VNU Acquires Hungarian Publisher of Consumer Magazines.

HAARLEM, The Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 25, 1999--

VNU, a leading international publishing and information company, today announced that VNU Budapest Lapkiado Rt, a subsidiary of its division VNU Magazines, has reached an agreement on the acquisition of the Hungarian publishing company Egyesult Kiadoi Holding Kft (EKH) in Budapest. The acquisition is subject to approval of the Hungarian competition authorities. VNU already announced a binding offer to acquire EKH at the end of October.

EKH publishes twelve consumer magazines in total. Main magazines are Nok Lapja, the leading women's magazine with a weekly circulation of 390,000 copies; the main home glossy, Otthon with a monthly circulation of 75,000; and Szines RTV, the second Hungarian TV program magazine, which is published in a weekly circulaton of 435,000. EKH's revenues amount to approximately EUR 30 million.

VNU Budapest publishes eleven titles, including the weekly Story (circulation 340,000 copies), the women's magazine Meglepetes (weekly circulation 160,000) and the home-decorating magazine Hazi Praktika (monthly circulation 120,000).

The acquistion is in line with VNU's strategy to further strengthen the consumer magazines' activities in Europe. With the acquisition of EKH, VNU becomes the leading publisher of consumer magazines in Hungary. In the Czech Republic, VNU is also market leader in consumer magazines through its subsidiary Mona Praha. In Central and Eastern Europe, VNU further operates in Russia through a 35% interest in the publishing company Independent Media and in Romania through VNU-Hearst Romania (65%).

VNU is one of the world's leading publishing and information companies and has leading market positions in consumer magazines, directories and information services, business information, as well as educational publishing. Worldwide, VNU employs approximately 15,000 people and has annual revenues of more than EUR 2.4 billion.