|
OPTIMUM ONLINE AND REALNETWORKS OFFER GAME SERVICE TO BROADBAND CONSUMERS
Optimum Online High-Speed Internet Customers Can Now Download More Than 180 Games Through OptimumArcade, Powered by RealNetworks’ RealArcade
BETHPAGE, NY and SEATTLE, WA — February 9, 2004 — Optimum Online, the fastest and most popular broadband service for the home in the New York metropolitan area, and RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) today announced a customized version of the RealArcade® game experience, available to Optimum Online customers via the service’s customer portal, www.OptOnline.net. Effective immediately, the more than one million Optimum Online customers can discover and play in excess of 180 downloadable games - each available for an hour of free play. Consumers also have the ability to purchase and own games on a transaction or subscription basis — including such favorites as Super Collapse® II, Rebound, and Zuma Deluxe — through OptimumArcade.
"Optimum Online is committed to delivering the fastest speeds and best-in-class services, content and technologies to our growing base of Internet customers," said Gemma Toner, Cablevision's senior vice president for high speed data products. "This agreement with RealNetworks will allow us to offer yet another significant product enhancement, further establishing Optimum Online as a leader in marrying speed with rich and compelling content and broadband features," added Toner.
Last year, RealNetworks and Cablevision began offering free streaming Internet radio to all Optimum Online customers with Rhapsody™ Radio Plus, the Internet radio portion of the award-winning Rhapsody Internet jukebox service. Optimum Online continues to enhance its broadband destination site by offering a rewarding customer experience with special discounts and offers, as well as a host of broadband features, such as news videos, movie listings and exclusive contests and sweepstakes.
Optimum Online customers will have access to OptimumArcade, powered by RealNetworks' game management and playing service, RealArcade, as well as the leading downloadable games subscription service from RealNetworks, RealArcade GamePass™. "The success of RealArcade and GamePass have shown that mainstream consumers love to play games, and downloadable games are best delivered via high-speed Internet connections, like those provided by Optimum Online," said Andrew Wright, vice president, games, RealNetworks, Inc. "With more than 180 games to choose from, OptimumArcade offers a wide variety of the most popular games on the Web, in every category."
RealNetworks has over a million paying subscribers to its paid content services including GamePass. With a deep family of consumer products and services, broadband operators can work with RealNetworks to offer these products and services to their customers to enrich and expand their broadband portals and other service offerings. As a leading games service on the Internet for mainstream downloadable games, GamePass and RealArcade deliver a uniquely compelling consumer experience that supports both transaction and subscription-based business models.
For More Information:
Erika Shaffer, RealNetworks, 206-892-6191, eshaffer@real.com
Jim Maiella, Cablevision Systems Corporation, 516-803-3947, jmaiella@cablevision.com
ABOUT OPTIMUM ONLINE
Optimum Online (www.optimumonline.com) is the high-speed Internet access solution offered by Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC), one of the nation’s leading telecommunications and entertainment companies. With more than 1,000,000 customers, Optimum Online has the highest market penetration of any cable modem service in the country at more than 23%. Optimum Online provides the New York Metropolitan area’s fastest Internet connection for the home — offering access speeds up to 100 times faster than dial-up and more than twice the speed of DSL. Optimum Online subscribers also benefit from www.OptOnline.net, a broadband portal that provides a gateway to the very best in broadband content and multimedia programming.
ABOUT REALARCADE
RealArcade offers consumers a fun, unique and compelling way to discover, acquire and play PC games — bringing together a wide array of games and services in a single, easy to use environment. RealArcade provides play-before-you-pay access to the best in downloadable games (titles such as Super Collapse II, Diamond Mine, and Red Ace Squadron ), free online Web games, broadband games, and Palm games. Integrated game manuals, message boards and user ratings enable RealArcade users to play their games with greater ease and knowledge. Real Arcade also recognizes and manages retail CD titles and top shareware games, giving users a one-stop destination for games on their PC. Features such as download and installation management, automatic check of system requirements and integrated e-commerce make acquiring and playing games a fun, easy and reliable experience for consumers. RealArcade is available for free at: www.Realarcade.com.
ABOUT REALNETWORKS
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody Internet jukebox service and the new RealPlayer 10 to find, play and manage the best free and premium digital content. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
|
Contact Us
