TERRA ACQUIRES LYCOS FOR A TOTAL OF 12.5 BILLION US DOLLARS IN STOCK, CREATING TERRA LYCOS, A GLOBAL INTERNET PORTAL WITH NO COMPETITORS
• Exceptional convergence of services, content and distribution; operating in 37 countries; leader in fast growing markets; preferential access to more than 60 million clients.
• Bertelsmann becomes part of the grand alliance with Terra Lycos and commits to acquire up to 1 billion US dollars in services in the next 5 years.
• Terra Lycos will manage 49% of the new joint Internet business for wireless communications with Telefónica.
• Telefónica will provide 2.2 billion Euros for Terra's capital expansion.
• It is foreseen that, after its capital expansion, Terra Lycos cash flow will amount to 3 billion US dollars, resulting in one of the largest capital Internet companies in the world.
MADRID AND WALTHAM, MA, May 16, 2000 -- Terra Networks, S.A. (MC: TRR; NASDAQ: TRRA), the leading Internet service and interactive content provider for the Portuguese and Hispanic market, and Lycos, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCOS), the main multi-brand Internet network, have announced today their final merger agreement upon which Terra will acquire Lycos through the exchange of stock at a price of $97.55 per Lycos share, which corresponds to an approximate total of 12.5 billion US dollars in Terra shares.
This transaction will give birth to the first genuinely global Internet company, which will be named Terra Lycos, Inc. The company will be established as an exclusive platform that will bundle Internet services, new media contents, advertisement, e-commerce as well as the next generation's communications technology. Terra and Lycos predict estimated revenue for the year 2000 of approximately 600 million US dollars, and jointly they currently account approximately 40 million of exclusive users and 175 million of daily access to their pages. Terra Lycos will operate in 37 countries, occupying leadership positions in various fast-growing markets, in the US as well as in Latin America, Asia and Europe.
According to the agreement, which was unanimously approved by Terra's and Lycos Board of Directors, Lycos shareholders will receive $97.55 in common Terra shares per each Lycos common share, or its equivalent in Terra Foreign Titles Deposit Receipts; subject to the maximum symmetric limits of 20%.
The Delegate Commission of Telefónica's Board of Directors, S.A. (MC: TEF), which currently possesses approximately 67% of Terra's stock, has also approved the above-mentioned agreement unanimously. The transaction will be conceptualized as a purchase, and it is foreseen that Lycos shareholders will be exempted of taxes for this transaction.
As an integrant part of the agreement, and based on the existent joint alliance of Lycos-Bertelsmann in Europe, Terra Lycos has celebrated a broad strategic relationship with Bertelsmann, which is the third media company over the world and which operates in 54 countries. In lieu of such broad relationship between Bertelsmann and Lycos, Bertelsmann will acquire advertisement, placement and integration services in Terra Lycos for the next five years and for the equivalent to 1 billion US dollars. On the other hand, Terra Lycos will obtain preferential access to Bertelsmann special catalogue of books, music, TV, movies and other media contents. Bertelsmann and Terra Lycos will also work jointly in the development of platforms for the digital distribution of music and books. Terra Lycos will continue working closely with Lycos Europe in order to improve the content and the services of each individual company.
Telefónica's commitment to provide 2 billion US dollars for Terra's capital expansion is also part of the transaction between Terra and Lycos and will be initialized before the closing of such operation. According to the terms of the agreement, Telefónica will subscribe the stock that will correspond proportionally, offering to acquire the remaining stock not acquired by the rest of Terra's shareholders. The capital expansion will be quoted according to the closing of today's stock market for Terra's titles in Madrid, $56.13, which will determine the face value of Terra Lycos to approximately 30 billion US dollars.
Once the capital expansion is completed, it is estimated that the new company's cash flow will amount to approximately 3 million US dollars, which will make it one of the highest capitalized Internet companies around the world.
Terra Lycos will also run 49% of a new mobile telephony joint venture that will be constituted in association with Telefónica. Terra Lycos will have access to the important networks of Telefónica, wired, fixed telephone lines, wide band, satellite, as well as wireless; which currently service more than 60 million users over the world.
Telefónica is the main telecommunications group in Spain and Latin America, as well as one of the five largest wireless telephony companies over the world, with more than 21 million customers.
Besides Bertelsmann contents, Terra Lycos will have also access to all the media contents of Telefónica. Telefónica is the main broadcaster and second operator of paid television in Spain and Argentina, where it also owns important radio stations. Recently, Telefónica announced the acquisition of Endemol Entertainment, a leading European media group.
Once the merge is completed, Juan Villalonga (Telefónica's President and Executive Advisor, as well as Terra's President) will be appointed Chairman of the Board of Terra Lycos, while Bob Davis (President and Executive Advisor of Lycos) will be appointed Chief Executive Officer; Abel Linares (Terra's Executive Advisor) will take the position of Chief Operating Officer, and Ted Philip (Lycos Financial Director) will be Terra Lycos Executive Director. Fourteen members will make up the new Terra-Lycos Board of Directors, including Juan Villalonga and ten other individuals appointed by Terra, as well as Bob Davis, Ted Philip and a third person, who will be appointed by Lycos. Once the operation is completed, Davis will also become a member of the Telefónica Media's Board of Directors.
"Thanks to the strategic alliances with Telefónica and Bertelsmann, the merger of Terra and Lycos gives birth to a global media and Internet portal with a global influence broader than any other media or Internet company in the world. This acquisition brings together complementary strengths that, in our opinion, will allow Terra Lycos to constantly generate a growth rate superior to the growth that either company could ever achieve on its own, in terms of revenue, cash flow, and users. The result is a company that will be exceptionally positioned to offer irresistible content and functionality to users, specialized access in large and appealing demographic groups to advertisers, attractive opportunities to employees, and solid growth to stockholders," said Telefónica's Chairman Juan Villalonga.
"We are creating a global Internet portal that will accelerate convergence among Internet, next-generation connectivity services, and both new and traditional media content providers. As a result, Terra Lycos will enable users to access new levels of Internet experience, all which will reinforce our ability to attract, connect, retain, and turn user traffic into value." Lycos Chairman, Bob Davis, stated. "Terra Lycos is the perfect match of two dynamic and visionary companies: Terra will provide Lycos with immediate access to 550 million potential new customers, as well as an outstanding market penetration in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Lycos, on the other hand, will give Terra a rich variety of content products, top-notch advertisers, and immense e-commerce possibilities -all of which will be uniquely supported by the relationship of both companies with Bertelsmann."
On his part, Middelhoff explained, "Based on our satisfactory three-year partnership with Lycos, we are pleased to take part in this wide-reaching strategic alliance with Terra Lycos and Telefónica -an association that will play an important role in our global distribution strategy. Certainly, our multimedia content products will constitute a valuable contribution to the Terra Lycos global offer."
"From the global point of view, Lycos is a first-rate Internet portal that highly complements Terra. This combination will accelerate Terra's objective of becoming a global Internet player, offering services other than Hispanic and Portuguese, both of which are at the core of our current operations," added Linares.
It has been anticipated that, subject to approval by stockholders and competent authorities, the transaction will be completed by this year's third quarter. Terra hired Lazard Freres & Co. LLC to provide financial consulting services and the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for legal advice. Lycos, on the other hand, hired Credit Suisse First Boston to be its financial advisor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore to provide the legal support.
About Terra
Terra is one of the leading Internet Service Providers (ISP), Internet Content Providers, and Internet Interactive Service Providers in local language aimed at families and domestic users in small and mid-size companies in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Through its ISP business, Terra serves more than 2 million users. By this last quarter's closing, its regional portals generated more than 700 million hits and 63 million visits per month. Today, Terra is the leading Internet company in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, including Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala, and the U.S. Terra plans to launch new portals and new Internet access services in its localized markets.
About Telefónica
Telefónica S.A. is the largest telecommunications service provider in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Through its affiliate companies in Latin
TERRA ACQUIRES LYCOS FOR A TOTAL OF 12.5 BILLION US DOLLARS IN STOCK, CREATING TERRA LYCOS, A GLOBAL INTERNET PORTAL WITH NO COMPETITORS
• Exceptional convergence of services, content and distribution; operating in 37 countries; leader in fast growing markets; preferential access to more than 60 million clients.
• Bertelsmann becomes part of the grand alliance with Terra Lycos and commits to acquire up to 1 billion US dollars in services in the next 5 years.
• Terra Lycos will manage 49% of the new joint Internet business for wireless communications with Telefónica.
• Telefónica will provide 2.2 billion Euros for Terra's capital expansion.
• It is foreseen that, after its capital expansion, Terra Lycos cash flow will amount to 3 billion US dollars, resulting in one of the largest capital Internet companies in the world.
MADRID AND WALTHAM, MA, May 16, 2000 -- Terra Networks, S.A. (MC: TRR; NASDAQ: TRRA), the leading Internet service and interactive content provider for the Portuguese and Hispanic market, and Lycos, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCOS), the main multi-brand Internet network, have announced today their final merger agreement upon which Terra will acquire Lycos through the exchange of stock at a price of $97.55 per Lycos share, which corresponds to an approximate total of 12.5 billion US dollars in Terra shares.
This transaction will give birth to the first genuinely global Internet company, which will be named Terra Lycos, Inc. The company will be established as an exclusive platform that will bundle Internet services, new media contents, advertisement, e-commerce as well as the next generation's communications technology. Terra and Lycos predict estimated revenue for the year 2000 of approximately 600 million US dollars, and jointly they currently account approximately 40 million of exclusive users and 175 million of daily access to their pages. Terra Lycos will operate in 37 countries, occupying leadership positions in various fast-growing markets, in the US as well as in Latin America, Asia and Europe.
According to the agreement, which was unanimously approved by Terra's and Lycos Board of Directors, Lycos shareholders will receive $97.55 in common Terra shares per each Lycos common share, or its equivalent in Terra Foreign Titles Deposit Receipts; subject to the maximum symmetric limits of 20%.
The Delegate Commission of Telefónica's Board of Directors, S.A. (MC: TEF), which currently possesses approximately 67% of Terra's stock, has also approved the above-mentioned agreement unanimously. The transaction will be conceptualized as a purchase, and it is foreseen that Lycos shareholders will be exempted of taxes for this transaction.
As an integrant part of the agreement, and based on the existent joint alliance of Lycos-Bertelsmann in Europe, Terra Lycos has celebrated a broad strategic relationship with Bertelsmann, which is the third media company over the world and which operates in 54 countries. In lieu of such broad relationship between Bertelsmann and Lycos, Bertelsmann will acquire advertisement, placement and integration services in Terra Lycos for the next five years and for the equivalent to 1 billion US dollars. On the other hand, Terra Lycos will obtain preferential access to Bertelsmann special catalogue of books, music, TV, movies and other media contents. Bertelsmann and Terra Lycos will also work jointly in the development of platforms for the digital distribution of music and books. Terra Lycos will continue working closely with Lycos Europe in order to improve the content and the services of each individual company.
Telefónica's commitment to provide 2 billion US dollars for Terra's capital expansion is also part of the transaction between Terra and Lycos and will be initialized before the closing of such operation. According to the terms of the agreement, Telefónica will subscribe the stock that will correspond proportionally, offering to acquire the remaining stock not acquired by the rest of Terra's shareholders. The capital expansion will be quoted according to the closing of today's stock market for Terra's titles in Madrid, $56.13, which will determine the face value of Terra Lycos to approximately 30 billion US dollars.
Once the capital expansion is completed, it is estimated that the new company's cash flow will amount to approximately 3 million US dollars, which will make it one of the highest capitalized Internet companies around the world.
Terra Lycos will also run 49% of a new mobile telephony joint venture that will be constituted in association with Telefónica. Terra Lycos will have access to the important networks of Telefónica, wired, fixed telephone lines, wide band, satellite, as well as wireless; which currently service more than 60 million users over the world.
Telefónica is the main telecommunications group in Spain and Latin America, as well as one of the five largest wireless telephony companies over the world, with more than 21 million customers.
Besides Bertelsmann contents, Terra Lycos will have also access to all the media contents of Telefónica. Telefónica is the main broadcaster and second operator of paid television in Spain and Argentina, where it also owns important radio stations. Recently, Telefónica announced the acquisition of Endemol Entertainment, a leading European media group.
Once the merge is completed, Juan Villalonga (Telefónica's President and Executive Advisor, as well as Terra's President) will be appointed Chairman of the Board of Terra Lycos, while Bob Davis (President and Executive Advisor of Lycos) will be appointed Chief Executive Officer; Abel Linares (Terra's Executive Advisor) will take the position of Chief Operating Officer, and Ted Philip (Lycos Financial Director) will be Terra Lycos Executive Director. Fourteen members will make up the new Terra-Lycos Board of Directors, including Juan Villalonga and ten other individuals appointed by Terra, as well as Bob Davis, Ted Philip and a third person, who will be appointed by Lycos. Once the operation is completed, Davis will also become a member of the Telefónica Media's Board of Directors.
"Thanks to the strategic alliances with Telefónica and Bertelsmann, the merger of Terra and Lycos gives birth to a global media and Internet portal with a global influence broader than any other media or Internet company in the world. This acquisition brings together complementary strengths that, in our opinion, will allow Terra Lycos to constantly generate a growth rate superior to the growth that either company could ever achieve on its own, in terms of revenue, cash flow, and users. The result is a company that will be exceptionally positioned to offer irresistible content and functionality to users, specialized access in large and appealing demographic groups to advertisers, attractive opportunities to employees, and solid growth to stockholders," said Telefónica's Chairman Juan Villalonga.
"We are creating a global Internet portal that will accelerate convergence among Internet, next-generation connectivity services, and both new and traditional media content providers. As a result, Terra Lycos will enable users to access new levels of Internet experience, all which will reinforce our ability to attract, connect, retain, and turn user traffic into value." Lycos Chairman, Bob Davis, stated. "Terra Lycos is the perfect match of two dynamic and visionary companies: Terra will provide Lycos with immediate access to 550 million potential new customers, as well as an outstanding market penetration in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Lycos, on the other hand, will give Terra a rich variety of content products, top-notch advertisers, and immense e-commerce possibilities -all of which will be uniquely supported by the relationship of both companies with Bertelsmann."
On his part, Middelhoff explained, "Based on our satisfactory three-year partnership with Lycos, we are pleased to take part in this wide-reaching strategic alliance with Terra Lycos and Telefónica -an association that will play an important role in our global distribution strategy. Certainly, our multimedia content products will constitute a valuable contribution to the Terra Lycos global offer."
"From the global point of view, Lycos is a first-rate Internet portal that highly complements Terra. This combination will accelerate Terra's objective of becoming a global Internet player, offering services other than Hispanic and Portuguese, both of which are at the core of our current operations," added Linares.
It has been anticipated that, subject to approval by stockholders and competent authorities, the transaction will be completed by this year's third quarter. Terra hired Lazard Freres & Co. LLC to provide financial consulting services and the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for legal advice. Lycos, on the other hand, hired Credit Suisse First Boston to be its financial advisor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore to provide the legal support.
About Terra
Terra is one of the leading Internet Service Providers (ISP), Internet Content Providers, and Internet Interactive Service Providers in local language aimed at families and domestic users in small and mid-size companies in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Through its ISP business, Terra serves more than 2 million users. By this last quarter's closing, its regional portals generated more than 700 million hits and 63 million visits per month. Today, Terra is the leading Internet company in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, including Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala, and the U.S. Terra plans to launch new portals and new Internet access services in its localized markets.
About Telefónica
Telefónica S.A. is the largest telecommunications service provider in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world. Through its affiliate companies in Latin
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