Microsoft’s Bing is partnering with The Independent to bring the paper’s latest news to the UK Bing News app for Windows 8.
Adding to a line-up of six UK featured publishers for the Bing News app – including The Guardian, The Times, Press Association, ITN, Sky News and Reuters – the deal will bring all original content from The Independent’s team of journalists via the Start screen.
The Bing News app comes pre-installed on every copy of Windows 8, which has sold over 100 million licenses since its launch.
Readers will have access to the entire newspaper from within the app, including the latest comment and campaigns from opinion section ‘Independent Voices’, with no need to download it first. A selection of content from featured publishers and other sources will also be chosen by expert editors for the ‘Bing Daily’: a round-up of the biggest news stories each day.
As well as receiving content via the featured publishers, readers can customise the Bing News app to show curated content and full editions from over 200 other titles across the world by simply adding or removing their chosen providers from the “source” option.
Peter Maxmin from Bing says: “This deal with The Independent represents Microsoft’s commitment to consumer-centric solutions, offering a range of captivating experiences that are both beautiful and immersive to touch and engage with. Through forming relationships with influential target publishers, Bing is working to deliver top quality content to users.
“Our mission is to ensure that Bing evolves with Windows 8 and plays an integral role in the evolution of Microsoft’s ecosystem, as we build seamless and engaging experiences across devices that are useful, relevant and add real value to consumers.”
Michael Pocock, Head of Licensing & Syndication, The Independent says: “The Microsoft partnership is more great news for us here at The Independent and testament to our ongoing commitment to digital innovation and growth.”
Bing has six apps that come pre-installed with Windows 8 including Maps, Sports, News, Finance, Travel and Weather and is continuously looking for ways to collaborate with other publishers and brands to deliver useful, high-quality content through each of the apps. With over 200 in-app licensed deals within Bing globally, Windows 8 apps are the latest proposition for publishers looking to make content more dynamic and accessible to readers.