Until the Real Thing Comes Along

Baldwin Louie — Mon, 24 Sep 2001 15:00:00 -0700

When new-products coverage follows the usual formula – reporters fashioning the same handful of words into a four-paragraph dispatch - the underlying message is that there's not much there. But today's coverage of RealNetworks' latest thingie is more rewarding. Every scribe has a different take on what RealOne is all about.

RealNetworks, it seems, quite enjoys the 300,000 subscribers it has for its GoldPass service, which broadcasts sporting events mostly, and it wants in on more subscription action. So it's rolling out a new player along with a series of tiered packages. Reuters and other outlets reported that a free beta version of RealOne will be launched today; in two months, a more official version with "advanced features and premium programming" will kick in - as will the $9.95-a-month subscription fee.

The San Francisco Chronicle dashed off a typical product announcement, while Seattle newspapers focused on Real's need to innovate, now that Microsoft's Windows Media Player is gaining ground. Wired focused on what Web users will see on their PCs as they use the new hybrid player (picture Yahoo's FinanceVision).

Wired also homed in on the digital music angle. The new software will distribute MusicNet, one of two record industry-sanctioned alternatives to Napster. MusicNet's monthly fee hasn't been announced, but Wired reported that the first new premium service, a file-sharing service to be offered by the major music labels, would cost less than $10 a month. When? Who knows? MusicNet was supposed to be out in the summer. As of this morning, the service's homepage still promises a "late summer" launch. Hey guys, coordinate, or at least visit your own Web site!

The Los Angeles Times covered Real's announcement in the context of TV networks' interest in airing prime-time stuff over the Net. The Times' account gets kudos for keeping its use of the eye-glazing word "player" to one instance, though it sneaked in "content" several times. Still, the Times' report offered some real-world context grounded in, of course, reality TV. It seems that within one month, 25,000 Web users had ponied up $19.95 as a one-time charge to view a 24-hour video feed from the set of "Big Brother 2."

Those kinds of numbers are feeding interest in services like RealOne, according to the Times. It mentioned cable TV's E Networks as a possible partner, with the emphasis on possible. E exec Ken Bettsteller told the Times that the network can't ignore the opportunity presented by the Net, even if no one has figured out the best way to approach it yet. Include E in that bunch - the Times report contained no details of E's own Net plans.

RealNetworks Merges Programs Into RealOne Platform
Reuters

Audio, Video Players Combined in New RealNetworks Software
San Francisco Chronicle

Media Players Embrace Broadband
Wired

RealNetworks to Unveil Its New Media Player Today
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

RealNetworks Unveiling New Platform for Digital Media
Seattle Times

Curtain Rising on Internet Programming Potential
Los Angeles Times

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Until the Real Thing Comes Along