VIASAT AND TV10000 ANNOUNCE STRONG SUBSCRIBER GROWTH FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS ViaSat, the pay-tv arm of Modern Times Group, MTG, Scandinavia's leading media company, has announced today that its new programming and packaging strategy, introduced to the market six months ago, has been showing strong growth in terms of subscribers. The new premium package ViaSat Gold, which includes TV1000 and Cinema has grown during the first six months since its launch by more than 35 per cent to over 160 000. During the same period TV1000 has increased the number of subscribers in the cable network and DTH by over 25 per cent to over 250 000 altogether. ViaSat distributes and administers a large number of television channels in the Nordic market. With over 930,000 DTH customers the company is the market leader in the pay-tv area in the region. "For the first time we have been able to stop the negative trend in Scandinavia with regard to premium services", says Hans-Holger Albrecht, CEO of the MTG pay-tv division. "By introducing the new concept of ViaSat Gold, the improved programming of TV1000 and the new marketing and sales concept, we have put ViaSat on a success track. This shows that this market is interested in premium services, as long as the value- for-money concept is respected", Hans-Holger Albrecht continues. More for your money. Since ViaSat introduced the buy-through concept onto the Swedish market, customers who subscribe to TV1000 and Cinema receive an extra 10 television channels for the same price as before (SEK 199). (TV6, ZTV, Sci-Fi Channel, VH-1, Nickelodeon, 3+, Travel, Playboy TV, NBC, The History Channel.) "I am very satisfied with recent developments in the pay-tv division. ViaSat is one of the very strong assets in our portfolio of the future and has great potential for creating value for our shareholders", says Pelle Törnberg, CEO of MTG. For further information, please visit www.mtg.se, or email info@mtg.se or contact: Hans-Holger Albrecht, President & CEO tel: +46 8 562 000 50 Matthew Hooper, Investor & Press Relations tel: +44 20 7321 5010 Modern Times Group MTG AB has seven business areas: Viasat Broadcasting (free-to-air and pay TV channels in nine countries), Radio (seven networks in five countries), New Media (the Everyday interactive TV portal, Internet portal, Mobile portal, and teletext services), Publishing (financial news and information services), Modern Interactive (home shopping, e-commerce, and logistics), SDI Media (subtitling and dubbing services), and Modern Studios (content production and library). Modern Times Group MTG AB's class A and B shares are listed on the Stockholmsbörsen O-list (symbols: MTGA and MTGB) and on the Nasdaq National Market in New York (symbol: MTGNY). MODERN TIMES GROUP MTG AB Skeppsbron 18, Box 2094, SE-103 13 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 562 000 50 Fax. +46 8 20 50 74 (Publ) Registration No. 556309- 9158 www.mtg.se ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/05/20040105BIT00320/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/05/20040105BIT00320/wkr0002.pdf