WhereIsAtlas · Tech

RealPlayer

The 1990s media player that dominated streaming video — still around, but a shadow of its former self

Transformed — RealPlayer was the dominant video player of the late 1990s and early 2000s, built by Seattle's RealNetworks. It still exists as a niche media player, but the world has largely moved on to browsers, YouTube and modern streamers.

RealPlayer, launched by RealNetworks in 1995, was for years the default way to watch streaming video on the internet. Its RealMedia format and streaming servers powered much of early web video, and its distinctive player was installed on tens of millions of computers.

The company grew into a major internet-media force, but RealPlayer's fortunes faded with the rise of browser-based streaming, YouTube, and competitors like Windows Media Player and QuickTime. RealNetworks pivoted, and RealPlayer survived as a smaller niche tool.

Today RealPlayer still exists, offering a media player and downloader, but it is a far cry from the household name it once was — a relic of the earliest era of online video.

Quick facts

Founded
1995, RealNetworks
Peak
Dominated early streaming video
Format
RealMedia (.rm)
Rise of
Browser streaming and YouTube
Now
Niche media player
Legacy
Pioneer of online streaming video

Lineage — where the name went

One Seattle company under three names, the streaming codec it was built on, and the player that outlived the business model that created it.

  1. 1994 — Rob Glaser founded Progressive Networks (with Phil Barrett, Andy Sharpless and Stephen Buerkle)
  2. 1997 — Progressive Networks rebranded as RealNetworks (renamed in September 1997 ahead of the share sale)
  3. 1995 — RealNetworks created RealPlayer (released as the RealAudio Player on 3 April 1995)
  4. 1995 — RealAudio was ancestor of RealPlayer (the player took its first name from the codec)
  5. 1997 — RealNetworks created The Nasdaq listing (Nasdaq ticker RNWK, October 1997)
  6. RealNetworks created RealJukebox (a separate program for Windows)
  7. 2001 — RealJukebox merged into RealPlayer (RealPlayer 9 subsumed its features on Windows)
  8. 2001 — RealPlayer rebranded as RealOne Player (announced on 4 December 2001)
  9. 2003 — RealNetworks acquired Rhapsody (bought with Listen.com in August 2003)
  10. 2005 — RealNetworks defeated Microsoft (Microsoft agreed to pay $460 million to settle the antitrust suit)
  11. Adobe Flash was succeeded by RealPlayer (Flash, then HTML video, replaced the browser plugin)
  12. 2022 — Rob Glaser acquired RealNetworks (took the company private on 21 December 2022)
  13. 2022 — The 2022 take-private was succeeded by RealNetworks (the listed company became a private LLC)

Entities in this tree: RealNetworks (company, 1994); RealPlayer (product, 1995); Progressive Networks (company, 1994); Rob Glaser (person); RealAudio (product); RealJukebox (product); RealOne Player (product, 2001); The Nasdaq listing (event, 1997); Rhapsody (product, 2003); Microsoft (company); Adobe Flash (product); The 2022 take-private (event, 2022)

Sources

  1. RealPlayer - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
  2. RealPlayer review and alternatives — DVDFab PlayerFab (2026-09-05)
  3. RealNetworks - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)

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