Users of Media Player Applications Increased +33%.

Jupiter Media Metrix reports that the number of home users of stand-alone media players-the software that plays digital audio or video, both off-line or online-increased 33.2 percent, from 31.3 million in January 2000 to 41.7 million in January 2001. Meanwhile, the number of users of media players at work increased 34.9 percent, from 11.6 million in January 2000 to 15.7 million in January 2001.

“While aggressive bundling campaigns have long since pushed ownership of multimedia players to nearly 100 percent, usage over the past year has been driven by the increasing quality of the user experience,” said Steve Coffey, executive vice president and chief development officer for Media Metrix, a Jupiter Media Metrix unit. “Greater connection speeds, more efficient content delivery, and better and more content are among the key factors that will continue to move this trend forward.”

According to Media Metrix audience ratings data, RealNetworks widened its lead among home users through its RealPlayer streaming-media player, which enables real-time access of digital audio and video over the Internet, as well as its RealJukeBox audio-file player. In January 2001, 25.9 million US Internet users at home used a RealNetworks player, up 47.6 percent from January 2000; 21.5 million used Windows Media Player, up 31.2 percent; and 7.3 million used QuickTime, down 8.4 percent.

RealNetworks also has the largest share of users at work: In January 2001, 10.5 million US Internet users at work used a RealNetworks player, up 52.1 percent from 2000; 9.0 million used Windows Media Player, up 39.9 percent from 2000; and 1.9 million used QuickTime, up 8.5 percent from 2000.

Use of Streaming Media Within AOL Proprietary Online Service
One driver of RealNetworks’ growth has been its arrangement with AOL Time-Warner; RealPlayer is the default, embedded (not stand-alone) player within the latest versions of the AOL proprietary online service (versions 6.0 and Plus). Through its exclusive operating system-based computer meter which tracks usage within the AOL proprietary online service, Jupiter Media Metrix is now able to report that RealNetworks’ arrangement with AOL Time-Warner contributed an additional 2.3 million potential home users of RealPlayer in November 2000 and an additional 2.8 million potential home users in December 2000, pushing its US home audience from 22.8 to 25.1 million in November and from 22.0 to 24.7 million in December.

The number of RealPlayer users from AOL continues to increase. The newly released January 2001 data show that with the incremental AOL audience counted, RealPlayer now has 25.0 million potential home users and 10.2 million potential work users, or a US audience share of 30.7 percent at home and 34.6 percent at work.

For more information at http://www.jmm.com