Acquisition

NewMedia SPARK PLC
13 December 2000






For Immediate Release                                          13 December 2000





    NewMedia SPARK announces EO entering into agreement to acquire EPO.com



        EO now the No.1 pan-European new issues distribution platform



NewMedia SPARK today announces that EO, the online share distribution platform
for retail investors, has entered into an agreement to acquire EPO.com for an
undisclosed sum, in an all share transaction valuing EO shares at £1.50 each.
EO is one of SPARK's most significant shareholdings.



Key features of the combined business include:



*        Pan-European presence:  distribution into the UK, Sweden, Germany,
         France, Italy and Finland

*        Increased registered user base:  over 175,000 registered on-line
         members

*        Increased retail investor reach: over 16m users across Europe through
distribution partnerships with key players in the retail investment market:

Online brokers: Charles Schwab Europe, Barclays Stockbrokers, Sharepeople,
Stockacademy, Stocktrade, E*trade.

Portals:  Yahoo!, GlobalNetFinancial.com, Tiscali and Ciaoweb

Retail investment sites:  ADVFN, hemscott.NET, moneyextra.com

Other: OM Stockholm Stock Exchange

*        Proven transaction expertise: the combined entity has distributed
over 50 new issue deals online in the last 12 months including Deutsche Post,
Carphone Warehouse, Web.de, Oasis Healthcare and several issues on behalf of
the Swedish national debt office

*        Combined transaction flow:  EO's existing partnerships with UBS
Warburg, NewMedia SPARK and Noble & Co together with EPO.com's strong
relationships with European issuers creates a valuable single pipeline of
future dealflow for retail investors

*        Strong financial position:  the combined entity will benefit from
EO's recent fundraisings of £10m as part of NewMedia SPARK's acquisition of
Internet Indirect and £6.6m from a Friends and Family round in July.  EO will
also benefit from increased revenue opportunities and cost savings from
creating an integrated on-line platform.

Ola Lauritzson, currently CEO of EPO.com, has been asked to join the Board of
EO plc as Marketing Director.  This further strengthens the EO Board following
the recent appointments of Sir Michael Jenkins, Vice Chairman of Dresdner
Kleinwort Benson, Ronald Freeman, ex-Vice Chairman of Schroders Salomon Smith
Barney and Lynn Dukes, former Managing Director at UBS as non-executive
directors.


Commenting on the acquisition, John St.John, CEO of EO plc said:


'This deal is a milestone in EO's development.  The acquisition is beneficial
to both our customers and our partners in terms of increased product and
broader distribution.  The synergies between the two businesses will both
increase revenue and minimise costs, allowing us to consolidate our position
as Europe's number one player in this rapidly evolving market.'



Ola Lauritzon, CEO of EPO.com said:



'EPO.com was founded in 1998, the market has grown rapidly and the time is
right for the emergence of one clear leader.  This deal makes our combined
business that market leader and I look forward to working with the team to
further grow the business to take advantage of the ever increasing demand for
new issue investment opportunities from the retail market.'



The Offer is subject to the approval of the UK and Swedish financial services
regulators.  Agreement to the conditional terms of the offer has been received
from shareholders accounting for over approximately 60% of EPO.com's shares.



Enquiries:


Michael Whitaker                                         [phone]
NewMedia SPARK

Tim Anderson                                             [phone]
Buchanan Communications

John St.John                                             [phone]
EO plc

Peter Pender-Cudlip                                      [phone]
Finsbury


NewMedia SPARK


NewMedia SPARK Plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative
Investment Market.  SPARK has a portfolio of investments in early-stage
companies in Europe and India.  SPARK now has operations in London, Stockholm
and Berlin and has one of the largest and most experienced teams in Europe,
with skills ranging from investment banking and venture capital, to the active
involvement in the formation and running of technology companies.  The
portfolio currently comprises over 50 investments spanning the following
sectors - core technology/infrastructure/software; interactive digital TV;
wireless; content; B2B and B2C.  For further information see
www.newmediaspark.com.


EO plc



*        EO plc, which is regulated by the SFA, is an on-line share
distribution platform for IPOs and private placements.  EO works in
partnership with investment banks and venture capital firms to distribute
equity product to retail investors on a pan-European basis.

*        EO benefits from a partnership GlobalNetFinancial.com, Europe's
largest financial information portal, with investment sites in the US, UK,
France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Denmark. EO also has
partnerships with leading retail investment sites including ADVFN,
hemscott.NET and moneyextra.com.

*        EO has partnerships with online brokers including Charles Schwab
Europe, Sharepeople, Stockacademy and Stocktrade to provide users with direct
access to investment opportunities at www.eo.net.

*        EO has established partnerships with UBS Warburg and Nobles. Under
the terms of these partnerships, the investment banks will make appropriate
equity product offerings available to retail investors via www.eo.net.

*        EO also benefits from exclusive deal flow from its founding
shareholder NewMedia SPARK, Europe's leading quoted early stage technology
investor.

*        EO has existing partnerships with Continental European online IPO
providers, more.de in Germany and EuropeOffering.com in France.

*        Through its existing combined networks and partnership arrangements,
EO now reaches an audience of over 16 million online users throughout the UK
and Europe.

  * Investors should register free and without obligation at www.eo.net


EPO.com



EPO.com, founded in Sweden in 1998, has its headquarters in London. EPO.com
has participated, to date, in more than 40 transactions, including stock
market listings in Sweden and in the UK. It has over 85,000 registered members
in Europe and is based in Sweden, Finland, France, Italy and the UK.  By using
the internet, EPO.com opens up the previously restricted market for primary
equity capital to a new group of retail investors, enabling private
individuals to participate directly in stock market listings. Subscription,
allocation and payment for new shares are all carried out online. Among the
shareholders of EPO.com are French Internet bank Zebank, Banc Boston, Catalyst
Fund Management & Research and the Swedish internet venture capital firm,
Catella IT.