euro adhoc: WEB.DE AG
Mergers - Acquisitions - Takeovers
WEB.DE
AG and United Internet AG plan comprehensive alliance: negotiations
on take-over of WEB.DE AG´s business segment Internet portal and on
distribution in the field of Web Telecommunication
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
16.03.2005
WEB.DE AG, Karlsruhe and United Internet AG, Montabaur intend to enter into a comprehensive alliance in the fields of Internet portal business and Web Telecommunications. Within this alliance the companies currently exclusively negotiate about the take-over of WEB.DE AG´s entire business segment Internet portal with all the employees, technologies, assets as well as trademarks and licenses against a cash volume of EUR 200 million and 5.8 million shares of United Internet AG. An respective Letter of Intent was signed today. The implementation of this basic agreement is subject to the usual prerequisites, Due Diligence and signing of the contracts to be negotiated. The execution of the contracts will depend on the consent of the antitrust commission and the relevant bodies. The contracts are expected to be signed in April.
As a result of the take-over of the portal www.web.de (10.47 monthly users according to AGOF 9/2004), United Internet (7,59 Mio monthly user acc. to AGOF with GMX alone) with a consolidated market reach of then more than 16 million monthly users (unduplicated reach in accordance with AGOF/Nielsen/WEB.DE) will become the largest portal- and internet service company in Germany, ahead of T-Online (13.15 million monthly users acc. to AGOF), MSN-Tomorrow Focus and Yahoo. United Internet will thus be in a leading position and benefit above-average from the future developments in online advertising, E-Commerce, DSL, online services, web hosting and web telecommunications.
With this comprehensive alliance under the umbrella of United Internet, the leading marketer of online advertising in Germany in terms of market reach and advertising space volume (more than 2.5 billion page views a month and more than 16 million monthly users) will evolve.
Within the scope of the alliance United Internet will offer WEB.DE AG´s next generation Web Telecommunications products, currently being developed, to the entire user base of United Internet.
After the completion of the transaction WEB.DE AG will be able to fully focus on the worldwide and nationwide launch of the next generation Web Telecommunications products.
With its almost 10 percent stake in United Internet AG, WEB.DE AG participates directly in the development of the internet and portal market on all levels (online advertising, DSL, online services, web hosting, etc.).
Furthermore, through the EUR 200 million cash portion, WEB.DE AG is provided with a sound financial basis for its worldwide launch and marketing activities in the field of Web Telecommunications.
Through the distribution alliance for Web Telecommunications products with then the largest German portal and internet service company, WEB.DE AG secures itself an excellent position for reaching the German mass market in this field.
Contact Person for Analysts and for Investors: Richard Berg, Director Investor Relations, tel +49 (0)721 94329 2700, Mail rb@webde-ag.de http://webde-ag.de
Contact Person for Press and Media: Oliver Schwartz, Director Communications, tel +49 (0)721 94329 5310, Mail oliver.schwartz@webde-ag.de http://webde-ag.de
end of announcement euro adhoc 16.03.2005 17:16:18
Further inquiry note:
Richard Berg
Tel. +49(0)721 94329 2700
E-Mail: rb@webde-ag.de
Branche: Online
ISIN: DE0005296503
WKN: 529650
Index: TecDAX, Prime Standard, HDAX, CDAX Technology, Midcap Market Index, Prime All Share
Börsen: Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / regulated dealing
Berliner Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Hamburger Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Börse Düsseldorf / free trade
Niedersächsische Börse zu Hannover / free trade
Bayerische Börse / free trade
Bremer Wertpapierbörse (BWB) / free trade