Press Release

YAHOO! AND SOFTBANK INTERACTIVE MARKETING ENTER NEXT PHASE OF ADVERTISING SALES AGREEMENTSANTA CLARA and EL SEGUNDO, CA -- September 19, 1996 -- Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) and SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. jointly announced today, plans to enter the next phase of their advertising sales agreement. Under the extended multi-year agreement, Yahoo! will expand its direct sales force and SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing will provide exclusive consultative and sales representation services to Yahoo! through December 31, 1996. Thereafter, SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. will continue to represent a major portion of select Yahoo! inventory.

"Yahoo! continues to experience significant growth and popularity around the world," said Tim Koogle CEO/President of Yahoo! Inc. "Yahoo!'s in-house sales organization coupled with continued representation from SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing will allow Yahoo! to continue to provide the high level of service our advertising partners have come to expect from us. Yahoo!'s expanded direct sales organization provides our advertising clients with highly targeted and custom marketing programs throughout our global network of branded Yahoo! properties."

"Establishing Yahoo! as one of the leaders in interactive advertising sales has been a very satisfying experience for SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing," said Andy Batkin, CEO of SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. "SOFTBANK will continue to develop and represent a comprehensive portfolio of leading advertising supported Web sites. We plan to diversify the inventory of impressions represented across all of our client Web sites &endash; our Foundation Buy for marketers. Our consultative approach to Web advertising sales incorporates innovative Internet programs such as promotions, direct response marketing, lead generation, and merchandising sales."

In June 1995, Yahoo! hired SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing to develop Yahoo!'s advertising and promotion strategy and to exclusively represent Yahoo! for Web advertising sales. A strategy was developed to create an advertiser-friendly site that would become one of the most advertised sites on the Web, and to establish an in-house advertising staff to continue this momentum.

About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. offers a globally-branded Internet navigational guide to information and entertainment on the Web. As the first online guide to the Web, Yahoo! is one of the most visible and recognizable names associated with the Internet. Yahoo! provides a context-based directory structure for Internet resources, as well as integrated AltaVista Web-wide search capabilities. The Company is continuing to develop a global family of Yahoo!- branded media properties in targeted geographic (Yahoo! Japan, Canada, UK, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York), subject matter (Yahoo! Internet Life magazine and website) and demographic areas (Yahooligans!, a Web guide for kids). Yahoo! is also developing new services with VISA. Yahoo! can be found on the Web at www.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Inc. headquarters are in Santa Clara, California.

About SOFTBANK
SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. is recognized as the leading interactive media sales representation company and in addition to Yahoo!, represents major Web sites, including; Netscape, Playboy Enterprises, AT&T Business Network, ZDNet, Netradio Network, NBC, WhoWhere?, iGuide, NBC Intellicast Weather and Interactive Imaginations' The Commonwealth Broadcast Network. Currently, these sites account for over 300 million impressions per month.

Both SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. are strategic investments of SOFTBANK Holdings.

 

 

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For more information:

Jennifer Hwang
Yahoo! Inc.
jenhwang@yahoo-inc.com
(408) 731-3362

Blaise Simpson
NRG Public Relations
blaise@nrgpr.com
(415) 827-7065