RealNetworks(R) First to Market With In-Game Advertising for Casual Games in Partnership With Eyeblaster

RealNetworks(R) First to Market With In-Game Advertising for Casual Games in Partnership With Eyeblaster

Leading Advertisers Such as Honda and Hasbro Leverage Casual Games to Reach Millions

SEATTLE, June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RealNetworks(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:RNWK), the leading developer, publisher and distributor of casual games, today announced the launch of in-game video advertising with top brands Honda and Hasbro. Real, in partnership with Eyeblaster, the global leader in digital marketing services and technology, is the first publisher to support streaming video advertisements integrated into the downloadable casual game environment.

As the first publisher to deliver advertising in this medium, Real is implementing new methods for driving additional revenue and creating an interactive consumer experience in casual games. Until now, in-game advertisements have targeted young males playing core, console video games. This advancement offers an opportunity for advertisers to reach a more diverse audience including the highly-desirable ad segment of women over age 30.

Real has enabled in-game advertising on top titles from its Seattle-based development studio, GameHouse. "Effective advertising in casual games requires an added level of sensitivity to the consumer experience, ensuring the ads are not overly disruptive or intrusive," said Michael Schutzler, senior vice president, Games Division at RealNetworks. "By leveraging our experience in online games and ads, we've created an approach for downloadable games that blends into the game play and is also very effective for advertisers."

"Eyeblaster's EB.In-Games solution makes it easy for advertisers to target the captive, devoted gaming audience," said Gal Trifon, president and chief executive officer of Eyeblaster. "Given RealNetworks' global leadership position in casual games, it is a great partner for making this innovative advertising model work for the industry."

Analysts predict that the market for in-game advertising is set for substantial growth, with Yankee Group predicting that the sector will jump by 500 percent to reach $732 million in revenue by 2010. Advertisers are finding greater value and return on investment from in-game advertising as the space evolves, and Real is leading the way by pioneering new and innovative advertising products in the casual games industry.

"Our agency is always pursuing new advertising opportunities that drive maximum brand impact for our clients," said Linda Akdemir, media supervisor, Beyond Interactive, Inc. "We have had tremendous success with conventional online advertising campaigns running with RealNetworks, Inc., and look forward to working together on more integrated advertising opportunities."

Expanding on this topic at the second annual Casuality Casual Games Conference in Seattle, Chris Houtzer, senior product manager, Games Division at RealNetworks, will be speaking at the "Commercials with Games" session. The session will be held on June 29 at 3 p.m. at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. For more information on the conference, visit http://seattle.casuality.org/.

About Eyeblaster

Eyeblaster is the global leader in integrated digital marketing services and technology. Its powerful, yet easy to use suite of products allows the creation, delivery and management of interactive communications that deliver meaningful results. Eyeblaster has been offering digital innovations since 1999. The company has headquarters in New York, and offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Chicago, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Houston, Milan, London, Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco, Sao Paolo, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo with research & development facilities in Israel. For more information, please visit www.eyeblaster.com.

About RealNetworks, Inc.

RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including Rhapsody, RealPlayer(R) 10, and casual PC and mobile games. RealNetworks has more than 2.2 million paid subscribers to its premium digital media http://www.real.com/. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks' corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com/company.

Source: RealNetworks, Inc.

CONTACT: Hillary Lyons, +1-206-264-8220, or hillary@barokas.com, or
Ashley Allman, +1-206-344-3133, or ashley@barokas.com, both for RealNetworks

Web site: http://www.realnetworks.com/

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