Tue, 08/11/2009

2009 Press Releases

RealNetworks Inks Tenth Music-on-Demand Deal in Europe with mobilkom austria

  • A1 subscribers gain choice of plans

  • Real now powers MOD in 10 countries in Europe; 14 globally

  • Real was "clear choice" for mobilkom austria


SEATTLE — August 12, 2009 — RealNetworks®, Inc. (RNWK), the digital entertainment services company, signed its tenth European Music-on-Demand (MOD) deal, powering mobilkom austria's music service and continuing its winning streak across Europe. Subscribers of mobilkom austria's A1 service will have access to more than 2 million DRM-free tracks, with a wide variety of choices of plans. Subscribers can: purchase single DRM-free tracks, pre-pay for a package (bundle) of DRM-free tracks, or opt for a flat-rate, all-you-can-eat subscription.

"RealNetworks has proven itself as the best choice for mobile music in Europe and we are proud to partner with them on our A1 music service," said Reinhard Zuba, head of marketing at mobilkom austria. "Their expertise in creating a user interface that makes it easy for subscribers to find the music they want, combined with their expertise in audio streaming made them a clear choice for our network."

Real also powers MOD for Vodafone music stores in 9 countries — including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, Romania and Spain — making mobile music available to hundreds of millions of subscribers in Europe.

"We were honoured to be chosen as the MOD partner for mobilkom, and feel that there is a strong cultural bond between our companies, particularly given our strong presence in Austria," said Andreas Spechtler, managing director, marketing and sales EMEA, RealNetworks. "They have been a pioneer in mobile music, with offerings since 2005, and continue to be so with their forward thinking pricing and packaging models."

As a provider of MOD for mobile operators, Real provides and hosts the technologies that enable subscribers to discover, download and listen to music on their mobile device and personal computer. Real's MOD service is currently deployed with 14 communications service providers in 13 countries around the world.

In total, Real's ASP services are currently available through 84 different mobile operators in 45 countries worldwide, making them available to 860.9 million subscribers. Real offers mobile operators a comprehensive selection of mobile services including: Music-On-Demand; Video-On-Demand; personalisation features such as Ringtones, RBTs and Multimedia Ringback Services; and messaging services.

For More Information
In Europe
Kevin Connor
AxiCom
D: +44 20 8392 4082
M: +44 7912 194 237
kevin.connor@axicom.com

In the US
Katie McGraw
SHIFT Communications for RealNetworks
617-779-1822
kmcgraw@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.

ABOUT mobilkom austria

With nearly 4.6 million customers and a market share of 42.4%, mobilkom austria is Austria's leading mobile operator. Founded in 1996, the company offers comprehensive mobile solutions, from voice telephony and data services to mobile business and payment solutions, through the brands A1, bob and Red Bull MOBILE. mobilkom austria is part of the Telekom Austria Group and has more than 2,100 employees in Austria. It's CEO is Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, who is also the CEO of the Telekom Austria Group and of its Fixed Net subsidiary, Telekom Austria TA AG.

In the fiscal year 2008, mobilkom austria achieved a turnover of EUR 1,668.0 million, an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 600.7 million and an operating profit of EUR 352.3 million.

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.