RealNetworks Eyes the Tube Warily

George Mannes nails it on the head: “As viewers demand more from their television sets, will they demand less from the Internet? That’s a question RealNetworks, must ponder.” Goes back to my point about RealNetworks going through an identity crisis…Mannes takes up the argument from the VOD side…it can fall either way for RNWK.

Of course, it is a bigger picture than just Real: will consumers see PC as the hub of entertainment, or will they consider TV as the hub? It is what I have called before as the Microsoft versus Sony view of the world…the question is, where does Real fit into those polarized views of the world, and is the company flexible enough if the worlds do not turn out to be as polarized?

Here’s what Sean Ryan, VP of digital music world says in the story: “Because TV set-top boxes are, by design, simpler than computers, they won’t be the platform for all applications. And the PC, he says, will remain the primary technology for users to manage content, such as playlists and libraries. History has demonstrated that such tasks can’t be handled via TV screens, he says: ‘You want to avoid having a keyboard in the living room. We’ve figured that much out.'”

Separately, says Ryan, RealNetworks sees itself as a partner with cable operators, not a competitor.

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