ALMA MEDIA LAUNCHES ADSL CONNECTION AND BROADBAND CONTENT ON INTERNET

ALMA MEDIA CORP. STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 24 Aug 2000 at 12.00 EET
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ALMA MEDIA LAUNCHES ADSL CONNECTION AND BROADBAND CONTENT ON INTERNET

Alma Media will offer a residential broadband access based on ADSL
technology in Finland in co-operation with data operator KPNQwest
and hardware supplier Cisco. The connection will be used to
distribute content to consumers. A pilot project will be launched
this autumn and full-scale marketing will start in the beginning of
2001.

KPNQwest and Cisco regard Finland as an interesting pioneer market
for consumer broadband services. The country’s highly developed
legislation and high degree of Internet and mobile phone penetration
provide a solid foundation for convergence of media and
telecommunications. Alma Media is the leading producer of new-media
content in Finland and its digital services attract the most users.
The number of active users in August exceeded 700 000.

Broadband access broadens MTV3’s scope of services

With the new broadband connections, Alma Media will be able to
distribute its digital media on all existing bandwidths. The
narrowest bandwidth is used by the Port Alma mobile portal, while
MTV3’s Internet connection uses the next bandwidth. ADSL uses a
broader bandwidth than conventional Internet connections. The
broadest bandwidth will be used by the digital TV transmissions,
scheduled to start in August 2001.

The ADSL connection will increase the scope of services offered by
MTV3i, which has been enthusiastically received in the market.

Broadband connections will give households access to interactive
television, made possible by digital technology, the first example
of which will be MTV3’s broadband content. Consumers and private
individuals will be able to use the ADSL (Asynchronic Digital
Subscriber Line) connection for both e-services and for
entertainment.

The 2 Mbit/s connection will always be open, offering individual
subscribers unlimited use for a fixed monthly charge. Among its many
features, the connection will enable transmission of full-scale
video pictures. Alma Media’s ADSL service will initially cover most
of the Helsinki metropolitan area and will then be extended
according to demand. There are currently a few thousand ADSL
connections in Finland, most of which are used by companies.

Alma Media will start supplying residential broadband access to
subscribers in the Helsinki metropolitan area in early autumn this
year. Full-scale marketing will begin early next year, which is when
an amendment to the Telemarketing Act is expected to allow common
use of local telephone companies’ copper wire cables.

Direct contact with customers

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Alma Media will take responsibility for marketing, customer contacts
and relations with other content producers. Operation of the ASDL
connections and their investments will be the responsibility of
KPNQwest, which already has an operative ADSL network in Helsinki
and global networks. Cisco will supply the equipment necessary to
convert the existing copper telephone cables to broadband
connections. Negotiations are in progress with other suppliers. The
subscriber charge for the new connection will be lower than the
current market prices. The concept includes direct subscriber
contact and invoicing, as well as added-value services such as
Internet and video conferences.

Alma Media’s broadband network will be open to third parties, other
service providers and content producers.

Consumer connections will contain the material familiar to viewers
of MTV3 and the recently launched TVTV! cable channel as well as
content produced exclusively for broadband distribution. KPNQwest
will market the ASDL connection to corporate customers, who will be
offered an optional content package that could include Alma Media’s
Business Information products.

The new ADSL technology will create numerous new organizations based
on broadband communication. Their structures will develop globally,
reflecting both demographic and psychographic factors, constituting
a new and interesting group of audiences for advertisers.

Cisco Systems is the world’s leading supplier of Internet systems.
Most Internet traffic worldwide is transmitted via Cisco systems.

KPNQwest, a leading pan-European provider of Internet-based data
transfer services, operates its own Eurorings fibre-optic network.

Further information on the new Internet connection and other
opportunities offered by ADSL technology will be given to the media
at a press conference today at the Marina Congress Center in
Katajanokka, Helsinki. Speaking on the subject will be Mr Matti
Packalén, President and CEO of Alma Media, Mr Jack McMaster,
President and CEO of KPNQwest, and Mr Jari Mäkijärvi, President of
Cisco Systems Finland. There will be a live webcast of the
conference at the following Internet addresses: www.almamedia.fi,
www.cisco.com/fi and www.kpnqwest.com, starting at 14.00 EET.

Further information:
Mr Matti Kotisaari, Development Manager, Alma Media Corporation,
+358-3-266 6822 or +358-50-65 531
Mr Raimo Mäkelä, Senior Vice President, New Media, Alma Media
Corporation, +358-9-507 8718 or +358-40-546 1892
Mr Marko Kulmala, Director, MTV Oy, +358-9-1500 683, or +358-40-749
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ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION
Terhi Lambert
Communications Manager

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