Major League Baseball in RealNetworks Online Deal
RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK), the global leader in Internet media delivery, and MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball (MLB), today announced a three year agreement to make RealNetworks the exclusive platform for a broad range of MLBAM's online services, including live audio webcasts of all MLB games, and a customizable, on—demand, archival, video highlight service.
According to the two companies, the groundbreaking agreement represents the largest Internet deal in the history of professional sports, and is intended to make subscription services a central part of their efforts to improve the way fans listen to and watch Major League Baseball over the Internet. This audio and video offering marks the first time so rich an array of multimedia interactive baseball programming has ever been made available on any medium.
Audio webcasts for all regular season MLB games will be available by subscription only through MLB.com and Real.com. The audio webcasts will be enhanced with MLBAM's synchronized game statistics and pitch—by—pitch animation.
In addition, RealNetworks and MLBAM plan to offer subscribers the ability to search for and create customizable video highlights of daily game coverage — providing a flexible way for baseball fans and fantasy—league enthusiasts to compile and review footage of their favorite teams and players on a daily basis. By providing archival access to every pitch from every game, this personalized video service will let individual subscribers choose the exact game highlights they want to watch. It will be available from MLB.com and Real.com, through RealPlayer® GoldPass®, the premium Internet subscription service launched by RealNetworks last August.
Under the agreement, all multimedia Internet content offerings from MLB will be provided exclusively in RealNetworks' formats.
‘RealNetworks' partnership with Major League Baseball and MLBAM — offering full game audio, synchronized statistics, customizable video and condensed game playback content — will provide baseball fans worldwide with a resource for online entertainment that is second to none,' said Rob Glaser, Chairman and CEO, RealNetworks, Inc. ‘Like the cable television industry did so effectively in the 1970s, RealNetworks is now opening up the Internet as the next mass medium for distributing great sports content. We are methodically building a critical mass of top-tier, web-based sports content — and proving that subscription models on the Internet can and will be successful.’
‘We are thrilled to be working with RealNetworks to deliver the excitement of MLB action to web fans worldwide,’ said Bob Bowman, president and CEO of MLBAM. ‘We hope that MLB.com and RealNetworks will set the precedent for the future of online sports entertainment.’
The audio offering will be available to subscribers starting in April of this year. The video highlights are scheduled to be available in May. Additional audio and video—based products and services will also be added in months to come.
Today's agreement supports MLBAM's goal of providing fans the richest, deepest, broadest and most timely baseball content on the Internet. Visitors to the MLB.com site are offered the most accurate and comprehensive baseball news, statistics, history, fantasy, live radio and searchable video, as well as the best in e—commerce. As a result of this agreement, fans will gain unprecedented access to over 4,000 game feeds, including home and away games and foreign language coverage.
The RealPlayer GoldPass service provides web users with access to an exclusive mix of content, premium services, and software. It has quickly emerged as one of the fastest growing subscription services on the Internet, amassing an active subscriber base of more than 175,000 members in only seven months. In January of this year, the Company expanded GoldPass' exclusive sports offerings with an agreement to provide audio coverage for all National Basketball Association games as well as webcasts of NBA.com TV.
For more details contact:
Allan H. (Bud) Selig
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
New York
Tel: +1 212 931 7800
According to the two companies, the groundbreaking agreement represents the largest Internet deal in the history of professional sports, and is intended to make subscription services a central part of their efforts to improve the way fans listen to and watch Major League Baseball over the Internet. This audio and video offering marks the first time so rich an array of multimedia interactive baseball programming has ever been made available on any medium.
Audio webcasts for all regular season MLB games will be available by subscription only through MLB.com and Real.com. The audio webcasts will be enhanced with MLBAM's synchronized game statistics and pitch—by—pitch animation.
In addition, RealNetworks and MLBAM plan to offer subscribers the ability to search for and create customizable video highlights of daily game coverage — providing a flexible way for baseball fans and fantasy—league enthusiasts to compile and review footage of their favorite teams and players on a daily basis. By providing archival access to every pitch from every game, this personalized video service will let individual subscribers choose the exact game highlights they want to watch. It will be available from MLB.com and Real.com, through RealPlayer® GoldPass®, the premium Internet subscription service launched by RealNetworks last August.
Under the agreement, all multimedia Internet content offerings from MLB will be provided exclusively in RealNetworks' formats.
‘RealNetworks' partnership with Major League Baseball and MLBAM — offering full game audio, synchronized statistics, customizable video and condensed game playback content — will provide baseball fans worldwide with a resource for online entertainment that is second to none,' said Rob Glaser, Chairman and CEO, RealNetworks, Inc. ‘Like the cable television industry did so effectively in the 1970s, RealNetworks is now opening up the Internet as the next mass medium for distributing great sports content. We are methodically building a critical mass of top-tier, web-based sports content — and proving that subscription models on the Internet can and will be successful.’
‘We are thrilled to be working with RealNetworks to deliver the excitement of MLB action to web fans worldwide,’ said Bob Bowman, president and CEO of MLBAM. ‘We hope that MLB.com and RealNetworks will set the precedent for the future of online sports entertainment.’
The audio offering will be available to subscribers starting in April of this year. The video highlights are scheduled to be available in May. Additional audio and video—based products and services will also be added in months to come.
Today's agreement supports MLBAM's goal of providing fans the richest, deepest, broadest and most timely baseball content on the Internet. Visitors to the MLB.com site are offered the most accurate and comprehensive baseball news, statistics, history, fantasy, live radio and searchable video, as well as the best in e—commerce. As a result of this agreement, fans will gain unprecedented access to over 4,000 game feeds, including home and away games and foreign language coverage.
The RealPlayer GoldPass service provides web users with access to an exclusive mix of content, premium services, and software. It has quickly emerged as one of the fastest growing subscription services on the Internet, amassing an active subscriber base of more than 175,000 members in only seven months. In January of this year, the Company expanded GoldPass' exclusive sports offerings with an agreement to provide audio coverage for all National Basketball Association games as well as webcasts of NBA.com TV.
For more details contact:
Allan H. (Bud) Selig
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
New York
Tel: +1 212 931 7800