THE BAR SOLD TO RTL IN GERMANY Modern Times Group MTG AB (OM Stockholm Exchange: MTGA, MTGB; Nasdaq: MTGNY), a leading international media group, today announced the largest sale ever of a Swedish program format for television. Strix is going to produce The Bar - a big hit for TV3 in Sweden and Norway - for Germany's RTL, the largest commercial television channel in Europe. Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: "This is the most important proof to date that we are on the leading edge of creating formats for both television and Internet for a global market." Matthias Alberti, Head of Entertainment at RTL, said: "We are very pleased to have bought the reality game show format "The Bar" and we are convinced that it will be a great success in Germany." The Bar is the first Swedish wholly interactive docusoap. It is in its second consecutive season on TV3 in Sweden and on the Swedish part of the Internet portal Everyday.com. It has just begun airing on TV3 in Norway and on the Norwegian Everyday.com - with great success. It will also be launched on TV3 in Denmark and the Danish Everyday.com. Just two weeks ago, MTG announced that Pearson Television Worldwide Production, a leading global player in TV production, will produce the format for both Australia and Portugal. Pearson Television's local production companies will work with Strix to repeat the success from Sweden. For German RTL, Strix will be the producer and work with a German producer. Anna Bråkenhielm, President of Strix Television, said: "This is the most important deal ever for Strix. RTL is Germany's most popular channel. There was a lot of competition from other German TV channels that also wanted The Bar." And negotiations to sell The Bar to other markets are ongoing. "Other big TV channels and production companies on the global television market has expressed its interest," says Bråkenhielm. This deal for Germany specifies that RTL has to purchase at least 100 episodes of The Bar. Airing will begin in the first half of 2001. The agreement specifies that RTL must also buy one additional format from Strix. Strix has created formats such as Villa Medusa, 24 Hours, and Trading Places. For The Bar, RTL will buy the rights for both the Internet and merchandising. In The Bar, participants struggle to run a bar in a real restaurant. They are followed 24 hours a day by camera crews, both in the bar and in the apartment where they all reside together. All of the goings-on can be seen directly on Internet. A summary is aired for 30 minutes each day on TV. Every Saturday, an hour-long live broadcast is aired, in which TV and web viewers vote to exclude one of the participants. The one participant left at the end of the season will receive SEK 1,000,000. Strix Television is the most successful production company in MTG's business area Modern Studios, which includes all MTG companies that produce or distribute content. For further information, visit www.mtg.se, send an e-mail to info@sharedvalue.net or contact: Hans-Holger Albrecht, President of MTG, +46 8-562 000 50 xxxx. xxx of RTL, Modern Times Group MTG AB has seven business areas: Viasat Broadcasting (free and pay TV comprising 18 television channels in eight countries), Radio (seven networks in five countries), New Media (Everyday as an interactive TV portal and Internet portal and teletext), Publishing (daily financial newspaper, other financial information, magazines and books), Modern Interactive (traditional home shopping, e-commerce, and logistics), SDI Media (subtitling and dubbing services), and Modern Studios (content production and film library). Modern Times Group MTG AB's class A and B shares are listed on the OM Stockholm Exchange's O list (symbols: MTGA and MTGB) and on the Nasdaq National Market in New York (symbol: MTGNY). ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/10/09/20001009BIT00990/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/10/09/20001009BIT00990/bit0002.pdf