National Geographic Channel Launches Robust Online Game Site - Featuring Debut of Exclusive New Game In Partnership With RealNetworks

National Geographic Channel Launches Robust Online Game Site - Featuring Debut of Exclusive New Game In Partnership With RealNetworks

'Habitat Rescue! With National Geographic Channel' Joins Extensive, Fully Interactive Line-Up of NGC Themed Games Powered by Real at www.natgeotv.com/games

SEATTLE, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Welcome to the jungle with just a click of the mouse! National Geographic Channel (NGC) and digital entertainment services company RealNetworks(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:RNWK) today announced the launch of the real-time simulation game -- "Habitat Rescue! With National Geographic Channel" -- in which users help a pride of lost lions restore their natural paradise. The game is the centerpiece for the launch of NGC's new online game site, http://www.natgeotv.com/games, which includes a collection of hundreds of Real's games, categorized to align with NGC's content and brand: Animals & Nature, Science & Technology, History & Events, Exploration & Adventure, People & Places, and Preserve Our Planet.

The launch of the games site and "Habitat Rescue! With National Geographic Channel" is a continuation of the network's digital momentum, and comes on the heels of the successful Spring 2008 redesign of the Channel's home web site, http://www.natgeotv.com/, which showcases more than 1,000 video clips and full length shows across seven broadband channels.

Today is the day to grab your safari gear and binoculars and help your lions solve puzzles, embark on adventures, raise their families and heal their natural habitat. "Habitat Rescue! With National Geographic Channel" sets a scene where pollution and environmental destruction have ravaged the lion's ancestral home, and it's up to players to guide their lions on a fantastic journey to reclaim their lost kingdom. Along the way, the lions will encounter hyenas, crocodiles, hippos, and other inhabitants of the vast savanna. Watch as your lions learn, grow and have offspring in real-time -- even if your computer is turned off. "Habitat Rescue! With National Geographic Channel" was published by RealNetworks and developed by Rebel Monkey, a New York entertainment company dedicated to enabling new kinds of immersive play for casual gamers.

"We have produced a portfolio of innovative and dynamic online games as diverse as our programming, but until now they've only been linked to the show-specific websites," said Brad Dancer, National Geographic Channel's senior vice president of research and digital media. "The launch of our game hub will be a single destination that will allow users to sample among the games much more readily. And working with RealNetworks on our newest creation has resulted in a particularly fun and rich experience, that is also educational, making it the perfect showpiece for the launch of our site."

"Real is always looking for syndication opportunities to bring our popular casual games to new audiences," said Rutger Peters, vice president, global sales and marketing for the Games Division at RealNetworks. "Partnering with a major consumer brand like National Geographic to deliver entertainment that will resonate with their core audience is just one of the ways Real is expanding our reach and creating new fans of casual games every day."

RealNetworks' Games Division is one of the world's largest developers, publishers and distributors of casual games. As a leading global publisher, Real offers game developers the opportunity to tap into its network of Web sites, global distribution and syndication partners and expertise in games marketing.

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ABOUT REALNETWORKS:

RealNetworks, Inc. delivers digital entertainment services to consumers via PC, portable music player, home entertainment system and mobile phone. Real created the streaming media category in 1995 and has continued to lead the market with pioneering products and services, including: RealPlayer(R), the first mainstream media player to enable one-click downloading and recording of Internet video; the award-winning Rhapsody(R) digital music service, which delivers more than 1 billion songs per year; RealArcade(R), one of the largest casual games destinations on the Web; and a variety of mobile entertainment services, such as ringback tones, offered to consumers through leading wireless carriers around the world. RealNetworks' corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com/company.

ABOUT NGC:

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 67 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

RealNetworks, RealArcade, Rhapsody and RealPlayer are registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. or its wholly owned subsidiary.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: meggers@real.com

Source: RealNetworks, Inc.

CONTACT: Russell Howard, +1-202-912-6652, RHoward@natgeochannel.com, or
Chris Albert, +1-202-912-6526, CAlbert@natgeochannel.com, both of the National
Geographic Channel; or Dara Klatt, +1-202-912-6720,
Dara.Klatt@natgeochannel.com; or Lindsay Drewel, President of Lindsay Drewel
Public Relations, +1-301-312-8863, Lindsay@lindsaydrewelpr.com; or Tiffany
Dunning of RealNetworks, +1-206-892-6733, TDunning@real.com; or Audrey
Craipain of SHIFT Communications, +1-415-591-8427, ACraipain@shiftcomm.com,
for RealNetworks

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

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