FTMarketWatch

Pearson PLC
17 October 2001





17th OCTOBER 2001





PRESS STATEMENT





                   PEARSON TO ACQUIRE 100% OF FTMARKETWATCH

                  FTMARKETWATCH TO BE INTEGRATED INTO FT.COM







Pearson, the international media company, has agreed in principle to take full
control of FTMarketWatch.com by purchasing MarketWatch.com's 50% stake.



Since its launch in June 2000, FTMarketWatch.com, the leading source of online
markets news and analysis for Europe's private investors, has built a loyal
user base of more than 500,000 unique monthly users and approximately nine
million monthly page views. It generates its revenues from advertising, data
licensing and content syndication.



FTMarketWatch.com will complement and expand the existing markets channel of
FT.com. FT.com is the UK's most popular commercial on-line business news
channel, with 1.8 million unique monthly users and 40 million monthly page
views.



Stephen Hill, Chief Executive of the FT Group commented:



' FTMarketWatch.com will become an integral part of FT.com, enhancing the
markets coverage we can offer. It will also enable us to reduce operating
costs, share editorial resources and offer more attractive advertising and
premium content services to partners and advertisers. We have said that our FT
internet businesses will break even by the end of 2002, and this is another
step on that path to profitability.'



Larry Kramer, Chief Executive of MarketWatch.com commented:



' MarketWatch.com will continue to provide the content and tools that have
made FT MarketWatch.com a success in the European market. The new arrangement
will give the FT greater operating flexibility and enhance the business
relationship between MarketWatch.com and FT.com. '



Pearson retains its 34% stake in  MarketWatch.com.





Ends



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Luke Swanson                                                0207 010 2313

Joanna Manning-Cooper                                       0207 873 4447