Tue, 07/21/2009

2009 Press Releases

RealGames Announces New Syndication Deals with Comcast and Other Partners


SEATTLE — July 21, 2009 — RealGames™, a division of RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) is today announcing new and existing agreements to provide comprehensive games distribution services for mass media company Comcast; leading social entertainment website hi5; online media company Giant Realm, Inc. and other companies. These powerful consumer brands demonstrate the marked success of RealGames syndication during the first half of 2009 and the company's ability to offer exceptional value to both distribution and developer partners. With nearly 50 signed agreements in the first half of 2009, RealGames has seen a 224% year-over-year increase in new syndication partnerships and now works with more than 650 distribution partners globally.

"Working with RealGames means we're able to offer Comcast.net visitors great value on casual games from leading publishers," said Scott Bailey, senior vice president and general manager of Comcast.net for Comcast Interactive Media. "With a huge library of popular titles, free and discounted game offerings, a valuable subscription option and a robust community experience, we're able to deliver something for every type of player."

Since 2003, the RealGames Network has provided end-to-end game hosting solutions for leading ISPs, portals, online game magazines, consumer lifestyle sites and eTailers, such Yahoo! EU, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom AG, GameStop and Lifetime Networks. To best meet a partner's particular business and customer needs, RealGames offers a range of hosting options, including:

  • RealGames Hosted: a full service solution wherein Real® handles all the merchandising, management and ecommerce

  • Partner Hosted: a customizable partner hosted solution wherein the RealGames catalogue integrates directly into the partner's website.

In addition to hosting, RealGames syndication solutions leverage Real's industry-leading catalogue of more than 2,800 casual, online, core and large format titles and incorporate features popular with consumers, like community and subscription options — providing partners with a flexible platform to easily deliver the robust gaming experience that their customers want.

"The success of our syndication business demonstrates the value partners find in trusting RealGames to power gaming entertainment experiences for their audiences" said Ben Titera, general manager of North American syndication for RealGames. "As this portion of our business continues to prosper, we're excited about the opportunities we can pass along to our developer partners as we bring more and more players into the RealGames Network around the globe."

RealNetworks helped pioneer the casual games segment and today is the number one aggregator and distributor of online and downloadable games in Europe and North America, with market-leading global publishing, licensing and content development teams. The RealGames Network currently reaches 45 million unique consumers monthly.

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

Suzanna Aronowitz
SHIFT Communications for RealNetworks
617-779-1814
saronowitz@shiftcomm.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, RealGames, Real, 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.