MSNBC Brings Live Inauguration Coverage To Theaters, Starbucks
Screenvision, Coffee Chain Partner With News Network To Present Historic Event
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 1/14/2009 3:05:00 PM
MSNBC will enable viewers to take in the inauguration of Barack Obama with popcorn or a vanilla latte.
The news network is partnering with Screenvision to host big-screen viewings of the Jan. 20 inauguration, while 650 Starbucks outlets in three markets will carry the service’s coverage of the historic event live.
MSNBC and Screenvision will host live viewings of the network’s inaugural coverage in 27 theaters in 21 markets. The free screenings will take place from 11 a.m. to p.m. (ET)
at select theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, Washington DC, Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Tampa, Seattle, Denver, Orlando, St. Louis, San Diego, Hartford-New Haven, West Palm, Fla., Memphis, Louisville and Providence, R.I. Registration for the event is now open at www.MSNBCEvents.com.
Meanwhile, NBC Everywhere, the growing out-of-home unit of the NBC Local Media Division, and MSNBC will work with Starbucks to bring live inauguration coverage to TV screens at 650 of the coffee chain’s outlets in New York, Seattle and San Francisco. This marks the first time Starbucks has aired a live broadcast along with audio. Coverage from MSNBC's live news feed will run from 10a.m.-2 p.m. (ET) at participating Starbucks locations.
In addition, Starbucks is launching its "I'm In!" campaign, an initiative to make it easy for Americans to participate in Obama’s call for national service. At participating Starbucks stores across the nation, Americans will have an opportunity to pledge five hours or more of community service toward a local volunteer opportunity of choice. Starbucks will honor each person's five hour pledge with a free tall brewed coffee, beginning on Jan. 21 and running through Jan. 25. The goal: to raise pledges in excess of 1 million hours of service from all over the country.
Sixty-second campaign spots touting the initiative will run on a variety of NBCU platforms, including MSNBC, NBC primetime, The Today Show, and NBC on Campus. The latter is a strategic partnership between NBC Everywhere and The University Network, comprising over 180 colleges and universities.
