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RealMedia Platform Wins Wide Industry Support From Technology Partners and Content Companies

More than 60 Companies from Broadcast, Entertainment and Technology Industries Embrace Progressive Networks' RealMedia Platform and RealMedia Applications

SAN FRANCISCO, March 3, 1996 -- More than 60 companies from the broadcast, entertainment and technology industries, such as ABC, Canadian Broadcast Corp., Children's Television Workshop, MCI, Macromedia, News Corp., NYNEX, and Starwave, today announced their support for Progressive Networks' RealMedia platform, an open platform for third-party developers to deliver tools, streaming multimedia applications, and broadcast programming over the Internet.

At the RealMedia Conference in San Francisco today, more than 20 independent tools and other multimedia applications companies announced plans to deliver products that work on the RealMedia platform. Liquid Audio, Macromedia and Vivo were among more than a dozen companies that demonstrated products streaming multimedia on the RealMedia platform.

"Macromedia is delighted that its industry-leading multimedia creation tools will be integrated with the RealMedia platform, developed by streaming media leader, Progressive Networks," said Norm Meyrowitz, chief technology officer and general manager, multimedia authoring business. "This effort will provide users with the ability to create robust Shockwave multimedia for the web surfing audience."

The RealMedia platform is designed to stream any media type, such as audio, video, animation, MIDI, 3D images, and text. It is an open platform that supports Windows, UNIX, and the Power Mac. The RealMedia platform also delivers a `real' business model that allows developers to build a financial future on developing streaming media applications and tools.

"The RealMedia platform is a world-class way to deliver real-time multimedia and other broadcast technologies across the Internet or corporate Intranets, either live or on-demand," said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO, Progressive Networks, Seattle, WA. "The number one design goal for the RealMedia platform is interoperability. The RealMedia platform offers a totally open architecture that supports all major server systems. It also delivers real applications now, because it can stream any media type. These design goals help make the Internet a true mass medium."

Progressive Networks Delivers RealMedia Software Development Kit (SDK)

The SDK includes the RealMedia platform architecture, a beta version of the RealPlayer and RealMedia server, RealMedia Conference presentation slides and demonstrations, and a free one-year membership to the RealMedia Web Developer Program. The SDK also includes the new $495 EasyStart, 20-stream RealAudio and RealVideo server, plus encoders. The SDK also will be distributed this week from Progressive Networks' website at www.real.com .

RealMedia Supporters

More than 60 companies announced support for the RealMedia platform and family of RealMedia products. They are ABC, Adobe, Aegean Records, Aimtech Corp., Ascend Communications, Asymetrix, Atlantic Records, AudioNet, BMG, Bay Networks, Inc., Bias, C/NET, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Check Point Software Technologies Inc., Children's Television Workshop, Comedy Central, DDB Needham, Digital Planet, Digital Renaissance Inc., Dimension X, EMI, Emerald Net, Ephyx, Epic Records, Fox News Network, Free Range Media, Hotwired, iMusic, Innovative Quality Software (IQS), in:sync, Interactive Computer Television, Inc., Intermind, Iterated Systems, KCRW, KPMG, LanOptics Inc., Liquid Audio, Live Update, MCI, MGM Interactive, Macromedia, mBed, mfactory, NetObjects, News Corporation, NYNEX, Netscape, OliVR, OnLive! Technologies, Paramount Digital Entertainment, Polygram, RandomLink InterActive, Software Publishing Corp., Sonic Foundry, Inc., Starlight Networks, Specom Technologies, SpiralWest, Speedvision, Starwave, Terraflex, Terran Interactive, T.J. Martell Foundation, TVW, U.S. Robotics, Vivo Software, Warner Bros. Records.

Internet Industry Leaders Support RealMedia Platform

"Progressive Networks' architecture will help accelerate the adoption of streaming media," said Danny Schrader, vice president, industry and developer relations, Netscape Communications Corp. "Netscape and Progressive Networks share a strong interest in standards, as was demonstrated by the joint submission of RTSP to the IETF. We look forward to the widespread acceptance of streaming media across networked enterprises."

Internet Tools & Application Developers Supporting RealMedia Platform

"Liquid Audio is excited about the prospects of helping to define an open standard for delivering multimedia applications over the Internet," said Gerry Kearby, CEO, Liquid Audio. "Our mission is to enable the music industry to sell music over the internet while protecting their assets. By making the Liquid Music Player and Liquid Music Server compatible with the RealMedia platform standard, everyone in the music industry benefits."

About Progressive Networks

Progressive Networks, based in Seattle, WA., is the streaming media market leader. It develops and markets software products and services designed to enable users of personal computers and other consumer electronic devices to send and receive audio, video and other multimedia services using the web. Since the launch of RealVideo, Feb. 10, 1997, more than one million consumers have downloaded the beta RealPlayer, which plays both RealVideo and RealAudio programs. More than 80 entertainment and technology companies also have embraced RealVideo.