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Technology Stocks : RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DaYooper who wrote (5658)	1/30/2001 12:09:52 AM
From: DaYooper	Respond to of 5843

RealNetworks to offer NBA content on paid service SEATTLE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - RealNetworks Inc. <RNWK.O> thinks it has a slam dunk for its fledgling pay-only Internet content subscription service. The top Internet media software firm, which makes the popular RealPlayer software for playing video and audio sent over the Internet, said on Monday it had struck a deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to beam video footage and audio feeds of games over its GoldPass service. RealNetworks also said it had signed up more than 150,000 subscribers for GoldPass, which pipes content like concerts, sports events and video games for a $10 monthly fee. Shares in Seattle-based Real rose $1-1/16, or 11 percent, to $11-1/8 on the Nasdaq. The once high-flying stock has tumbled from a year-high of $96 amid a general downturn in Internet companies. Increased competition from cross-town rival Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O> has also taken its toll on Real. Software giant Microsoft has moved from being virtually absent in the market to aggressively pushing its own audio and video software. New services such as GoldPass are one way Real hopes to stay ahead of its powerful and deep-pocketed rival, and Monday's announcement showed the service had added 25,000 users since December. GoldPass members will be able to watch live broadcasts of NBA.com TV, the league's digital television network, and will get special audio feeds of every game and highlights of special events like the annual slam dunk contest. Although GoldPass subscribers amount to less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the 170 million RealPlayer users, the company has said it is pleased with the number of customers willing to pay for content over the Internet, a realm where people are used to getting data, news and entertainment for free. "By providing users with a compelling package of content and services, we're able to offer recurring value while helping grow an important new industry sector," Richard Cohen, vice president of Real's consumer division, said in a statement. Monday's basketball agreement is one of the highest profile deals yet for GoldPass, which launched last August. "RealNetworks offers us a great opportunity to broaden the reach of NBA audio and video content on the Web. RealPlayer GoldPass is a forward-thinking service with unlimited potential," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. RealNetworks is to report its fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday after the close of U.S. markets. 19:25 01-29-01