Mon, 10/22/2007

2007 Press Releases

RealNetworks Makes Multimedia Ringback Services Globally Available

Enhancement to popular Ringback Tones service boosts personalization options for subscribers

San Francisco (CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment®) — October 23, 2007 — Digital entertainment services company RealNetworks®, Inc. (RNWK) today announced the global availability of Multimedia Ringback Services, building upon Real's pioneering success in Ringback Tones with this new 3G mobile feature. Multimedia Ringback Services were first launched with Korea's SK Telecom earlier this year and are now available for global deployment.

Multimedia Ringback (MRB) Services usher in a new level of personalization in Ringback Tones (RBTs), allowing subscribers to incorporate audio, images and video to deliver a unique, customized experience for callers before they are connected. Real's offering is a complete, end-to-end service that manages the entire solution on behalf of mobile service providers who operate on 3G networks, enabling them to provide innovative services and generate new revenue streams.

"Consumption of ringback tones has increased by 31 percent over the past year, which is a significant gain," said Mark Donovan, vice president of products and senior analyst, M:Metrics. "Mobile operators that offer continuously evolving and innovative services, such as multimedia content and ringback tones, are more likely to attract high-value, early-adopter subscribers."

Deployed in Korea with SK Telecom — and branded Video COLORing™ — in June of this year, MRB Services have been enthusiastically received after just four months of availability. The Korean market provides an ideal launch pad for innovative new wireless features, due in part to the region's consistent early adoption of new technologies.

"Ringback Tones have been incredibly popular since we introduced the service several years ago, and it seemed natural to build upon this success with further innovations and personalization options for consumers," said David Oh, vice president, global personalization and network products at RealNetworks. "As 3G networks evolve, Real is prepared to help carriers meet customer demands and bolster revenues to recoup the costs of deploying 3G."

A pioneer in the wireless space, Real was the world's first RBT service provider with SK Telecom in May 2002, and subsequently the first US RBT service provider with Verizon Wireless in November 2004. Today, Real operates RBT services for more mobile subscribers than any other provider in the world. With more than 25.4 million active RBT subscribers worldwide and global adoption rates of over 9%—more than double regional averages—the company is positioned to score another market success with the introduction of MRB Services.

Real's services are currently available through 77 different carriers in 37 countries worldwide, making them available to 758 million subscribers. Real offers wireless providers a comprehensive selection of mobile services including Music on Demand, Games, Video, Personalization features (such as Ringtones, RBTs and MRB Services) as well as messaging services. Real will be showcasing all of these services in booth number 933 at CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment®, October 23-25, 2007.

For More Information:
Jennifer Humiston
SHIFT for RealNetworks
617-779-1812
jhumiston@shiftcomm.com

Tiffany Dunning
RealNetworks
206-892-6733
tdunning@real.com

ABOUT REALNETWORKS

RealNetworks, Inc. delivers digital entertainment services to consumers via PC, portable music player, home entertainment system or mobile phone. Real created the streaming media category in 1995 and has continued to lead the market with pioneering products and services, including: RealPlayer®, the first mainstream media player to enable one-click downloading and recording of Internet video; the award-winning Rhapsody® digital music service, which delivers more than 1 billion songs per year; RealArcade®, one of the largest casual games destinations on the Web; and a variety of mobile entertainment services, such as ringback tones, offered to consumers through leading wireless carriers around the world. RealNetworks' corporate information is located at www.realnetworks.com/company.

RealNetworks, RealArcade, Rhapsody, RealPlayer and the Real logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, names of actual companies and products mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.