The new MSN home page, which has been in beta testing, is beginning to roll out today. One of the core new features is Local Edition, a section of the site that features local news, events, traffic, restaurants and more. “In just a few months, MSN Local Edition has grown to 5 million unique users while still in preview mode, with more than 40% of those users coming back every day,” explains the MSN team. “With the launch of the new MSN home page and local module, that audience is expected to grow exponentially.” Since the beta, they’ve added new features, including geolocated Tweets and local video from partners Hearst TV and NBC Local Media.
“Our internal research shows this is the number one consumer demand for more local content, specifically hyperlocal,” explains Cyrus Krohn, who heads up MSN’s local efforts. “And based upon what are competitors are doing in local, I presume they’re seeing exactly the same research, because everyone is investing in local. It’s going to be a fun couple of years ahead.”
(FULL DISCLOSURE: I work for msnbc.com, which along with our local news partners, powers the news section of Local Edition.)