Future Launches in the Netherlands

Future Network PLC
17 December 1999

                FUTURE  LAUNCHES IN THE NETHERLANDS
                                 
 New offices opened in Holland to launch magazines and websites in 
 the Dutch and Flemish-speaking markets of the Benelux countries              
          

Future Network plc (LSE: FNET), the video games, home computing and
other  specialist  consumer magazines and online  publisher,  today
announces  a further step in its international expansion  programme
by launching a wholly-owned new business in Holland.

Future  Publishing Holland, based in Rotterdam,  has  been  created
following the acquisition of various assets and the hiring of staff
from  Media  Minded, Future's former licensing  partner  of  Future
Music  magazine  in  Holland.   The  new  business  will  initially
comprise of three magazines: Future Music, which Future will now be
publishing directly itself in Holland and Belgium; N-Magazine,  the
Dutch-language  edition  of  N64  magazine  which  Future   already
publishes from the UK; And PC Gamer, which will shortly be launched
into the Dutch and Belgian markets. PC Gamer is the world's biggest-
selling PC games magazine.

The  Dutch and Flemish-speaking Belgian markets are highly advanced
in terms of PC penetration, with around 32% of the adult population
owning a PC (5.13m in Netherlands* and 2m in Flemish-speaking parts
of  Belgium**),  over half of which are connected to  the  Internet
(representing  over 3.4m Dutch/Flemish speakers).  The  Netherlands
is also the 10th biggest country in the world in terms of number of
registered  domain  names  (3.29% of all  domain  names  are  .nl).
Despite this, however, over 48% of all e-commerce purchases made in
the  Netherlands are currently made from US merchants, highlighting
the  potential for Future to establish e-commerce partnerships with
Dutch-run businesses for any websites it launches in the region.

Commenting on these moves, Greg Ingham, Chief Executive  of  Future
Network said:

'This  deal comes towards the end of an amazing year for Future  in
terms  of  our  international  expansion.   We  started  1999  with
operations  in  the UK and France and end it with additional  fast-
growing  businesses in the US, Germany, Italy and Holland.  Today's
announcement  is in line with our strategy of benefiting  from  our
licensing  business  to enable low cost, low risk  entry  into  new
markets.  This new business will provide us with the platform  from
which  to capitalise upon further opportunities that exist for  our
magazines and websites in these markets.'

For further information:

Greg Ingham, Chief executive               Tel: [phone]
The Future Network

David Maher Roberts, International         Tel: [phone]
Development Publisher
The Future Network

James Longfield/Harriet Keen               Tel: [phone]
Hogarth Partnership


Background on The Future Network:

The Future Network was founded in the UK in 1985.  Today Future
publishes 112 magazines worldwide and has extensive online
activities generating over 50 million page views per month.  It is
the world's fastest growing major publisher; is the leading
publisher of video games and home computing magazines in the UK,
France, Italy and the US; and, ranks as the fourth largest magazine
publisher in the UK.  Future employs over 1,400 people in offices
in Bath, London, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Milan, Munich and
Rotterdam.  Future was floated on the London Stock Exchange in June
1999 and has a current market capitalisation of over £1 billion.

Future's internet activities (FutureNet) serve the PC, Mac, Games,
Music and Football communities in the US and the UK with sites like
maximumpc.com, maximumpc.co.uk, macdaily.com, dailyradar.com,
samplenet.co.uk, and ufn.co.uk.  Future's websites and web networks
provides rich, community and information-based services to people
in these and related markets worldwide.  The network model is
simple, but effective: Aggregate content (from Future's own
magazines and from other sites which become affiliated into the
online networks) and provide services (such as e-commerce,
auctions, e-mail and discussion forums) to build high traffic in
concentrated areas that will be of great value to marketers.


*  Source: Computer Industry Almanac
** Source: Electronic Media in Belgium: How many users?