Company Profile

YooMedia plc is one of the fastest growing interactive entertainment companies in the UK.
Since 1997 we have been developing and launching leading B2C consumer brands in the gaming and community sectors. We also work in a B2B capacity with leading brand owners, agencies, content developers and broadcasters to design and develop their interactive content strategies.

Led by Executive Chairman Dr. Michael Sinclair and Group Managing Director Neil MacDonald, YooMedia has assembled a highly experienced management team that possesses a unique blend of skills and experience in the areas of Digital TV, Internet and mobile phone services and technology.

With main office locations in London, Exeter and Maidstone, YooMedia manages core assets including:

Over 30 office locations throughout the UK alone

State-of-the-art studio, production and post-production facilities at our Wapping location.

UK broadcast return path & bandwidth owner

Fully fledged UK Bookmaker License

Database with over 350K UK singles

SMS Engine access with international reach

Fully staffed 50 seat Customer Contact Centre in Maidstone, Kent

YooMedia Dating & Chat - Our dating subsidiary company manages the oldest and largest UK-owned dating brands including Dateline, Club Sirius and Avenues. YooMedia Dating has over 20 office locations throughout the UK and also manages YooChat, our world-leading interactive chat service found on UK digital cable on the Telewest platform (platform extensions planned for 2005).

YooMedia Gambling & Games - Combining the brands of Avago and Channel 425 (in partnership with William Hill) YooMedia is on the leading-edge of interactive fixed odds, casino and poker gambling services for digital TV, the web and 3G mobile phones. Our gaming business also manages YooPlay, the only interactive just for fun games channel found on all four Digital TV platforms in the United Kingdom.

YooMedia Enhanced Solutions (YES) - YES works with brand owners, agencies, content owners and broadcasters to clarify the options, define the strategies and deliver the interactive content that enhances consumer and audience experiences. YES customers include the BBC, Nestle, Celador, William Hill, Channel 4, ZipTV, The Cartoon Network and HR Owen.

I will give YOO a couple of weeks - wish I'd never bought the bloody things after the Shares Mag hype in October! After that I must take a view on where they are going medium term.I want them to do well but feel soured by the recent events with the reverse takeover and the huge dilution of my share value. EW Robson and pals seem to be endlessly optimistic, though aggrieved of course, I just feel aggrieved!

iPublic, andysmith

iPublic's finger is definitely on the button, in my view, in terms of the significance of Feb 21st. I have a listing of shares in priority sequence on the timing of significant anouncements or trading statements: ASC (21st Jan.), SEO (prob. Jan), MDW ("imminent"), PDX (7th Feb), YOO (21st Feb.). Tactics are, if all goes well, to move funds on, or close position, as timing allows. Hopefully, therefore, I will be building up YOO position a couple of weeks in advance of the statement from EVO. Dangers are, of course, that either the other situations don't break for me and/or buying of YOO builds up too soon. Oh well, that's of the essence of this trading game!

The Gull

I doubt whether competition is a major factor here. We are talking about an exploding market and therefore several years where there is plent of room for the major players. YOO are well positioned for a major share; the EVO statement should turn this into numbers which will have a strong influence on the market. As iPublic has said, their presentations have brought in a number of major investment houses (albeit at a knock-down price) and this offsets risk fears. I have little doubt that YOO passes the 3:1 up to downside criterion.

Eric

Eric

Poverty,
ipublic & Eric are right, YOO will be good mid-term if you were buying and holding now. Trouble is sounds like you were in the same boat as me, bought high and took a hit. It bugs you everyday its in your portfolio as you don't like taking losses. When it rose to 20p the other week I thought here we go, mid-twenties soon and get my dosh back but some people off-loaded loads and down again. I am up 15% in 2005 so I got out to concentrate on other potential rather than dwell on YOO and I feel a lot happier about it, it's gone.

EWROBSON

I am speculating on EVO releasing upgraded research/EPS/revenue estimates, last 10 days of Feb. On the morning of publication, YOO will also release news, agreement, contract, sending the shares higher until mid morning, when the combined effect of company news and the EVO research should send investors into a buying frenzy!

Thats the theory anyway.

Poverty.

Forget the past, it's history. The only question you need ask is, are Yoo a good play at 17.25p. If yes, then buy some more, as I have already done.

Everyone.

Thinking about the options, things are not as bad, as I first thought, providing one has the dosh and bottle to buy sub 18p. The nature of options is the individual benefitng, will not take the options, unless he/she will show an instant, safe profit. Therefore, I suggest, none will be taken before the mid twenties anyway, so it will not be dilutive until the SP reaches at least the mid twenties. So if you can buy now, the options don't come into play, until you see significant growth on your new money. Also, these are not free shares, Yoo will receive 15p for each share granted, so that's a significant amount of working capital, coming the groups way, offsetting the dilution in part.

I've been looking at YOO for sometime and thankfully didn't buy in last year for a vartiety of reasons. There is obviously a lot of bitterness because of recent events but that is firmly in the past. It was badly handled, even immoral, but its done. The question is what about the future. I think that the possibilities of "Digital" are only just being explored and that there is a massive amount of innovation to come. YOO look in a strong position with some good platforms and plenty of experience, so I am in today at 17.62 - let's go!

Jimwren

Have you a target price in mind.

The grass may look much greener in 18 months, with say, 6 additional channels on SKY, Cable and Freeview, including a dating channel. The channel on Freeview would use our mobile technology as a return path and would be a first for the platform. Then remember it's odds on Yoo will provide content, technology for the new ITV4 interactive channel and the international expansion talked of recently.

Market cap of 250m is achievable.

We are an interactive BSKYB, capable of broadcasting on all platforms. On a two year outlook, the shares appear very cheap, providing the management can execute.

I.M.H.O.

Out of the thousands of companies available, can anyone (iPublic apart!) seriously place YOO among the likely best 6 - 10 performers for the coming year? Every way you look it has huge hurdles to climb and I doubt that the management structure that came with the merger is the best for the difficult decisions that have to be made in the future.

Iturama

"Every way you look it has huge hurdles to climb"

Please enlighten us. What are these huge hurdles?

Yoo are now the only company, capable of mounting a serious challenge to SKY's interactive dominance. This is a fact, not a ramp.

"and I doubt that the management structure that came with the merger is the best for the difficult decisions that have to be made in the future."

Why is wrong with the management structure?

What are these difficult decision to be made in the future?

The enlarged board have already proved they can successfully integrate aquisitions. They have already proved very capable of launching new televsion channels, Avago and the William Hill branded channel 425, which launched in October.

Please elaborate so your concerns can be discussed.

iturama

I think its a good way to look at share acquisition to rate a share as to whether it should be in your portfolio at the beginning of the year. I work on the basis that, if I don't feel the share should be average weight, typically 10%, it shouldn't be there at all. I have 8 different stocks: 2 overweight, 2 average, 4 underweight (i.e. 5%), including YOO. However, I am happy it is there (I have put the past behind me) and propose to build the holding up before 21st Feb. Its fourth in the list of significant dates so I am hoping it doesn't move over the next couple of weeks or so. Expectation? Very little downside to double on upside; good ratio. Management well proven over last couple of years. Lead position in strongly emerging market. So, don't accept the logic of your argument.

Eric

Freeview reaches 5m home milestone

Freeview, the UK's free-to-view digital terrestrial television platform, has reached its 5m household milestone, thanks to record Christmas sales of receiver devices.

According to the BBC, which operates the platform with partners Crown Castle and BSkyB, 1.5m digital terrestrial set-top boxes and integrated digital television sets were sold in the three months up to Christmas Day.

In each of the two weeks before Christmas, a record 190,000 receivers were sold, beating Christmas 2003's best of 140,000 sales in one week.

The rapid take-up of Freeview appears to be making the Government's aim of switching off analogue television by 2012 more attainable. According to research by the BBC, over the past two years the proportion of viewers who say they will not get digital television in the next year has fallen from 35% to 21%.

Ilse Howling, BBC head of digital marketing and communications, said: "It's fantastic news that so many people are now switching on to digital television and the BBC's six extra channels through Freeview and other platforms. Free digital television has a huge appeal and shows no signs of slowing down."

The Government is poised to announce a timetable for digital switchover. Culture secretary Tessa Jowell is due to deliver a keynote speech on Thursday at the Oxford Media Convention.

The potential here is mind blowing. I sincerely hope the new board, are making a presenter led, interactive channel on Freeview, a top priority.

5m customers and no other competition, due to no retrun path. It's worth 100m on the market cap alone. This is not a daft claim. Freeview is crying out for a way to allow viewer participation and there is a massive gap in the market.

Imagine all the low income brigade, sitting at home on day, with their benefit to spend.

I don't care what the SP does tomorrow, next week or next month. This is the way it's going and when it does, watch out above!

"Low income brigade" who the f--k do you think you are smart arse,some of us work for a living.
we might not have millions but we pay are dues and we can play the shares game too without twats like you being clever.

955i

Did not mean to cause you any offence. Apologies.

I was refereing to Yoomedia target audience. This consists of many millions of people who fall into the following categories. Housewifes, single mothers at home, unemployed, students, yound people, retired folk sitting at home. All these groups tend to spend much time at home, often spending hours in front of television, as a rule of thumb. Bookmakers actually have a saying for the group of people who provide their daily bread and butter and this is a term called 'the giro boys'.

If you are on a low income, yet at work, then perhaps you will find time to use Yoomedia's products in the evening, when collapsed in front of the television?

Typically, an individual who might be refered to as a 'low income bandit', will spend much of thier small disposable income on gambling and home entertanment, in an ulttimately fruitless attempt to improve their lives. I'm not being disrespectful, simply taking a realistic view of society, as it acutally is.

iPublic.
My main point is that there are several thousand UK listed shares and the typical retail investor holds less than a dozen. Would I rate YOO to outperform the rest before (say) summer? The answer is no. Why wait to make a profit? Is there any real merit in giving up short term gain for long term?
Yoo has been on an acquisition spree, the main acqusition being DITG, a loss maker. The Yoo management has now got to show that it can handle the integration and rationalisation of those companies and come out the other side profitable. However, the merger was so friendly that it has incorporated much of the acquired management and enlarged the board. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. The advantage is the acquired know-how, the disadvantage is the natural resistance to the changes that will have to be made. Those changes affect all facets of the company and the difficulties and costs involved are invariably underestimated.
Not to mention the arbitrary track record of this board with regard to its shareholders, and the huge share overhang.

i Public,thank you for the apology,my abuse was uncalled for,perhaps I was being a little too sensitive,I am a holder of a few so also on your side and hanging on despite the opinions that there is faster money to made else where.

The Enlarged Group Board expects to be able to implement minimum cost savings of
approximately #2 million for the Enlarged Group per annum. Principally this will
be through the removal of duplicated fixed costs and the increase in purchasing
power.

iturama

This deal had to happen, or I fear Yoo were in danger of being left behind. It makes perfect sense and Yoo can now become the company I've always dreamed they would be.

A channel on Freeview would be so profitable, it would more than justify the market cap alone. To the best of my knowledge, no one else, is capable of providing a return path on this platform.

Only my opinion of course and we shall see in good time.

iPublic
Lets hope it lives up to your wishes and expectations. Interestingly, its risk grade in September last year was around 200, now its 322. Not in itself particularly remarkable for a penny stock but a deterioration in rating nevertheless.

iturama

My understanding of the risk grading system is that the score for a stock, is related to it's recent movement.

If a share had been stagnant for several months ie: last September, before the big push North, then the risk rating would fall, the longer the share stays at one price, the lower the risk rating.

If a share has recently moved sharply in one direction, up or down, the risk rating would move sharply. Hence, in September 2003, when we hit 50p for the first time, we were 1500.

The risk rating is not an indication of the fundamentals of any particualar business, merely an indicator of recent movements. Clearly, if a share has sat at 20p for two years the risk is low and if a share has traded between 20p and 60p, several times over three months, the risk is tremendous.

If Yoo stay at 17p, the rating will drop towards 200. If Yoo rise to the mid twenties, then the risk rating will move upwards towards 500. The higher the risk rating the larger the volatility.

If you have an alternative explantion, please share it with us.

I hope this isnt turning into another tadpole!!....
The bb's going that way