LONDON 24 March 1999 : - Yahoo! Europe today announced that Yahoo! UK and Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk), the UK's leading Web guide, will offer free instant access to the Internet in the UK from Monday 29th March. Users of this new service, Yahoo! Online, will be able to link directly to Yahoo!'s Web directory and its additional search, communication and information services including Yahoo! Mail.

Yahoo! Online customers simply pay for their local telephone calls. There is no monthly subscription or registration process. A dedicated customer help desk is open 7 days a week, from 8am until midnight (calls are charged at 50p per minute.)

Additionally, for the first time worldwide, Yahoo! is partnering with retail outlets to attract a whole new group of consumers to the Internet. HMV and Waterstone's are the first retail brands to work with Yahoo! in this way (see attached releases). From Monday (29th March), customers will be able to walk into HMV or Waterstone's stores nationwide and pick up a free CD that gives them free, instant access to the retailer's online stores, Yahoo!'s Web guide and the rest of the Internet.

"In our continued effort to offer users the best available tools on the market, we are launching Yahoo! Online: a free, simple and easy to use Internet access product," said Fabiola Arredondo, Managing Director, Yahoo! Europe. "We are especially pleased to be providing this service offline in our first retail agreement with HMV and Waterstone's, two of the UK's most respected, industry leading high street brands."

"We are always pursuing innovative partnerships to offer the best possible services to our customers," commented Alan Giles, Chief Executive, HMV Media Group. "Yahoo! UK and Ireland is just such a great partner -and with so many shared values, I am delighted that we have constructed these innovative services together."

Yahoo! Online will be available to download for free from the Yahoo! UK & Ireland site, at www.yahoo.co.uk. Downloading the service creates a Yahoo! Online icon on the user's PC, and users simply click on the icon to be taken directly to Yahoo! UK & Ireland, every time they go online.

Yahoo! Online replaces Yahoo! Click, the pay-as-you-go service powered by BT launched in November 1998. Yahoo! Click users will have the opportunity to transfer to Yahoo! Online from 29th March.

All of these initiatives form part of a Europe-wide move into Internet access services for Yahoo! which includes the recently announced alliance in Germany with Mannesman Arcor, the country's second largest telecommunications service provider, to offer a new pay-as-you go access service in May 1999.

About Yahoo! Europe

Yahoo! Europe comprises local Yahoo! sites for the UK & Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Each site offers local language information and e-commerce services dedicated to meeting the needs of local consumers. The Yahoo! offices in London, Paris, Munich, Milan, Madrid, Stockholm and Copenhagen are staffed by local nationals and Yahoo! Europe is headquartered in central London.

About Yahoo! UK & Ireland

Yahoo! UK & Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk), part of the Yahoo! global network, is ranked the most popular navigational guide in the UK. A recent Fletcher survey estimated Yahoo! UK & Ireland enjoyed an online audience reach of 61%. At Yahoo! UK & Ireland, users will find UK & Irish Web sites listed first by category, with full access to relevant worldwide sites appearing next.

Yahoo!, and the Yahoo! logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contacts:

Yahoo! UK & Ireland
Kate Rider,
Tel: 0171 664 0428
Fax: 0171 664 0403
kater@uk.yahoo-inc.com