[2004-08-03]

Moving into the Global Business Arena

Index to Acquire 123 Multimedia,
Leading European Mobile Content Provider

A Great Leap Forward to Becoming a Global Media Company with Consolidated Revenues of Over 75 Billion Yen for FY2004

Index Corporation (President and Representative Director: Yoshimi Ogawa; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; hereinafter “Index”), a global provider of mobile and media services, has agreed to acquire 66.65% of the outstanding common stock of 123 Multimedia S.A. (President and General Director: Patrick Abadie; Headquarters: Toulouse, France; hereinafter “123MM”). 123MM is expected to contribute significantly to Index’s consolidated group earnings for the next fiscal year.

123MM has achieved remarkable success as a leading European mobile content provider by offering WAP, i-mode and Java-based mobile Internet content services. 123MM had revenues of Euro 118 million (approx. 15.9 billion yen) and operating revenue of Euro 15 million (approx. 2 billion yen) in FY2003. In addition to France, a leading European mobile content market, 123MM has built content distribution networks serving markets in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. Combining the two companies’ expertise, Index, through its strategic subsidiaries, Index Europe S.A.S (Paris, France) and Mobliss Inc. (Seattle, Washington), and 123MM aim to expand their presence in the rapidly growing U.S. and European markets.

This acquisition allows Index and 123MM to significantly increase their operating scale and markedly improves their ability to reach new markets, fostering future growth by mutually leveraging distribution networks and content libraries. Further, through business collaboration with Index’s group companies, which currently engage in business both in Japan and abroad, it is anticipated that Index’s group revenues will exceed 100 billion yen in FY2006.

By capitalizing on new services and media that utilize the latest technologies, Index aims to become a truly global media company, and strengthen its operating platform and financial performance internationally.


【123 Multimedia S.A.】

Name：　123 Multimedia
Headquarters :　36 Rue Jacques Babinet, 31100 Toulouse, France
Founded： August, 1987
Paid-in Capital： 630,100 Euro (As of March 2004)
No. of Issued and Outstanding Shares: 6,301,000
No. of Employees: 442 (As of December 2003)
Representative: President and General Director　Patrick Abadie　
Business Description:　
①B2C Business
・Mobile contents and service provider through premium SMS, WAP and i-mode
・Major Internet web-sites services
・Interactive TV channel (Tchatche TV)
・IVR (Interactive Voice Response) based contents and services for mobile communication devices

②B2B Business： 123MM develops and hosts multimedia services for major European players such as Vodafone, Orange, Bouygues Telecom, Universal, Sagem, Philips, and Coca-Cola.

Overseas Branches: Italy, Spain, Germany, Morocco, Luxemburg, U.K., Canada, and Thailand

URL：　www.123multimedia.com


Corporate History：　
August 29, 1987: “Arletty 3” （SARL） founded
September 20, 1995:Became an SA-corporation