BARCELONA, February 16 /PRNewswire/ --
- Real Named Master Music Service Provider
Today from GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009, SK Telecom and RealNetworks(R), Inc., (RNWK) the digital entertainment services company, announced that they have deepened their strategic relationship in mobile entertainment services. Real, which has provided music-related ASP services to SK Telecom since 2001, will extend its existing contracts with the mobile operator, and begin providing new services, both through 2011. It has also taken a minority stake in SK Telecom's Korean subsidiary LoEn to develop and market digital music offerings.
In addition to services Real already powers for SK Telecom, it will begin operating additional music services the operator provides to its customers. These include MelOn music-on-demand, ColoRing Ringback Tones, and others.
We value and appreciate the long-term relationship we have with RealNetworks, said Dr. Wonhee Sull, executive vice president, Media Future Business Division, SK Telecom. We believe that our collaboration and continued partnership will help us achieve our long-term strategic goals.
LoEn, formerly known as Seoul Records and acquired by SK Telecom in 2005, will provide an environment for Real and SK Telecom to collaborate and innovate on digital music initiatives. The companies will work together to define those initiatives in the coming months.
I am thrilled to see our relationship with SK Telecom expand into new areas and become more solid in the existing ones, said John Giamatteo, chief operating officer, RealNetworks. We focus on providing innovative carrier-grade solutions for mobile operators around the globe, and view this alliance as a strong vote of confidence as we continue to work collaboratively on strategic initiatives.
Real's ASP services are currently available through 80 different mobile operators in 42 countries worldwide, making them available to 797.1 million subscribers. Real offers mobile operators a comprehensive selection of mobile services including: Music-On-Demand; Video-On-Demand; personalisation features such as Ringtones, Ringback Tones and Multimedia Ringback Services; and messaging services.
Find RealNetworks at Mobile World Congress at Hospitality Suite 19 25 Hall 4, Level 0.
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ABOUT SK TELECOM
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670) is Korea's leading telecommunications provider with more than 23 million subscribers, which accounts for more than 50% of the total market. The company established in 1984, reached KRW 11.7 trillion in revenue in 2008. SK Telecom was the first to launch and commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2001x, CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, and it currently provides cellular, wireless internet, mobile media, global roaming service and more. For more information, please visit http://www.sktelecom.com or email to press@sktelecom.com.
ABOUT REALNETWORKS
RealNetworks, Inc. delivers digital entertainment services to consumers via PC, portable music player, home entertainment system or 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.
RealNetworks, RealArcade, Rhapsody, RealPlayer and the Real logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, names of actual companies and products mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
For More Information From RealNetworks Contact: In Europe: Stephen Orr, stephen.orr@axicom.com, Axicom, D: +44(0)20-8392-4056, M: +44(0)7770-846-515; In the US: Jennifer Humiston, SHIFT Communications, jhumiston@shiftcomm.com, +1-617-779-1812; In Asia: Eric Suh, RealNetworks, eric.suh@ap.real.com, +82-2-2014-5377
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