Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 11, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Networking platform MySpace http://www.myspace.com has announced the launch of an entertainment-culture offering. The “MySpace Celebrity” site was scheduled to go live on the US version of the network portal later that Thursday. It offers news from the world of celebrities, blogs and multimedia content about stars from music, film and sports. Current news is to be sourced in part from the People Magazine website. Alongside the new celebrity site, MySpace operates various other offerings, some of which consist of content from external cooperation partners, including the political site “Impact” and an announced gaming website.
The content on “MySpace Celebrity” is intended to go beyond rumours and general gossip. Background reports and news about celebrities’ charitable activities are planned. The new offering also provides an official index of celebrity profiles on the platform, listing only “real” pages. This is intended to let users distinguish genuine profiles from fake ones for various celebrities. At launch, the index already included more than 300 celebrity appearances on MySpace.
As is usually the case, the new celebrity portal was initially limited to the United States. “There are currently no plans to replicate the Celebrity Channel in German-speaking countries; first, the launch and its further progress in the US will be observed,” MySpace Germany told pressetext on request. For MySpace president Tom Anderson, launching the celebrity website was a logical step: “Stars have used MySpace since the platform began, and now it is a natural extension for us to offer a consolidated channel where they can also have control over their own image.”
Users are also to be given the opportunity to get in touch with celebrities, as already happens in the musicians and bands area. With the new offering, however, MySpace has set itself ambitious goals. Especially in the United States, the market for celebrity websites and online versions of entertainment magazines is already well served. On the other hand, the platform has already achieved striking success with its music offering, and the social network has so far established itself well as a central hub for pop culture on the internet.
