PRISA enters the audiovisual north american market thanks to V-me

PRISA Group has acquired a 12% of the US Spanish- language television network V-me Media Inc., the fourth largest Spanish-language TV operator in the US. This operation represents another step in the strategic objective of PRISA as a multi-platform to distribute contents for the Hispanic and Portuguese markets.

Through this agreement, which contemplates the future control of the channel, PRISA provides V-me with capital and contents to allow it to accelerate its development and growth in the U.S. Hispanic market.

This operation, pioneer for a Spanish media company in the United States, is part of PRISA expansion plans in North America, and shows that the audiovisual business is a strategic area of growth for the Group.

Both PRISA and V-me are characterized by high quality production and distribution of contents of education, information and entertainment. This operation will result in a unique television offer in a market with great potential.

Juan Luis Cebrian, (Prisa´s CEO) said: "This transaction represents a great step for the Group's overall strategy." "PRISA has studied all the existing opportunities, and we have considered that V-me is the right partner because of its market knowledge, its distribution platform, the quality of its contents and the profile of its audience, which has a great potential."

"PRISA is the perfect partner for V-me," said Carmen DiRienzo, president and CEO of V-me. "The unique offer of contents of PRISA, together with our ability of creation and distribution, offers great opportunities to develop new programs and channels for both the domestic and the international market, and for the expansion and brand development through PRISA assets in radio, publishing and audiovisual production.

PRISA has joined V-me Media Board of Directors, which is already composed by Syncom Venture Partners, Educational Broadcasting Corporation, a company of WNET.org, and WLIW New York.

V-me Media Inc. is an audiovisual production and distribution company and owns the cable TV network V-me, the fourth U.S. Hispanic television network, which offers entertainment and information, music, sport and cinema. Its television network, which broadcasts 24 hours of programming in collaboration with local television channels, is available in FTA and basic digital cable. Additionally, it is broadcasted by satellite in the basic and latin packages DISH Network and DirecTV. It is also available in Verizon FiOS and AT& T Uverse in some areas. It reaches a 70% of U.S. Hispanic households, with an estimation to reach 80% by the end of 2009.

PRISA is the world leader company in education, information and entertainment in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking markets. It is present in 22 countries, with more than 50 million users through its global brands El Pais, 40 Principales, Santillana and Alfaguara. Its presence in Brazil and Portugal, and in the growing U.S. Hispanic market, gives the Group a Latin American dimension in a global market of over 700 million people.