IDG Australia Launches the Industry Standard; New Launch Continues IDG Leadership in Key Market

Business Wire, March 13, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000

International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading provider of IT media and information services, today announced the launch of The Australian Industry Standard web site, www.thestandard.com.au. With 23 percent of all households connected to the Internet, Australia is one of the largest Internet users per capita in the world, and an obvious choice for the international debut of The Industry Standard.

"Australia is one of the most innovative technology markets in the world, and with the rapid emergence of many new Internet companies--over 30 new Internet stocks listed in the past two years--it is a fertile community for the editorial products of The Industry Standard," said Kelly Conlin, president and CEO, IDG. "The launch of the Australian Industry Standard web site--to be followed by the print publication and related conferences-will provide targeted information services to the Australian Internet business community and begin the global extension of The Industry Standard brand."

Since its launch in April 1998, The Standard achieved unprecedented success throughout all areas of its business and the U.S. edition quickly became a must-read for the Internet business strategist. The Standard's rapid growth mirrors the explosion of the Internet economy as it has expanded to include a weekly print magazine, Web site, 18 weekly e-mail newsletters, international conference program, and the Intelligence Store of research reports, recruiting tools and e-business directories.

"The Industry Standard meets the information needs of one of today's most elusive markets, Internet business decision makers - the executives who are responsible for driving the Internet economy," said Don Kennedy, Managing Director, IDG Australia. "With a strong editorial team and a rich community of Internet business professionals to draw upon, we have a unique opportunity to provide users with a valuable resource that speaks to the e-business challenges they face, infused with local and regional information specific to the Australia market."

Australia has been a strong proving ground for IDG's international brand extensions including CIO, PC World and Computerworld. With several successful new launches, IDG Australia has a proven track record of identifying and meeting the information needs of emerging technology sectors. IDG Australia significantly contributes to the IDG global product line, with a total of eight publications, 11 web sites and an IDC Asia/Pacific IT Forum counted among its broad offerings.

The Australian Industry Standard

The Industry Standard delivers sophisticated coverage of the people, the companies and the business models shaping the Australian Internet Economy. With insightful news analysis, business model reviews, personality profiles and industry metrics, www.thestandard.com.au provides Australian business leaders with a single source of information about their new business world. The site features "Top News," daily national and international business news; "Special Reports," targeted collections of news, analysis, numbers, profiles and tools; and "Media Grok," a daily analysis of media coverage of the Internet Economy. The site also includes current headlines in Finance, Marketing, Media, Telecom, E-Commerce, Legal Technology and Recruitment, an online bookstore and business directory, and free e-mail newsletters.

About The Standard:

Headquartered in San Francisco and located on the Web at www.thestandard.com, The Standard is the essential source for intelligence on the Internet Economy. Through The Industry Standard, its weekly newsmagazine; TheStandard.com, its daily news outlet and business intelligence portal; its conferences and events; and its online newsletter, research, recruiting and marketing-making offerings, The Standard provides a new breed of business leaders with the information and resources they need to succeed in the Internet Economy. The Standard has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and London, and is owned by Industry Standard Communications Inc., a private company owned in part by IDG.

About International Data Group

Headquartered in Boston, International Data Group (IDG) informs more people worldwide about information technology than any other company in the world. With annual revenues of $2.56 billion, IDG is the leading global provider of IT media, research, conferences and expositions. IDG publishes more than 290 computer newspapers and magazines and 4,000 book titles in 80 countries, led by the Computerworld/InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, PC World, CIO, Channel World and For Dummies(R) global product lines. IDG offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (http://www.idg.net), which comprises more than 250 targeted Web sites in 55 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions in 35 countries, and research arm International Data Corporation (IDC) provides computer industry research and analysis through 49 offices in 42 countries worldwide. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.