From the end of March 2011, users of the BBC World Service website will no longer be able to watch videos or listen to audio in Real Media format. All BBC broadcasts will still be available in Windows Media and Flash.
BBCworldservice.com has been providing audio broadcasts in Real Media format since 1998. However, the use of this format has been in steady decline since the launch of Windows Media streams in 2003, and with the introduction of Flash audio and video in 2008 Real Media has become the least used format. The BBC says that, at its current level of use, it is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to continue to support it.
This decision follows the BBC’s announcement in October 2009 when it started to phase out the use of Real Media in the UK. This was completed on 31 March 2010. The BBC is now ending its Real Media broadcasts internationally. There will be a phased approach to this process, starting with the live and on-demand streams from today, 14 March 2011.
(Source: BBC World Service)
on Mar 14th, 2011 at 19:51
It won’t be missed. Real Player is full of spyware: it leaves Flash cookies even if set not to accept cookies, and it changes the registry so that it starts automatically. Best avoided !
on Mar 15th, 2011 at 10:31
Yes, for a number of years we at RNW have used Real Alternative, although that program is no longer in development - I presume due to legal pressure from Real Networks. But I can’t remember the last time I used it. Certainly for broadcasting I rarely see Real Audio files these days. As you say, it won’t be missed.
on Mar 19th, 2011 at 16:25
Although the spyware cookies were slightly problematical, Real media did at least work well with old small-Harddrive laptops running Win98SE/ME/IE6,both for video and audio.
BBC Flash, video and audio, does not run at all since Flashplayer 10 became \