In the time since streaming media first made the scene, it has been used in a variety of ways to benefit businesses. Some of these include the following: streaming stock market reports online, advertising for e-commerce, conferences and conference highlights, virtual facilities tours, streaming audio for samples of CD s, streaming video for live web casts of television stations, and distance learning for Universities.

First, many companies are streaming their stock reports like TENFORE.com. This can be a real helpful tool because it provides their customers with financial market and business information, in real-time, 24 hours a day. Distribution and access to the information is obtainable through an assortment of different ways. The use of satellite technology is still the most used because of its reliability. Also, this technology is very capable of broadcasting great volumes of real-time data.

Next is the area of advertising. Many advertisers are starting to use streaming media as means to reach people for their product. Real Networks, as well as 800.com contracted Millward Brown Interactive, a noted on-line brand research company, to conduct an impact study of an 800.com streaming media add. The study was conducted March 29th through March 31, 1999. They found that overall, people responded well to the ads, and watched them all the way through for the most part. This creates a positive brand attitude. One negative statement, however, included the ads promising a deal too good to be true.

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