RealNetworks Inc. is pumping up its Web subscription services with more horsepower, as the Internet media and software pioneer clinches a deal to provide exclusive video and audio content from NASCAR car racing.
Seattle-based Real said on Thursday NASCAR will take a place alongside baseball and basketball as part of exclusive sports programming for its RealOne service, which pipes entertainment, sports and news content to subscribers for a monthly fee.
Three tiers of content will be available. Regular RealOne subscribers will get some NASCAR video and audio feeds. NASCAR.com will sell a separate product called TrackPass for $4.95 a month or about $30 a year. The top product will be "NASCAR.com on RealOne", which will include even more NASCAR coverage plus RealOne for $11.95 a month.
Real struck the multi-year agreement with Turner Sports Interactive, a unit of Internet and media giant AOL Time Warner Inc. AOL.N that owns NASCAR Internet rights and runs the Web site NASCAR.com.
Financial terms were not disclosed.