MSNBC.com moves into the black

MSNBC.com, the online news website joint venture between Microsoft and NBC News, will post its first profit since starting up eight years ago.

The news site launched in 1996 in the early days of the internet boom. Along with cable news channel MSNBC it posted record revenue of more than $45 million (€36.4 million) in the past year.

Charlie Tillinghast, General Manager of MSNBC.com, said a diverse advertiser base had been drawn to the news website, which relies heavily on technology and newsroom operations to draw a wide online audience.