RealNetworks Lands Intel Deal

RealNetworks (www.realnetworks.com) has announced an agreement with Intel Corporation ( www.intel.com), the world's largest chipmaker, to bundle Real's software. The announcement gives streaming media giant Real equal footing with Microsoft in the inclusion of media players on PCs.

Under the terms of the deal, the Seattle-based company's RealPlayer and RealJukebox software will be distributed with two new Intel desktop PC motherboards that support the chipmaker's Pentium III and Celeron processors, the company said in a statement.

"The inclusion of RealNetworks software with Intel motherboards will enable PC manufacturers and end-users to quickly install and begin using the world's most popular Internet media applications," said Richard Cohen, senior vice president, Consumer Products for RealNetworks.

Microsoft's Windows Media Player is already included with the Windows operating system, installed on the vast majority of PCs. Wednesday's announcement gives Real another vehicle to rival Microsoft in streaming media player penetration.

The announcement between Real and Intel is part of an ongoing strategic relationship, said the companies. Last year, the two companies announced the Intel Streaming Web Video Software which, included in RealVideo 8 and RealSystem 8, provides a new level of performance for streaming and download-and-play video.