NEWSCAST SIGNS GLOBAL PHOTO SYNDICATION CONTRACT WITH BBC

London, 20th October 2002 A selection of images from the BBC's extensive stills collection will be made available to global media users through a 4-year syndication contract signed with NewsCast, the UK's leading producer and distributor of business images, it was announced today. The first tranche of images will be available from tomorrow, 21st October 2002, via NewsCast's online service at www.newscast.co.uk

The deal represents a first for the BBC in the still image area and will mean that tens of thousands of images, specifically relating to business and politics and chronicling major events of the past 50 years, will be available instantaneously to NewsCast's extensive media client base. In addition to existing images drawn from the BBC's electronic and hard copy archives, NewsCast will receive up-to-date images as and when the BBC's team of photographers takes them. Media users will be able to search NewsCast's online service for BBC images, and download high quality digital files directly to the desktop anywhere around the world.

As one of the world's pre-eminent media organisations, the BBC has had unique access to events of major historical significance and this is reflected in its rich collection of still images. Apart from past and current news photos, the collection features a long list of personalities from the world of politics and business. Sub-categories include, for example, a complete set of photographs of all UK members of parliament over the past 25 years, and there is a large collection of industrial images across all sectors representing the development of industry in Britain and elsewhere over the past 50 years.

Eamonn McCabe, NewsCast's Director of Photography and Syndication, who was involved in contract negotiations with the BBC, said: "The fabulous range and quality of BBC stills content will complement perfectly NewsCast's specific focus on business and politics imagery. We are confident that both our existing and new media clients around the world will benefit from instant access to this material."

Andrew Thornton, the BBC's Head of Commercial Development, commented: "The BBC has a very extensive collection of still images and this deal means the media will have access to it. It represents an important resource for picture researchers, and we are therefore delighted to be collaborating with NewsCast to make this collection more widely available."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
A selection of photographs in connection with this press release is available to the media free of charge at www.newscast.co.uk under company name NewsCast Limited.

About NewsCast
1 NewsCast is an independent, privately owned limited company, established in June 1999. The company's management team includes Tim Melville-Ross, non-executive chairman, formerly director general of the Institute of Directors. It offers photographic production and media distribution services directly to large companies as well as to leading PR agencies, and deploys a worldwide network of business photographers covering a range of assignments for press, company reports, products, advertising, and sponsorship. Its corporate client list covers over 70% of the FTSE100 and includes names such as Diageo, AstraZeneca, Unilever and British Airways, as well as major organizations including Lloyds of London and the Financial Services Authority. PR Newswire offers NewsCast's services to its clients throughout Europe as part of a marketing agreement between the two companies. NewsCast also syndicates photographs on behalf of major business content producers including the Financial Times and The Independent newspaper groups.

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