facts USA aims to re-engage Americans in the political process, using the facts behind the major challenges facing our country – not opinion or partisan rants – as the basis for civil conversation, consensus building and consideration of potential alternatives and solutions.

About Rock the Vote

Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build political power for young people in our country. Using music, popular culture, new technologies and grassroots organizing for more than 20 years, Rock the Vote has registered more than 5 million young people. As the tidal wave of Millennial generation voters continues to establish its power at the polls, Rock the Vote will register millions more young people and make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.rockthevote.com.

About StrategyOne Methodology

StrategyOne surveyed 1,678 U.S. adults who own and use an Xbox 360 and have a LIVE membership. The survey was conducted June 19 through July 3, 2012 and included 324 landline, 684 cellphone and 670 online interviews. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 2.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

About YouGov Methodology

YouGov is a global polling and market research organization with offices in the U.K., U.S., Germany, Scandinavia, and Middle East. YouGov uses the Internet to provide fast, accurate and actionable data about what people are thinking and doing all over the world. YouGov is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market and trades under the symbol YOU. In the U.S., YouGov has compiled an impressive track record in predicting both national results (with an error of less than one percent in 2006, 2008 and 2010) and over 200 state and local elections. YouGov is adapting its methodology to support polling on the Xbox LIVE platform. Xbox LIVE has a large and surprisingly diverse userbase that will be offered the opportunity to participate in online polls and real-time dial groups starting with the 2012 election campaign. YouGov is responsible for creating questions and analyzing the large quantities of responses collected from Xbox LIVE users. Daily tracking polls and live event instant polls will allow a closer and more detailed picture of what Americans think than ever before.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for some events and features, including live coverage and select video content. See xbox.com/election2012.