FINANCIAL TIMES ANNOUNCES CORPORATE LICENCE BRIDGE AGREEMENT

LONDON: 7th November 2007: The Financial Times today announced a Bridge offer for corporate customers wishing to access Financial Times content via specific third party platforms.

From April 2008, any organisation that wishes to have digital access to FT content will be invited to subscribe to an FT content licence. These licences will ensure simplicity and consistency in the supply of the Financial Times’ global business news and analysis. This single licence will create a direct relationship between the Financial Times and its corporate customers and enable them to access Financial Times content via both FT.com and a wide range of third party channels. 

The Bridge offer allows qualifying customers of specific third party platforms to subscribe to an FT content licence and be exempt from paying fees to the FT until the earlier of the renewal of their third party contract or January 2009. The third party will continue to pay royalties to the FT for the use of FT content by these customers. A list of the specific third parties that can extend the Bridge offer can be found at www.ft.com/corporate

Caspar de Bono, Managing Director B2B at the Financial Times, said: “We have created the new FT content licence to ensure a fair and transparent means of delivering FT content and to build direct relationships with our customers.”

He added: “We have created the Bridge offer to ensure a smooth transition to the new licensing model as we recognise that some clients may be mid contract with third parties. For the Bridge offer to work, we need to reach an agreement with the respective third party channels. We continue to have productive discussions with both news aggregation services and technology integrators.”

Notes to Editors on the New FT Content Licence:

1. The new FT Content Licence is the result of a review of the relationships and practices in providing Financial Times content to corporate customers. Currently, corporate customers using news aggregation services pay one price for thousands of sources of content and for the cost of the services.
2. The new FT Content Licence has been designed to allow users of Financial Times content to pay for content separately. It also allows customers to continue to access Financial Times content via a wide range of third party channels, if they wish to do so.
3. The FT Content Licence will apply to all corporations wishing to purchase access to Financial Times content for 10 or more employees. The minimum contract is £1,990 per annum, the equivalent of £199 a seat. The cost per seat will decrease as more seats are purchased.
4. Existing customers of specific third party channels with a current contract on the 31 December 2007, with a renewal date after 1 April 2008, will qualify for a special “Bridge Offer”. From the 1 April 2008, these customers will need to subscribe to an FT content licence to continue to receive FT content and they will be exempt from paying fees to the FT until the earlier of the renewal of their third party contract or January 2009.
5. Subscriptions to FT.com can continue to be purchased by individuals. The corporate content licences are for corporations that wish to benefit from the economy of purchasing multiple licences and the flexibility of accessing Financial Times content across many platforms.
6. The new access model was announced on the 1st October, six month in advance of the proposed change. This has been done in order to give customers and third parties plenty of time to make arrangements. Prior to April 2008, the Financial Times will continue to make available two content feeds – one for all Financial Times content on the day of publication, and, separately an embargoed feed delayed by 24 hours. From April 2008, there will be a day-of-publication feed available to those with a Financial Times content licence only.
7. Further details can be found at www.ft.com/corporate
8. Contact details for customers interested in a FT Content Licence and the Bridge offer:

ftsales.support@ft.com
T UK: +44 (0) 20 7873 4001
T US: +1 800 218 6046

For media enquiries please contact:

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times Group, one of the world’s leading business information companies, aims to provide a broad range of business information and services to the growing audience of internationally minded business people.  The FT Group includes:

• The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.  Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 449,187 (ABC figures, December 2007) and a readership of more than 1.3 million people worldwide.
• FT.com is one of the world's leading business information websites, and the internet partner of the FT newspaper. Since its relaunch in May 2002, the website has continued to be the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 5.35 million unique monthly users generating 43 million page views (ABC electronic figures, March 2007). FT.com has 100,000 subscribers.
• Through FT Interactive Data, the FT Group is one of the world’s leading sources of securities pricing and specialist financial information to global institutional, professional and individual investors.  Its products include eSignal, an online realtime streaming quotation service for brokers and active traders.
• FT Business, which produces specialist information on the retail, personal and institutional finance industries. It publishes the UK’s premier personal finance magazine, Investors Chronicle, and The Banker, Money Management and Financial Adviser for professional advisers.
• The Mergermarket Group, whose products and services provide the global advisory and corporate communities with intelligence and analysis. With regional head offices in London, New York and Hong Kong and 200 journalists in 46 locations worldwide, reliable and validated proprietary intelligence and historical data is provided via the mergermarket, dealReporter, Debtwire and wealthmonitor on-line platforms. 
• The Financial Times Group also has a stake in a number of joint ventures, including;
• FTSE International, a joint venture with the London Stock Exchange.
• Vedomosti, Russia’s leading business newspaper and a partnership venture with Dow Jones and Independent Media
• A 50% stake in BDFM, publishers of South Africa’s leading financial newspapers and websites.
• A 50% stake in The Economist Group, which publishes the world’s leading weekly business and current affairs journal.
• A 13.85% stake in Business Standard, one of India’s leading financial newspapers.