CBS and RealNetworks to Offer Exclusive 24/7 Live Video Channel of 'Big Brother 6'

CBS and RealNetworks to Offer Exclusive 24/7 Live Video Channel of 'Big Brother 6'

LOS ANGELES and SEATTLE, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS and RealNetworks(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:RNWK), the leading creator of digital media services and software, today announced that they will offer an exclusive live video channel from the "Big Brother 6" house 24 hours a day that allows fans to watch houseguest activity in real time, much of which never appears on TV. The webcast, which premieres Thursday, July 7, immediately follows the East Coast broadcast of the show at 8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT and will be accessible through the official "Big Brother 6" website at http://www.cbs.com/ and through RealNetworks' SuperPass(TM) subscription service website at http://www.real.com/bigbrother.

Fans can choose either a discounted three month subscription of $29.99 or a monthly subscription of $12.99 per month with a free trial for everyone who signs up. Subscribers to the 24/7 video stream can watch any one of four live camera feeds from inside the "Big Brother 6" house or catch all of the action at once with the special quad-cam view which allows fans to see four different video feeds simultaneously.

"'The Big Brother 6' live webcast with RealNetworks has become immensely popular as fans can check-in on the houseguests at anytime and see the action unfold," said Brinley Turner, Vice President and General Manager, CBS.com. "Whether used as a companion to the prime time series or as live theatre in its own right, it's a unique Internet experience that further connects the fan to the show."

"Big Brother 6' online demonstrates how the Internet and TV industries can work together to create a richer experience for consumers," said Dan Sheeran, Senior Vice President, Premium Consumer Services, RealNetworks. "Online subscribers will enjoy 'Big Brother 6' on TV that much more by following the 24/7 action and connecting online with their fellow fans."

"Big Brother 6" follows a group of people living together in a new house specially built for this edition and outfitted with 47 cameras and 78 microphones, the most in "Big Brother" history, recording their every move, 24 hours a day. One by one, the houseguests will vote each other out of the house. At the end of three months, the last remaining houseguest will receive the grand prize. In a new twist this year, each houseguest is paired with a secret partner from the outside world and the final houseguest will win $1,000,000, the biggest cash prize in "Big Brother" history, if they complete the game with their teammate. If the twosome does not make it to the final two, the winner will win $500,000.

"Big Brother" 24/7 is a member benefit of SuperPass which also includes news and entertainment video, free music downloads, free game downloads premium online radio with over 70 ad-free music stations, Real(R) PhotoVideo for sharing personal photos and video clips, and more.

To preserve the drama for "Big Brother 6" television viewers, CBS may block or delay the webcast for a limited number of real-time events that transpire in the house. Other components of the official "Big Brother 6" website will include detailed summaries of all the events that happen during each televised broadcast, a live 24/7 chat room, an interactive "Big Brother Fantasy League" game, popularity polls, opinion polls, a virtual tour of the "Big Brother" house, descriptions of the week's challenges, voting history pages, photo galleries and a houseguest section with complete profiles.

ABOUT CBS.COM

CBS.com, the official website of the CBS Television Network, has become the top web destination among all Network television websites. CBS.com has been the most trafficked website among its Entertainment competitors with more unique visitors every month for the past two years. With its proven success of intersecting traditional television with new media, CBS.com attracted a record high of more than 12 million unique visitors in May 2004 as a result of the "Survivor: All Stars" finale and online voting for America's Tribal Council. Home to the official websites for all CBS television series, CBS.com's notable sites include "Survivor," "CSI" and "CSI: Miami," "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race" and "Late Show with David Letterman."

ABOUT REALNETWORKS

RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody(R) Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer(R)10, the first product to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com/. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com/.

2005 RealNetworks, Inc. RealNetworks, Rhapsody RealPlayer and SuperPass are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Source: CBS

CONTACT: Moe Farley, RealNetworks, +1-206-892-6653, mfarley@real.com, or Helen Chung, for RealNetworks, Inc., +1-206-381-3600, Helen@jlmpartners.com, or Beth Feldman, for CBS.com, +1-212-975-3183, bstoller-feldman@cbs.com, or Jennifer Michaels, for Big Brother 6, +1-323-575-2793, jennifer.michales@tvc.cbs.com, Kelli Raftery, for Big Brother 6, +1-212-975-3163, kraftery@cbs.com

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