Yahoo expands Real deal to boost media content

September 4, 2002 —

Banking on broadband growth, Yahoo Inc. said Wednesday that it was expanding its licensing agreement with RealNetworks Inc. so that it can provide more streamed video and other rich media content through Yahoo Broadcast Solutions.

The deal expands an existing agreement between the two companies, giving Yahoo the ability to deploy hundreds of copies of Real's Helix Universal Server technology. Helix enables service providers to deliver more than 10,000 concurrent audio streams on standard hardware, according to information posted on Real's Web site.

Yahoo said it extended the licensing deal because of increased consumer demand for rich media content and what it characterized as widespread optimism about the continual growth of broadband. With the deal, the Sunnyvale, California, Internet company plans to provide increased entertainment and sports programming.

Yahoo's focus on shoring up media content comes at a time when the company is moving other content and services from free to fee status. Some mail and search services got hit with a price tag earlier this year, for example. Yahoo hopes the added content will fuel its Broadcast Solutions revenue stream, which provides Webcasting services.

ITworld.com