Editor's note: this blog post is by Mark Kortekaas (BBC Audio & Music), Ian Myatt (BBC Nations & Regions) and Karl Kathuria (BBC World Service). I'm 'cross-posting' here because I know a lot of Radio 4 listeners still use RealPlayer to listen online - SB
At BBC Radio we try to deliver the best experience for users of our streaming services. We constantly review our services to make sure they deliver 'public value'. The four drivers of public value are: Reach, Quality, Impact and Value.
When streaming services are evaluated against these measures, we take into account where different formats might need to be implemented, evolved or deprecated.
The streaming service provided in RealMedia format has been with us at the BBC since 1996. At the time it was the best option available, but more recently alternative methods of delivery have become just as important. These include Windows Media and Flash.
When evaluating services with our public value tests along with the costs of the services, we came to the decision that RealMedia was something we needed to phase out.
Continue reading this post and leave comments on the Radio Labs blog where it appears in full.