America Online, delivering broadband multimedia at variable speeds, launched AOL Plus last week with a dozen content partners.
CBS SportsLine, CBS MarketWatch.com, CNN, FoxNews.com, FOX Sports.com, House of Blues, Launch.com, AthletesDirect and Max Broadcasting Network are all part of the picture on the new service. It makes use of a "speed detect" feature on AOL 5.0 to stream video and audio at rates appropriate to the connection for any AOL subscriber who downloads it.
"Our goal in developing AOL Plus was to set new standards for streaming video and audio programming," said Jonathan Sacks, senior vice president and general manager, AOL Interactive Services.
The new service is part of the "AOL Anywhere" strategy, pushing the online service over any kind of Internet connections for PC or wireless devices. Over the next several months, the service is expected to expand to include games, shopping, autos and real estate content.
