Just look at todays volume something about to break perhaps a bid will
have to pay 20p + ??? as nms have loads of cash and investments with next to nil book value watch this rocket.............

NewMedia SPARK PLC - Holding(s) in Company
RNS Number:4763INewMedia SPARK PLC10 February 2005NewMedia SPARK PLC10 February 2005SCHEDULE 10NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES1. Name of company NewMedia SPARK plc2. Name of shareholder having a major interest RAB Capital plc.3. Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of holding of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18. As in 2 above4. Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of shares held by each of them CSFB Nominees Limited5. Number of shares/amount of stock acquired Not disclosed6. Percentage of issued class N/A7. Number of shares/amount of stock disposed Not disclosed8. Percentage of issued class N/A9. Class of security Ordinary Shares of 2.5p10. Date of transactions Not disclosed11. Date company informed 10 February 200512. Total holding following this notification 14,350,00013. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification 3.10%14. Any additional information The percentage holding is based on 463,485,729 shares in issue being the total number of shares in issue (472,735,729) less those shares held by NewMedia SPARK plc in Treasury (9,250,000).15. Name of contact and telephone number for queries Andrew Betton 020 7851 772116. Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for making this notification. Andrew Betton, Company SecretaryDate of notification: 10 February 2005 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeENDHOLEASAEFSSSEFE

You're right. RAB (who have backed Falkland Oil, Falkland gold)are no fools and they know how to make money. Them buying a stake in this is a sign of confidence. NMS has been at this level for too long and obviously undervalued. If investments are down to nil, then any realisation of funds there will boost the share price. Volume is high and I wouldn't be surprised if NMS had to make an announcement to tell us what's going on.

perhaps the sleeping giant just woke up ???

from todays indi

'Finally, investors should not be surprised to see some form of corporate action take place at New Media Spark, unchanged at 10.62p, some time in the near future. The hedge fund RAB Capital disclosed a 3.1 per cent stake in the former internet incubator and now stands alongside the activist investment group Guinness Peat on New Media's shareholder register.

It has long been argued that the group's various investments across the technology sector are worth well in excess of New Media's current stock market value. However, the group has so far been unable to turn these holdings into cash. With the likes of RAB Capital and Guinness Peat now featuring in a big way as shareholders it will undoubtedly concentrate the company's mind on realising some of this value'.

Lets hope that they are right

M&G Investment Management Ltd just announced 18.7% holding

ticking up nicely today ..

for info


NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES




1. Name of company


NewMedia SPARK plc


2. Name of shareholder having a major interest


Prudential plc and certain of its subsidiary companies


3. Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of
holding of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a non-beneficial
interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a holding of that
person's spouse or children under the age of 18.


As in 2 above


4. Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder,the
number of shares held by each of them


Nortrust Noms Ltd MKH01 - 731,440


Nortrust Noms Ltd MKK01 - 54,695,184


Nortrust Noms Ltd - 6,536,373


Pruclt HSBC GIS Nom(UK) PPL AC - 4,180,787


Nortrust Noms Ltd a/c MKM01 - 2,500,000


Nortrust Noms Ltd. a/c MEB01 - 12,704,878


Nortrust Noms Ltd a/c PUQ01 - 5,367,460


Prudential Holborn Pensions Ltd. - 267



5. Number of shares/amount of stock acquired


16,000,000


6. Percentage of issued class


3.45%


7. Number of shares/amount of stock disposed


Not disclosed


8. Percentage of issued class


N/A


9. Class of security


Ordinary Shares of 2.5p


10. Date of transaction


14 February 2005


11. Date company informed


15 February 2005


12. Total holding following this notification


86,716,389


13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification


18.71%


14. Any additional information


The percentage holding is based on 463,485,729 shares in issue being
the total number of shares in issue (472,735,729) less those shares held by
NewMedia SPARK plc in Treasury (9,250,000).

From sunday telelgraph 27/02/05


New Media Spark shows signs of life

Boom and bust patterns can dictate how you should interpret investments as growth shares soar and then plunge possibly to become value plays.

One fascinating aspect of finance is that companies and markets evolve continuously. Another is that market values can affect their destiny, for example enhancing or inhibiting the ability to raise capital for development.


Click to enlarge
Aim-listed New Media Spark is a good example of this, as well as the dilemma of whether an old growth story can return to form.The best growth shares tend to be fresh concepts because something new fires hope. For instance, during the 1999 to 2000 technology boom incubator funds became all the rage.

The idea was rational: to give investors exposure to early stage technology and internet companies that needed seedcorn finance and parenting.

Hopes rose too high in the technology boom. Money poured into incubator funds,whose shares were also chased up in the excitement as the funds took stakes in start-ups, which also achieved absurd valuations. Every Cinderella dotcom entrepreneur went to the ball until the clock struck midnight and such stocks turned into pumpkins and mice.

Yet with any boom and bust cycle there are a few survivors, usually those companies that raise enough capital during the boom and apply it prudently. It takes years for new businesses to flourish,but I think this is why Spark's shares are now attractive.

The share price deflated as the technology bubble burst and then traded sideways for more than three years. This is a typical feature of any cycle,but while a share is stubbornly out of favour, the company's management may restructure the group and its businesses may improve.

With investors remaining cynical, the shares fail to reflect latent value.Various institutions have recently traded the shares actively and it was notable how Prudential bought a further 3.45 per cent at11.125p, taking its stake to18.7 per cent.

But Company Refs shows no brokers publishing research, so the City has yet to smell the coffee. Spark has also been buying back its shares, implying that the management has identified value. Net asset value was 11.4p a share at the end of September, although the balance sheet may not reflect the true potential.

The buybacks do, however,underline management claims about a turning point for several key components of Spark's business and that it remains confident that the portfolio is conservatively valued and has the potential for significant uplifts.The portfolio has also taken writedowns (overall net asset value was 11.5p a share at its March year-end).

The 2004 annual report spoke of an end to the period in the fund cycle during which the predominant activity is closing down unsuccessful investments, and the beginning of the process of selling some, also investing further in larger assets. You can expect this to have a mixed outcome in the short term, but it ought to mark a turning point.

A difficulty is that you are left guessing at the upside potential instead of quantifying value with a margin of safety. Such is the distinction between speculating and investing.Which holdings could trigger a re-rating ? If you visit www.newmediaspark.com , it offers useful information on its investments activities, in addition to the financialstatements.

The largest single holding is Aspex, a 68 per cent owned semi-conductor company. Spark took up its rights to invest a further 5m in Aspex (taking the total to 10.8m) on the prospect of significant value growth over the next two years.

Wolfson Microelectronics, another semiconductor company, is capitalised at about 150m even after a market de-rating, which shows the kind of values being achieved.

Another holding, Alpha Mosaic, has been sold for 63m, which is equivalent to 15 times its sales. Aspex specialises in high performance programmable chips that are said to have huge potential. There is thus scope to boost Sparks net asset value above 20p a share.

Currently Aspex is lossmaking and relies on R&D funding, although value could be crystallised via a medium-term flotation. Mergermarket is a specialist information source (www.mergermarket.com ) for corporate activity where Spark valued its 26.8 per cent stake at 2.3m last March.

It also targets the booming hedge fund business via dealReporter and the debt market via debtwire. I recall from the sale of Acquisitions Monthly some years ago that specialist financial publishing can be lucrative. If profit streams are dependable and new subscriptions affect them directly, such businesses can fetch good prices.

Footfall (www.footfall.com ), in which Spark owns a 17.4 per cent stake valued at 2.5m, assesses customer traffic for retailers and landlords in Europe and the Far East. A further holding expected to have a good year is Firebox (www.firebox.com ), which sells gadgets to younger men. After investor sentiment towards e-commerce swung from elation to despair, a few websites are making progress.

The example of selling Pricerunner underlines how Spark is entering a realisation phase. This price-comparison website has achieved a valuation of 16m to 19m, subject to earn-out. It means an increase in Sparks 41 per cent stake from a book value of 1.5m in September 2003 to an anticipated 6.5m by August this year. Spark is not the latest representation of the private equity game in which financiers exact value from unquoted companies.

This fund has had to adapt during the technology downturn. At about 11.5p a share (on a 0.5p spread) it is capitalised at 54m, in line with its published net asset value. The shares could also take time to deliver value because Sparks accounting means value is only realised when holdings are floated or sold. The Aim market offers attractive tax benefi ts to a long-term investor, depending on your status as a taxpayer. Sparks shares merit tucking away, with the tax advantages enhancing potential returns.