Acquisition

Future Network PLC
04 August 2004





4 August 2004



                             The Future Network plc



                      Acquisition of Spanish Homes Magazine


The Future Network plc ('Future'), the international special-interest consumer
magazine group, today announces that it has acquired the title and goodwill of
the UK title, Spanish Homes Magazine, from its current owners, Spanish Homes
Magazine Limited and the magazine's founding partnership for a total
consideration of £1.5m in cash.

This expansion allows Future to enter a new special-interest area which has been
growing strongly in terms of UK consumer interest, since Spanish Homes Magazine
was first published in 1991. The title turned quarterly in 1997 and bi-monthly
from 2003. The business is more dependent on advertising than on circulation
revenue.

Turnover for the year ended 30 April 2004 for Spanish Homes Magazine was £0.74m
and the estimated profit attributable to the assets being acquired was £0.4m.
The business has six staff and is being acquired free of financial debt.

The acquisition will impact the group from the date of the next issue, which
will be published in the autumn. Future plans a number of changes to the title
and anticipates that the acquisition will enhance 2005 adjusted earnings per
share. Future expects to achieve in 2005 a post-tax return on its investment in
Spanish Homes Magazine in excess of its weighted average cost of capital.

Commenting on the acquisition Greg Ingham, Chief Executive of The Future Network
plc said:

'This acquisition is in line with our stated strategy of acquiring
special-interest titles. It's an interesting sector with attractive growth
characteristics.'



Enquiries:

The Future Network plc

Greg Ingham, Chief Executive Tel: [phone]
John Bowman, Finance Director Tel: [phone]


Hogarth Partnership

James Longfield/Georgina Briscoe Tel: [phone]



Notes to editors

The Future Network plc was founded in the UK in 1985. Today, it publishes over
90 special-interest consumer magazines worldwide, is the world's leading
publisher of games magazines and is the fifth largest magazine publisher in the
UK.
Future employs around 1,000 people in offices in the UK, US, France and Italy.
Over 100 international editions of Future's magazines are also published in 32
other countries across the world. The company is listed on the London Stock
Exchange (symbol: FNET).

Approximately half of Future's turnover arises in the UK. In its trading update
on 5 July 2004, the Company stated that in the UK, there had been some
improvement in second quarter trading over the first quarter, although total UK
revenue for the six months to June was expected to be broadly flat.

It was also announced that the recently appointed UK Managing Director had
implemented a number of initiatives to drive growth. The acquisition announced
today will impact the group from the date of the next issue, which will be
published in the autumn.



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