iCAST Launches

Offers Community Site for Movie, Music and Radio Channels and Personal Broadcasting Tools ICAST (http://www.icast.com), the streaming media company created by CMGI officially launched today. It also released a preview of its iCASTER player, which integrates a variety of features like instant messaging, a media player and a web radio tuner.

"iCAST is all about access: offering our members the best and richest selection of multimedia content, broadcasting and communication tools," said Margaret Heffernan, president and COO of iCAST. "Our mission is to extend the Web's power of interactivity to all, without barriers or restrictions. The iCASTER's multimedia search, playback and instant messaging interoperability, along with our site's wide selection of Hollywood, independent and community-generated media will provide an online entertainment experience unlike any. This rare blend of multimedia, personal broadcasting and community is at the heart of iCAST."

iCast.com features original multimedia interviews, music, short film and animation content and has news, reviews and features and adds free personal broadcasting tools and services.

In a deal with CMGI's Magnitude Network, it has a radio tuner featuring 200 radio stations including Net-only radio channels. Radio channels will be announced soon, beginning with the kick-off of iCAST Radio on March 2.

iCAST is using PowWow's instant messaging technology from Tribal Voice, another CMGI company. PowWow currently has about 58 million instant messaging users.