Time Inc. Asia Signs Exclusive Deal to Put Its Media Inventory Onto Asia-Pacific Wide Media Transaction Portal Online Trading Of Media Inventory Sets to Take Off in Asia-Pacific as XS-Media Draws in 60% Of Media Buyers in Key Asia-Pacific Countries and Starts Online Transaction With US$150 Million of Media Inventory SINGAPORE, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet/ -- XS-Media, the only portal for Asia-Pacific's advertising and media industry, today announced that it has signed an exclusive deal with Time Inc. Asia to host media inventory for sale through the XS-Media online trading platform. Both Asiaweek and TIME, Asia's two leading English-language newsweeklies, will host regular inventory, special inventory and sponsorship packages on the XS-Media trading platform. XS-Media's portal, launched in November 2000, provides the media and advertising industries a one-stop shop real-time platform for online trading, industry-related news and opinions, research highlights and jobs. It contains the only comprehensive directory of media kits in key Asia-Pacific countries and also sells media research reports. Upon launch, it will host over US$150 million of media inventory, ranging from newspapers, magazines, out-of-home, online and TV, for registered media buyers to choose from. There are over 13 online media exchanges in the US, five in the UK, and six in Europe. XS-Media is the first in Asia-Pacific to offer an online media exchange. The media transaction site will go live in February 2001. A report by Myers Mediaenomics estimates that US$1.66 billion of media trading will be concluded online by 2001. According to Zenith Media, the advertising industry in Asia-Pacific is expected to grow from US$60 billion to US$70 billion by 2003. Mr. Paul McNeill, Co-founder and CEO of XS-Media, said: "We are delighted to be able to sign up Time Inc. Asia as our partner. Both Asiaweek and TIME are two of Asia's leading publications. This is a direct endorsement of our vision to provide an effective channel for the media and advertising industry to interact as well as to transact advertising space. We have now a great list of media inventory and registered media buyers on XS-Media. We expect to see online transaction of media inventory to be an important transaction channel in the industry by the end of this year." Mr. Peter Brack, Publisher and Managing Director of Asiaweek, said: "XS-Media provides us instantly with the online platform for displaying, and selling, some of our inventory and special packages." Mr. McNeill added: "We are also delighted to announce today that XS-Media has successfully signed up over 1,100 media buyers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. This represents about 60% of media buyers in these key countries, with a buying power of about US$5 billion. With several key media companies lining up to list their media inventory on XS-Media, I am very confident that the transaction site will yield considerable transaction volume by the end of the year." The site mimics the current buying methodology whereby media buyers and media sellers can negotiate over multiple insertions and added value elements. In short, XS-Media provides a real-time platform which enables media buyers to buy complete yearly schedules, negotiate volume discounts and added-value elements associated with multiple insertions deals in an easy accessible and always up-to-date manner. Ms. Julie Harrison, Co-founder and COO, said: "The traditional function of buying media is labor-intensive and cost-impaired, XS-Media offers media buyers the opportunity to connect with media sellers in real-time, seek opportunity and transact in minutes rather than days. For the sellers, XS-Media offers the opportunity to connect with thousands of potential buyers who would otherwise be impossible to reach." Registration for media buyers, sellers and media and advertising professionals is free of charge. About XS-Media XS-Media is a pan-Asian media company that operates the most comprehensive online media portal for media companies in the Asia-Pacific. It aims to create a vibrant intermediary business platform for media buyers and sellers to transact media inventory and interact with each other. For more information, please visit www.xs-media.com SOURCE XS-Media CONTACT: Szeto Kuan Yee of XS-Media, +65-323-9611, or +65-9690-0850 (Mobile), or [email protected], or Wong Voal Voal of Asia PR.Comz, for XS-Media, +65-536-6881, or +65-9799-0551 (Mobile), or [email protected]/ /Web Site: http://www.xs-media.com