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To: Dealer who wrote (25339)	7/14/2000 7:13:38 AM
From: Dealer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 35685

RNWK--AOL-RealNetworks deal boon to content plays July 13, 2000 by Ryan Tate America Online's (AOL) decision to deploy streaming media technology from RealNetworks (RNWK) could mean more business for cash-squeezed broadband content plays, media analysts said Wednesday. AOL said it will spend an undisclosed sum to license Real's streaming media server, RealServer 8, across its massive internal network. It will also incorporate some of Real's technology into the next version of its client software, AOL 6.0. Industry watchers say the deal promises to bring broadband interactive services into the mainstream, as more and more of AOL's 23 million subscribers take advantage of the technology. Indeed, AOL's last major technology push, AOL 5.0, now accounts for 75 percent of the company's internal traffic just nine months after its release. The uptick in AOL 6.0 users could be good news for broadband content plays, struggling to raise cash despite a dropoff in tech stocks and tighter venture capital since March. One such concern, video-streamer FasTV.com, folded less than two weeks ago after burning through $40 million. Scrambling for customers But the worst may be over. Broadband service providers like SBC Communications (SBC) and AT&T (T) are scrambling to sign up more customers. As part of that effort, SBC is giving PCs to new DSL users with no cash up front, while newly formed Verizon Communications (VZ) last week cut its consumer DSL prices 20 percent. AOL itself is expected to announce a broadband version of its service for Time Warner (TWX) cable customers. The proliferation of high-speed Net connections, coupled with AOL's wide deployment of RealNetworks servers -- sources quoted in The Wall Street Journal valued today's deal at $20 million to $30 million -- is good news for streaming plays like FasTV. "We will be seeing in the next six to 12 months a tremendous upsurge in the value of [broadband] content," said Jack Meyers, who has been retained as an interactive TV consultant by such companies as Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting, AOL, ESPN, Microsoft (MSFT) and Discovery Networks. "Whatever position you have in the industry, this type of announcement is positive in terms of ... the power of AOL and its almost 25 million users." Who will benefit Standing to benefit from a larger streaming media audience are companies like ACTV, The Feed Room and Zatso, which deliver customized video feeds synchronized with graphical and textual Web content and with links. Streaming audio plays could be on the winning end of the deal as well, including players like AOL's own Spinner.com, a RealAudio-based Internet radio tuner and network, and Web-based networks like Live365.com. In fact, the AOL-RealNetworks deal is "big" for Spinner, said Jupiter Communications' Billy Pidgeon, because RealNetworks agreed to bundle the already fast-growing Spinner system with its popular RealPlayer software. Other streaming media concerns stand to benefit from the deal too, Pidgeon said. "It adds potential to streaming media because AOL support is essential for a large number of users. They have an undeniably large audience," he said. Meanwhile, he added, users will be flooded with streaming media technology choices and installations as Real, Microsoft and AOL compete to distribute players. In the end, the tools will matter far less than the content, which will come from AOL and other streaming content providers. "It has more to do with mindshare than market share," Pidgeon said. Content-rich AOL is uniquely positioned to provide streaming media content, thanks to its pending acquisition of Time Warner. But AOL spokesperson Wendy Goldberg said the company has "no initial plans" to offer rich content from Time Warner media properties on its streaming network. Indeed, the first content offering to come out of the deal is between AOL, Real and Viacom's (VIA) CBS. That leaves room for the broadband content startups to gain a wider following. "Industrywide, it really means that streaming is going to enter even more of the mainstream," Zatso spokesman Joshua Weinberg said. Ryan Tate covers digital entertainment for UpsideToday. Top Stories · Gina Smith's New Internet Computer plugs in · Megamerger mania · The verdict: UpsideToday vs. Bill Gross and the incubator industry · AOL-RealNetworks deal boon to content plays · Ariba is HOT! Reuters Breaking News Financial Info AOL quotes ratings TWX quotes ratings RNWK quotes ratings VIA quotes ratings MSFT quotes ratings SBC quotes ratings T quotes ratings VZ quotes ratings Research Center Get more info from our vast library of national news, tech pubs and Web sites at UpsideToday's Research Center.

To: Dealer who wrote (25339)	7/14/2000 9:48:29 AM
From: im a survivor	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 35685

It's actually quite depressing listening to Tom Costello on CNBC talk about how awesome this rally has been the last 2 months to take us back to 4200 on Naz. I am sure many did well the last 60 days and I am thrilled for them. But I can't sit here and say the last 2 months has done squat for me. Sure, I had a few winners, but the losers simply beat the hell out of my winners to make the last 2 months a bitch. Now, I look at all the enthusiasm...I mean all of a sudden CNBC is pounding the table....serious Bull rally and etc, etc.......Makes me feel like they want to get this market to 4500 by end of earnings and then boom, down we go. Additionally, this rally is not very broad. I mean if your in select stocks you may be doing great, but if your diverse, or in the wrong stuff, you could be getting killed. Now, I look at the stuff that has ran hard, and I am scared shitless to buy at this point in time. Thats what got me before..chasing these high flyers after they have run. I love NTAP for instance, and hell, it may continue to run to $150 - $200, but dammit, the minute I buy it, it will drop and restest $50 in the summer. Same with alot these high flyers of late. Sure, I want in, but dammit, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, blow my brains out. I just refuse to chase these high flyers right now. Instead, I will selectivly look at the quality companies that are still beaten down, and hopefully be given the chance to buy NTAP and SUNW at cheaper prices then today. Opinions anyone ? Keith