Holding in Company

NewMedia SPARK PLC
5 January 2001



                              Newmedia SPARK plc


                           Substantial Shareholding

The company received by a letter on 4 January 2001 in respect of the
disclosure of the notifiable interest of the Zurich Financial Services and its
Group in the shares of Newmedia SPARK plc in respect of a total shareholding
of 13,068,433 ordinary shares announced by the company on 14 December 2000, in
accordance with the provisions of Section 198 Companies Act 1985. A change of
notifiable interest in these shares arises from a further corporate
re-organisation within the Zurich Financial Services Group which means that at
20 December 2000 the following companies became intermediate holding companies
with disclosable interests:


Scudder Kemper Investments, Inc.

Zurich Holding Company of America Inc.

ZKI Holding Corporation

Zurich Insurance Company


There have not been any transactions in these shares that would otherwise have
required a notification.