NBC has strengthened its international position by developing strategic partnerships with strong content providers. These global alliances enable NBC to build on the broadcasting power of NBC as well as its partners' successful international brands. Internationally, NBC owns and operates CNBC: A Service of NBC and Dow Jones in partnership with Dow Jones & Company in Europe and Asia. In partnership with National Geographic and Fox/BSkyB, the network owns and operates the National Geographic Channel in Europe and Asia.

CNBC: A Service of NBC and Dow Jones: In 1998, NBC and Dow Jones combined their international television operations to provide more effective services in Asia and Europe. The new services, branded "CNBC: A Service of NBC and Dow Jones," bring together the most recognized business news brands in the world, including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. They are distributed in more than 93 million homes across Europe and Asia.

The increasing globalization and liberalization of markets in Europe and Asia provide a compelling backdrop for CNBC's ongoing strategy to localize its services through partnerships with leading media groups. In 1999, CNBC Asia partnered with the Nikkei group to launch Nikkei-CNBC, the leading business-news service in Japan, and formed a similar agreement with TV-18 in India. In 2000, CNBC Europe partnered with NBN in Scandinavia to create CNBC Nordic, and similarly partnered with NTV (part of the Dogus Group) in Turkey to build CNBC-E. In April of this year, CNBC Europe partnered with Class Editori and Mediaset to form CFN-CNBC, the leading business-news channel in Italy. These services provide leading local coverage of their business and financial markets in local languages and rely on CNBC's global presence for international updates and information.

National Geographic Channel: In September 1997, NBC and National Geographic Television formed a partnership creating National Geographic Channels International, a partnership with BSkyB/Fox. NGCI is distributed in 18 languages to over 100 million households in 129 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. These 24-hour channels feature new National Geographic Television programming and past specials, and also showcase a variety of documentaries by distinguished filmmakers.

NBC Europe: In July 1998, NBC and Deutsche Fernsehnachrichten Agentur (DFA) formed a strategic television partnership in Europe, in which DFA holds an equity position in London-based NBC Europe. NBC Europe airs NBC programming and CNBC provides five hours of morning news for the channel. In addition, the schedule is strengthened through entertainment programs produced by DFA. The service reaches approximately 20 million households in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

NBC Digital Media

NBC Digital Media, part of the Business Development and Interactive Media group at NBC, is responsible for NBC's new media strategy, including developing new growth businesses and ventures and supervising many of NBC's established Internet interests, which include MSNBC.com, CNBC on MSN Money, NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, Polo.com, enhanced television initiatives, and the NBC Internet Strategic Investment Portfolio.

In August 2001, NBC acquired NBC Internet, Inc., a publicly traded Internet portal in which NBC had held a minority interest since its formation in 1999. Among the NBCi properties that NBC brought back in-house is NBC.com, the TV network's companion site on the World Wide Web. Launched in August 1995, NBC.com was the first full-scale offering from a major television network and later became the first to feature original episodic programming. Original content extensions of NBC's most popular shows include Web sites for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as a teen-oriented site, "TNBC Online." Additionally, NBC.com features promotional areas for all NBC shows, stars, stations, and international activities.

NBC also jointly owns and manages several new media ventures, including MSNBC, the unique cable and Internet service from NBC and Microsoft; CNBC on MSN Money, a leading personal-finance Web site; and Polo.com, a joint venture with Polo Ralph Lauren.

NBC has a number of enhanced broadcasting initiatives, such as Wink-enhanced programming with Wink Communications, WebTV Plus with Microsoft, electronic program guide services with Gemstar, interactive showcases and promotions with TiVo, and a news and finance virtual channel launching on DirecTV in 2001. These and other technological developments keep NBC a leader among traditional media companies in the interactive field and in the convergence of traditional television forms and new media.

NBC also holds strategic investments in a number of Internet and new media companies.

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