Sunnyvale, CA-based online software store Beyond.com entered into an
agreement with broadband cable service provider Road Runner/ServiceCo to
provide both downloadable and shrink-wrapped software to Road Runner’s 250,000 customers.
“Gaining access to the majority of broadband cable customers in the United
States gives Beyond.com an opportunity to offer broadband subscribers a way
to digitally download software in an optimal, high-speed environment,” said
Mark Breier, president and chief executive officer of Beyond.com.
“We’re extremely excited about offering a software retailing experience
that can’t be duplicated in any traditional dial-up environment,” said Meredith Flynn-Ripley, vice president of product management for Road Runner. “With the Road Runner
Beyond.com store, our customers will be able to purchase and download a large
inventory of software titles at speeds 100 times faster than standard dial-up
speeds.”
Beyond.com offers more than 44,000 software and other digital
products across 100 categories. More than 5,600 of these products are
available for immediate digital delivery. Financial terms of the deal were
not disclosed.
Road Runner is currently available to approximately 8 million homes. The
service will eventually be able to reach more than 30 million cable homes
nationwide, according to the company. Road Runner is a joint venture among
affiliates of Time Warner Inc., MediaOne Group, Microsoft Corp., Compaq Corp. and
Advance/Newhouse.
