RealNetworks gets the best deal
eWeek | at | by Mike
Real Networks, which is getting enough money from Microsoft to wipe out all its losses, not bad for a company that's been in business for a decade and has made a profit in only one of those years. And a tiny profit at that.
The amount of Microsoft's settlement is also more than double Real's annual revenue and more than half its market cap. Not a bad deal for such a perennial struggler. Spread the money over a decade of operation and Real's financials actually look pretty good.
Of course, this Real deal is a one-time event. And it's not even all cash, as $301 million will be paid in marketing services that Microsoft will provide over the next 18 months.