Microsoft Xbox contract

Future Network PLC
16 October 2000


   THE FUTURE NETWORK WINS EXCLUSIVE INTERNATIONAL MICROSOFT XBOX MAGAZINE
                                   LICENCE



Imagine Media, the US business of The Future Network plc (LSE: FNET), today
announces that it has won the exclusive national and international rights to
publish the official magazine for XboxTM, Microsoft's future-generation video
game console.

The contract is initially for three years with an automatic two-year
extension, subject to reaching circulation targets, and covers all territories
worldwide except Japan. The agreement also provides for Future to distribute a
DVD containing game demos with the magazine, produce an official website, and
e-mail newsletters covering Xbox.

The Official Xbox Magazine will be launched in the summer of 2001 in the US,
UK, Germany, France, and Italy, in advance of the release of Xbox which is
scheduled for autumn 2001. Subsequent launches of the official Xbox magazine
in additional territories will be managed by Future either directly or via
licences with publishing partners such as those operating in a further 23
countries, and beyond. In the UK, a new Future subsidiary will be established
specifically to publish the Xbox title.

Commenting on the licensing agreement, John O'Rourke, Group Marketing Director
for the Microsoft Games Division, said:

'We chose Future as our official Xbox publishing partner after an extensive
proposal and review process that involved many of the world's top magazine
publishers. They have a great team and did a great job of matching our own
ambitions and vision for Xbox in their proposal. Future's extensive experience
and success as a publisher gave us great confidence that the Official Xbox
Magazine will be one that gamers will love.'

Chris Anderson, Chairman of Imagine Media and The Future Network, commented:

 'We consider this to be the most significant games magazine licence ever
granted. The vision driving the international roll-out of The Future Network
was precisely to allow us to offer global media solutions to key partners. So
we are absolutely delighted that Microsoft have entrusted us with such
broad-ranging magazine support for Xbox.

'This agreement, coming a full year before the launch of Xbox, gives us an
extraordinary opportunity to create something very, very special. We will be
seeking to expand our network of licensing partners as well as deepen our
relationship with existing licensees and increase our games market share in
every territory in which we operate. Our goal is to match Microsoft's
breathtaking vision for Xbox with an equally exciting vision for the first
truly global games magazine franchise.'

Many of the world's top game developers and publishers have already
demonstrated the momentum that is building for Xbox by announcing their
intention to create and publish games for the Xbox platform. More than 150
companies from around the world - including Activision Inc., Bandai Co. Ltd.,
Capcom Co. Ltd., Eidos Interactive Ltd., Hudson Soft Co. Ltd, Infogrames,
Konami Corp., Midway Home Entertainment Inc., Namco Limited, Sierra Studios
and THQ - have pledged their support a year ahead of the Xbox launch.


For further information, please contact:

Chris Anderson, Chairman, Imagine Media                       01225 442244

Terri Davey, Communications Manager, The Future Network plc   01225 442244

James Longfield/Harriet Keen, Hogarth Partnership             0207 357 9477


About Xbox


Scheduled for release in autumn 2001, Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is
Microsoft's future-generation video game console. Features will include a
733MHz CPU, a custom-designed graphics processing unit capable of processing
more than 1 trillion operations per second, an 8GB hard drive, 64 MB of total
memory, a 3-D audio processor with 256 audio channels and 64 3D audio
channels, and broadband connectivity for online game play. Xbox uses familiar
architecture and DirectX(R) development tools so game developers will be able
to create better games faster.



About Imagine Media, Inc.

Future's US business Imagine Media (http://ww.imaginemedia.com) is one of
America's fastest-growing publishers of magazines and Web sites. Based in the
San Francisco Bay Area, Imagine Media's publications sell in excess of 2.5
million copies per month. Its market-leading titles and Web properties include
Maximum PC, digitalFOTO, Business 2.0, MacAddict, PC Gamer, PSM: 100%
Independent PlayStation Magazine, Next Generation, Official Sega Dreamcast
Magazine, Revolution, Total Games and Total Movie, and its online networks
DailyRadar.com, MacAddict.com, MaximumPC.com, Maximum Linux.com, and
digitalFOTO.com.



About The Future Network Plc

Future (http://www.thefuturenetwork.plc.uk) was founded in the UK in 1985.
Today it publishes over 130 magazines worldwide and has extensive online
activities attracting the attention of 6.5 million unique visitors and
generating over 87 million page views per month. It is the world's fastest
growing major publisher; the leading publisher of video games and home
computing magazines in the UK, France, Italy, Poland and the US; and is ranked
as the fourth largest magazine publisher in the UK. Future employs over 1,900
people in offices in Bath, London, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Milan,
Munich, Rotterdam and Wroclaw. Future was floated on the London Stock Exchange
in June 1999.