RealOne Player finds a place on the desktop

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By Scarlet Pruitt

(IDG) -- In a deal aimed at snagging more subscribers for RealNetworks' RealOne digital content subscription service, the media delivery company said Monday that it has signed a deal with Intel to have its RealOne Player included and distributed on Intel's newest PC desktop boards.

The agreement means that consumers of computers equipped with the Intel boards will have the RealOne Player on their desktops as soon as they turn on their computer.

RealNetworks hopes that this desktop distribution will drum up more subscribers for its subscription service, which launched under the RealOne banner last December.

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Caught in the MusicNet

RealOne already has half a million subscribers, who pay for content like sports, news, and entertainment, the company says. RealOne also includes the MusicNet digital music subscription service. (MusicNet is backed by several record companies, including AOL Time Warner, which is the parent company of CNN.com.) The Intel deal could potentially give the music service a leg up on rival services because of its convenient desktop presence.

For Intel, the agreement allows the company to offer added value to resellers and will help promote broadband media, Joel Christensen, marketing director for Intel's Desktop Platform Solutions Division says in a statement.

RealNetworks and Intel have worked together in the past, collaborating on both video technology and distribution deals. The companies recently announced that the RealOne Player will be supported by Intel's mobile chipsets.