The Associated Press (AP) has officially launched its AP Online Video Network in the U.S. after two months in beta. Powered by MSN Video and using AP content, the ad-supported service will allow some 4,000 AP newspaper and broadcast member websites to offer a free breaking-news video content to their audience, initially totaling 45 million unique visitors.

Only nine hours after the launch of the network, paidContent points out, the AP posted video of President Bush, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and other government officials being warned about Katrina, a day before it struck.

(The video shows that the government was aware of the various catastrophic scenarios likely to follow the storm, including the breeching of levies. The video footage is available only through customers of the new service, but the blizzard of news stories pretty much covers the gory details.)

When launched, the network included 450 sites that had already signed up. The service will offer 40 or so video clips per day covering national, international, technology, business and entertainment news, including this week's Academy Awards.

Participating websites in the video network receive a custom-branded MSN Video player, pre-stream advertising that runs prior to the video in the player, a portion of the advertising revenue and daily news video from AP - at no charge to the sites and their visitors.

MSN is also working to expand the functionality of the network, including local content, local advertising, and content syndication systems for AP affiliates within the network.

The AP-MSN relationship is the first time that the MSN Video player technology has been syndicated to sites outside MSN's network. MSNBC.com remains the exclusive video news content partner for MSN.

The Kansas City Star is one of the AP daily newspaper members that participated in the beta test of the vide network; New York all-news radio station 1010 WINS also took part.