Progressive Networks and Microsoft announce a streaming-media partnership
Progressive Networks and Microsoft agreed to integrate RealAudio technologies with Microsoft's emerging browser and multimedia ecosystem.
Historical context
Streaming media was moving from experimental websites toward mainstream browser software. At the same time, the browser competition between Microsoft and Netscape was expanding from HTML pages into audio, video and interactive multimedia.
What happened
The companies announced that Progressive Networks would support Microsoft's ActiveMovie Streaming Format and that Microsoft planned to distribute RealAudio Player and RealAudio Personal Server technology with an upcoming version of Internet Explorer. The collaboration also targeted synchronized combinations of streaming audio with other multimedia elements.
Consequences
The agreement brought streaming audio closer to mass browser distribution and showed that real-time media had become strategically important to major software companies. It also foreshadowed the intense competition over proprietary and standardized streaming formats that followed.
Related people
Sources
- Progressive Networks and Microsoft Announce Streaming Media PartnershipMicrosoft
- RealAudioColumbia University / Moment