Companies collaborate to offer first live, multichannel HDTV integrated with Kinect, in the United States via Xbox; expands Verizon FiOS customers' borderless lifestyles.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Oct. 5, 2011 - Verizon and Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement that will open the door to a new FiOS TV-powered entertainment experience for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Using a Verizon-developed software application, FiOS TV and broadband customers who are also Xbox LIVE Gold members will be able to view popular live TV channels through their Xbox consoles without any extra hardware required. The new service will represent the first offering of live, multichannel streaming HDTV, integrated with Kinect, in the United States via Xbox.

The new collaboration is an important expansion of the breadth of entertainment available on Xbox 360 and the latest move by Verizon to break down old technology barriers and provide customers with the freedom of a borderless lifestyle where they can connect with what they love on all their favorite devices. Utilizing Kinect for Xbox 360, FiOS customers will be able to easily discover and enjoy content in extraordinary new ways, all without having to pick up a remote control.

"By bringing the technologically advanced Verizon FiOS TV service to Xbox 360 and Kinect, we are advancing our vision to provide the best in entertainment in extraordinary new ways," said Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of the TV & Service Business for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "Xbox 360 brings all your entertainment, friends and family together in one place, and we look forward to introducing Verizon FiOS TV to the console this holiday."

Verizon's vision for the future - the Borderless Lifestyle - can be summed up in four words: anytime, anywhere, any device.

"We want to make everything our customers want or need to do easier and more convenient, by putting the power of our technology in their hands - through the Internet-connected devices they use every day," said Eric Bruno, vice president of consumer and mass business product management for Verizon. "The Borderless Lifestyle is about erasing old technology boundaries and freeing consumers to enjoy entertainment on their own terms. FiOS TV on Xbox 360 will tap into the magic of Kinect to transform the way people interact with TV, providing a game-changing entertainment experience for our customers."

Editors Note: Verizon/Microsoft Media Availability Wednesday, Oct. 5

Eric Bruno of Verizon is a keynote speaker this morning from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at the TVNext 2011 conference at the San Jose Airport Garden Hotel, 1740 North First Street, San Jose, CA. Tom Gibbons of Microsoft will join Bruno during the keynote and a subsequent media availability in the Governor's House, Room A, at the hotel from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. For information contact Jarryd Gonzales of Verizon at (213) 703-1094.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.