RealNetworks Showcases Software and Services Designed to Attract Mobile Subscribers, and Increase Retention and ARPU at Mobile World Congress

BARCELONA, Spain and SEATTLE, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress -- This week, RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK), the media software and services company, will showcase offerings aimed at increasing and retaining mobile subscribers by speeding up the development of powerful mobile services, boosting demand for existing offerings and enabling mobile operators to offer unique consumer services.

Participating in GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company will demonstrate a variety of SaaS applications and consumer services in private meetings with mobile operators, OEM's and mobile application developers.  These services will include Real®'s industry-leading ringback tone (RBT) service, music on demand (MOD) service and advanced video technologies for mobile operators.  Additionally, the company will showcase technologies that make it faster and easier for operators to develop and deploy video to mobile handsets.  Highlights will include:

Unifi™ personal media cloud service:  New service aims to encourage smartphone and data plan upgrades

Previewed at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and slated for availability in the first half of 2011, Unifi allows consumers to easily find, access and enjoy the digital media they own.  RealNetworks is working with mobile operators and other partners worldwide to bring the new Unifi personal media cloud service to consumers' PCs, tablets and smartphones—regardless of platform or device. 

If offered by their mobile operator, consumers will have the option to add Unifi to their monthly mobile service on a single bill.  Unifi increases consumer engagement with mobile media by enabling access to photos, music, playlists and videos from any Internet-connected device.  In this way, Unifi can encourage smartphone and data plan upgrades and increase ARPU.

RealNetworks announced today that Vodafone Germany will be the first mobile operator to offer Unifi to its subscribers.

Ringback Tone Open Gateway:  Off-deck promotion of RBTs increases awareness and subscriptions

RealNetworks' long history in providing ringback tone services has shown that adoption rates rise directly with increased marketing and promotion.  One proven method to raise marketing activity levels is through third-party, off-deck promotion of RBTs through channel partners' music storefronts, music apps and social networking sites, increasing RBT subscription rates and RBT usage for all mobile operators.

Expected to be available in Q3 of 2011, RealNetworks' RBT Open Gateway makes multiple operators' RBT content available to all subscribers and simplifies the end-user experience.  It also makes it easy for mobile operators and third parties – like digital music providers, bloggers, music labels and artists – to promote RBT content. Whether on a mobile device or on the Web, the process is simple. When a mobile subscriber selects an RBT and sends the corresponding music code to the RealNetworks RBT Open Gateway, the RBT is provided through their mobile operator's RBT system.

For artists and music labels, the RBT Open Gateway provides an easy way to market their own RBT content to consumers across multiple mobile operators and through a variety of channels, from artist fan sites to CD covers.  An RBT widget builder, a Facebook application and a mobile application make it possible for site owners to promote and feature RBTs on a specific web or WAP page.  

As exposure and awareness of ringback tones continue to grow, mobile operators could expect an increase in subscription and RBT sales driven by new channel partners.

Helix Rich Media Client:  Develop mobile TV interface once, deploy broadly

Available now, RealNetworks' Helix ® Rich Media Client gives mobile operators the ability to design a single mobile TV and VOD interface that can then be automatically deployed on numerous mobile video applications -- on any smartphone and on any platform, with the same look and feel.  This allows mobile operators to deliver the same mobile TV application functionality with a native experience instantly across all smartphones, including iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Blackberry, as well as to Java-enabled feature phones. Customers can focus on building a rich, dynamic, custom experience and create rapid business applications or use RealNetworks' mobile TV and VOD mobile application template.  

HTTP Live Streaming for Android:  Allows content built for iPad and iPhone to be played on Android devices

RealPlayer® for Mobile includes HTTP Live Streaming for Android.  The new feature takes content created for Apple's HTTP Live streaming protocol and makes it playable on Android devices. By adopting this new feature of RealPlayer for Mobile, handset, tablet and CE OEMs can easily expand the amount of content played by their Android devices. Video content encoded for HTTP Live will play seamlessly on Android devices, so content creators can encode once and reach both Apple and Android users.

RealNetworks will be demonstrating the Unifi service by appointment at Mobile World Congress in a hospitality suite in The Fira, Hall 4, Level 0, Monday, 14 February to Thursday, 17 February. To set up a meeting, please see contact info below.

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About RealNetworks

Real creates innovative applications and services that make it easy to connect with and enjoy digital media. Real invented the streaming media category in 1995 and continues to connect consumers with their digital media both directly and through partners, aiming to support every network, device, media type and social network. Real's corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com/about-us

Real, Unifi, RealNetworks, Helix and RealPlayer are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc.

SOURCE RealNetworks, Inc.