il sole 24 ore · mezzera, orlandi, juncker and grassetto. between 1995 and 2000, calabi was the...

Il Sole 24 ORE

Group

Il Sole 24 ORE Group

Giancarlo CeruttiChairman

Born in CasaleMonferrato on 28September 1950, Ceruttiholds a degree in Lawand was granted the titleof Knight of Labour(Cavaliere del Lavoro). Heis Managing Director ofthe Cerutti Group, world

leader in printingmachines. Formerly theVice President ofConfindustria forinternationalization, Ceruttiis a member of theSupervisory Board ofMediobanca and theBoard of Directors of ToroAssicurazioni S.p.A.

he was GeneralManager and/orManaging Director ofMezzera, Orlandi,Juncker and Grassetto.Between 1995 and2000, Calabi was theManaging Director and

General Manager ofRCS Editori. Between2001 and 2005, hewas a director ofCamuzzi Gazometri,Finarte Semenzato,Camuzzi Internationaland Viaggi del Ventaglio.

Claudio CalabiExecutiveDirector

Born in Turin on 20 April1948, Calabi holds adegree in Business andEconomics. From 1977to 1981, he acted asSecretary of the Board ofDirectors of Cir.In the subsequent years,

ManagementBoard as at

April 21 2008

Management Board

XIII


The Board of Directors was elected on 30 October 2007,

effective as from 6 December 2007

Maurizio BerettaNon-ExecutiveDirector

Diana BraccoNon-Executive

Director

Nicola De BartolomeoNon-ExecutiveDirector

Luigi AbeteNon-Executive

Director

Born in Rome on 17February 1947, Abete

holds a degree in Law.He is Chairman ofA.BE.T.E. Azienda

Beneventana TipograficaEditoriale, Banca Nazionale

del Lavoro (since 1998)and Cinecittà Studios and

Managing Director ofCinecittà Entertainment;

he was electedPresident of the Young

Entrepreneurs ofConfindustria (1978-1982),

National President ofConfindustria (1992-1996),

Chairman of Luiss GuidoCarli (1993 to 2001), andhas been President of the

Rome IndustrialistAssociation since 2004.

Born in Milan on 3 July1941, Bracco holds a

degree in Chemistry and isa Knight of Labour

(Cavaliere del Lavoro)Bracco is Chairman and

Managing Director ofBracco S.p.A.

She is also President ofAssolombarda, member of

the Executive Board ofConfindustria, and member

of the President’sCommittee of Federchimica

(in which she previouslywas President). She was

awarded a degree honoriscausa in Pharmacy from

the University of Pavia anda degree honoris causa in

Medicine from Rome’sUniversità Cattolica del

Sacro Cuore.

Born in Bari on 11 June1937, De Bartolomeo isa graduate in CivilEngineering.Owner of the companyIng. Nicola DeBartolomeo andChairman of DebarCostruzioni S.p.A., healso operates in thetourism industry withHotel Pineta.President ofConfindustria Puglia,De Bartolomeo is amember of theExecutive Boardand the Council ofConfindustria andArbitrator of Ance.

Born in Milan on 6 June1955, Beretta holds adegree in PoliticalScience. A professionalreporter since 1980, heworked for the RAI formore than twenty yearsas Director of economicnews and later acted asDeputy Directorof the TV news onchannel 1 (TG1),Director of Institutionaland International Relationsand finally, Director ofRete Uno. In 2001, hejoined Fiat as the Directorof Public Relations andCommunication. Since 2004, Beretta hasbeen the Director Generalof Confindustria.

Management Board

XIV


Gaetano MaccaferriNon-Executive

Director

Francesco ProfumoIndependent,Non ExecutiveDirector

Paolo LambertiNon-ExecutiveDirector

Antonio FavrinNon-Executive

Director

Born in Oderzo (Treviso)on 23 September 1938,

Favrin has a degree inEngineering.

He is Chairman of theBoard of Marzotto S.p.A.,

Portogruaro InterportoS.p.A., Jolly Hotel S.p.A.

and Gran Jolly S.r.l.;Chairman of Canova

Fashion, and ViceChairman of

Linificio e Canapificionazionale S.p.A.

Favrin is a member of theCouncil of Confindustria,

member of the Councilof Assonime and

President of the NeafidiCooperative.

Born in Bologna on25 January 1951,Maccaferri holds a

degree in Architecture.As Chairman of theGruppo Industriale

Maccaferri,he supervises

development of newbusiness areas such andis the head of real estate

and construction.Since 2004, he has been

the President of theBologna Industrialist

Association and since2005 he has been a

member of the Council ofConfindustria.

Born in Savona on 3 May1952, Profumo holds adegree in ElectricalEngineering. He was anengineering planner forAnsaldo until 1984.Profumo was anassociate professor at thePolitecnico di Torino until1995. Presently, he is afull professor of ElectricalMachines and DriveSystems at thePolitecnico di Torino anda lecturer at the Universityof Bologna. Since 2005,he has acted as theinterim Chancellor of thePolitecnico di Torino.

Born in Milan on 11 May1952, Lamberti holds adegree in Business andEconomics. He is ViceChairman and ManagingDirector of LambertiS.p.A., a chemical agentmanufacturing company.Between 1995 and 1999,he was a member of theVarese IndustrialistAssociation and has beena member of the Councilof Confindustria since1995. He has been VicePresident of Federchimicasince June 2005.Presently, he is a memberof the Boards of Directorsof Banca Popolare diBergamo and BancaPopolare Commercio eIndustria.

Management Board

XV


The Board of Directors will remain in office until the shareholders’ meeting

held to approve FY2009 separate financial statements

Marco WeigmannNon-Executive

Director(appointed on

04/21/08)

Paolo ZegnaNon-ExecutiveDirector

Luca TacconiNon-ExecutiveDirector

Marco SalomoniIndependent,

Non ExecutiveDirector

Born in Milan on 18 July1954, Salomoni holds a

degree in BusinessManagement.

A board-certified publicaccountant, since 1987,

Salomoni has been aconsultant with the

Prada Group,covering roles in

administration and controlin several Group

companies.In 1999, he supervised

reorganization ofthe Cerruti Group

and creation of thefashion and production

divisions.

An attorney specialized incorporate law and

bankruptcy law,Weigmann sits on theBoards of Directors of

several companies(Buzzi Unicem S.p.A.),

banks and insurancecompanies

(Reale Mutua, ItalianaAssicurazioni S.p.A., Sara

Assicurazioni S.p.A.,Eurizon Vita S.p.A., Sella

Holding Banca S.p.A.).He is also a member

of the InternationalArbitration

Chamber of Milan.

Born in Turin on 12September 1956, Zegnaholds a degree inEconomic and SocialSciences. He is Chairmanof the Ermenegildo ZegnaGroup. He is the ViceChairman of Idea Bella,President of SistemaModa Italia, member ofthe Central Council ofFlorence for ItalianFashion (Consiglio diCentro di Firenze per laModa italiana), Chairmanof Milano Unica, and ViceChairman of PittiImmagine.

Marino Augusto VagoNon-ExecutiveDirector(coopted on 03/15/08)

Born in Busto Arsizio on14 August 1955, Vago isthe Managing Director ofVago S.p.A., a companyoperating in the textilefinishing industry.President of theIndustrialist Association of

the Province of Varese fromJune 1999 to May 2003, Vagohas been Vice President ofConfindustria Lombardia, andwas National Vice President ofConfindustria in charge ofOrganization and MemberMarketing from May 2004 toMay 2008. Vago is also aDirector on the Boards of BancaPopolare Commercio e IndustriaS.p.A. and the Università CarloCattaneo Liuc Castellanza.

Born in Foligno (Perugia)on 22 August 1962,Tacconi is the ManagingDirector, GeneralManager and Chief ofAdministration andFinance of FonderieOfficine MeccanicheTacconi S.p.A. He is theChairman and ManagingDirector of RCM S.p.A.,Chairman of Tecno K2S.r.l., and alsoheads up EdilTacconi. Since 1998, Tacconi hasbeen a member of theCouncil of Confindustriaand since 2001, also itsExecutive Committee.

Management Board

XVI

gruppo.ilsole24ore.com


History ofIl Sole 24 ORE

Group

History of Il Sole 24 ORE Group

XVIII



XIX



XX


One of Italy’s largest daily newspapers is also one of

Europe’s oldest business newspapers. And the

most widely read. “Il Sole”, the first of the two papers

merged to create today’s daily, was founded in 1865

by a group of progressive liberals in the region of

Lombardy. The mouthpiece of a forward-looking

middle class, from the start the paper was instru-

mental in the campaigns to modernise the financial

markets, improve state education and promote the

emancipation of women. After twenty years of

fascist government, the paper’s liberal stance re-

emerged in the postwar period when its private

owners sold it to the INA insurance institute, which in

turn sold it, in 1952, to the Confindustria industria-

lists’ association. In 1965, on its hundredth anniver-

sary, “Il Sole” merged with “24 Ore”, a competitor

publication created in 1946, the standard bearer of

a form of liberism as critical of state economic

ownership as of monopolies and corporations.

The history


XXI


Beginning in the 1970s, the newspaper enhanced

its content, becoming an invaluable work tool for

business, professionals and readers. Its print-run

rose from 60,000 copies in 1972 to 100,000 in

1975 and 150,000 by the mid-80s when it establi-

shed its position as Europe’s most popular and

authoritative business and financial daily. A position

consolidated today with a daily print-run of 346,000

copies (2006).

In 1985 the Editrice Il Sole 24 ORE S.p.A. compa-

ny decided to diversify into other areas. A company

was formed to handle advertising and the newspa-

per printing operation was taken in-house, to the

new plants in Milan and Carsoli. New specialist

publications were introduced to flank the newspa-

per, creating an offer of technical and regulatory

content, online databanks and management soft-

ware that has boosted annual revenues on pro-

ducts for professionals and business users to more

than 200 million euro.

Other milestones, starting from 1993, were the arri-

val of the Radiocor wire service, the formation of the

Radio 24 station, the creation of the website (today

one of Europe’s most frequently viewed business

sites), the introduction of 24 Minuti, the Group’s free

press daily.

In 2007 Il Sole 24 ORE has taken over GPP Group,

creating Il Sole 24 ORE Business Media, a leader

The history


XXII


hub in the B2B publishing industry. Il Sole 24 ORE

Business Media offers a rich and articulated bou-

quet of publications, including products from the

acquisition of a series of historic specialist publi-

shers, such as Agepe, Edagricole, Jce, Motta

Architettura, Faenza Editrice

Moreover, in 2007 the decision was made to take

over Arti Grafiche Motta, a prestigious brand in the

exhibition, art publishing and photography sector

and owner of Scheiwiller, one of the most important

names in Italian publishing. In 2007 has also been

created Alinari 24 ORE, as a result of an agreement

reached with another historical brand in Italian cultu-

re, Alinari, with a view to making full use of the extra-

ordinary photographic heritage of the Florence-

based company. This operation is evidence of the

group’s commitment to consolidating its presence

in the culture market.

In its 142 years, Il Sole 24 ORE has been a vital

observatory on Italy, following the nation’s economic

development and its social and political transforma-

tion into a modern democracy.

As a medium for the communication and interpreta-

tion of the facts, Il Sole 24 ORE has always offered

complete, independent information to encourage

free initiative, efficiency and merit, supporting mar-

ket growth, competition and a culture focused on

innovation and an international perspective.


XXIII


Business areas

Business areas

XXIV


Business areas

@ web

radio

magazines

free press

cultural events

arts publishing

financial and legal advertising

corporate communication

newspaper

XXV


Il Sole 24 OREGroup

II Sole 24 ORE Group

XXVI


Il Sole 24 ORE is a multimedia publishing Group

active in business, financial and professional infor-

mation. Its best-known newspaper is the best-sel-

ling Il Sole 24 ORE, Europe’s most popular busi-

ness daily, a leader in business, financial and regu-

latory information and the key driver of the high

brand profile of the Group’s operations as a whole.

The Group also provides information through the

Radiocor wire service (leader in financial informa-

tion), the www.ilsole24ore.com portal, the Radio 24

radio station and the 24 Minuti free press publica-

tion. It is a key player in specialised publishing with

its books, magazines, databanks, online services,

training courses and management software.

Group operations are subdivided into six Business

Areas: dailies, magazines and collateral products

(Publishing), specialised publishing and training

(Professionals), advertising sales (System), the radio

station (Radio), online content and services

(Multimedia), Culture.

The Group produces more than 140 news publica-

tions. With 7 sites in Italy, 9 in the rest of the world

and 8 printing centres, two of which it owns, it has

some 1,700 employees, including more than 440

journalists. 2006 consolidated revenues amounted

to 572 million euro, with EBITDA of more than 64

million euro and net profit of 27.6 million euro.

II Sole 24 ORE Group

XXVII


Publishing

Publishing

XXVIII


The Publishing Area is responsible for the publica-

tion of the Il Sole 24 ORE daily newspaper, collate-

ral products distributed with the newspaper, maga-

zines and the free-press publication 24Minuti, and

accounts for approximately half of the Group’s glo-

bal revenues. In the last few years, its core product,

the daily newspaper, has undergone a graphics

restyling and the number of editions and range of

content have been increased.

Il Sole 24 ORE

With 1.1 million readers and average daily sales of

350,000 copies, Il Sole 24 ORE is Italy’s most wide-

ly read and Europe’s best-selling business, financial

and legal daily newspaper. A tool for analysis of cur-

rent political and economic affairs, the paper is also

an important channel for cultural news, with a

Sunday supplement covering literature, history, art,

philosophy, music and entertainment.

Il Sole 24 ORE’s target reader has always been of

high socio-cultural extraction, with income above

the average income of the readers of the other dai-

lies. The percentage of university graduates in its

readership is 2.5 times higher than the average per-

centage among readers of national dailies and 3.5

times higher than the average percentage of graduates in relation to the total Italian population.

The high quality of the target audience has been

confirmed by the European Business Readership

Survey, according to which Il Sole 24 ORE is the

most widely read daily newspaper among senior

business decision makers in Italy, with a penetration

rate of 81 per cent.

Since February 2006, Il Sole 24 ORE has published

a “twin” daily in Spain, where the Group owns a 15

per cent shareholding in the publishing company

Editorial Ecoprensa S.A.. On 28 February 2006, the

Spanish publisher commenced publication of El

Economista, a business and financial daily that cur-

rently sells on average more than 20,000 copies a

day, compared with 40,000 copies for Spain’s lea-

ding business daily, Expansion.

.

Publishing

XXIX


Collateral products

The collateral products sold with the daily newspa-

per maintain the prestigious brand profile and

authoritative image of Il Sole 24 ORE.

The books, music CDs, elegant art, philosophy and

music encyclopaedias and educational and training

tools sold through newsstands help increase sales

of the newspaper and raise brand recognition.

Recent cultural initiatives (2007) include Le grandi

città d’arte, L’enciclopedia della musica, I grandi

maestri dell’arte, I grandi poeti and the Master24,

Espanol24 and l’Enciclopedia giuridica educatio-

nal/service product collections.

Publishing

XXX


Magazines

The launch of a series of magazines distributed or

sold with the daily newspaper has broadened the

editorial offer with a selection of superior products

addressing a readership of high socio-cultural

extraction.

Ventiquattro, the monthly lifestyle magazine, combi-

nes high-quality graphics and photography with

unconventional content, and is devoted to a diffe-

rent theme each month. Its large format provides

ample space for images and the stylish graphics

create a particularly appealing product for readers

and advertising investors.

The offer was enhanced recently with a number of

new magazines, including the monthly travel review

I Viaggi del Sole, the quarterly House 24 and the

periodicals Nova 24 Review and English 24, whose

quality content and attractive graphics make them

top-of-the-range products for leisure reading and

cultural/educational improvement.

Free press

In November 2006, the Group launched the gene-

ral-interest daily 24Minuti, with an average of some

450,000 copies distributed each day free of charge

in Rome and Milan.

With its innovative graphics and wealth of varied

content, the Group’s free-press daily unites authori-

tative content with a simple, direct style so as to

reach a broader readership than that of the Group’s

main daily, and is also the only free daily newspaper

in Italy to come out in the afternoon.

The financial content presented in a less technical

manner, together with the reports, interviews, and

other news and current events, help make 24Minuti

a top-of-the-range product suited to the Group’s

positioning in the marketplace.

Publishing

XXXI


Radio

Radio

XXXII


Radio 24 – Il Sole 24 ORE is Italy’s only “news &

talk” radio broadcaster. Created on 4 October

1999 to broaden the editorial offer of the Il Sole 24

ORE Group, Radio 24 successfully combines the

potential of a dynamic medium with an innovative

and exclusive editorial format based on the spoken

word, with a limited number of musical interludes

linked, in all cases, to the programme content.

Over the years, Radio 24 has grown rapidly: the

number of listeners has increased constantly taking

the average daily audience in 2007 to 1,860,000

listeners, and now exceeds an average weekly

threshold of 4,500,000.

The Radio 24 programme schedule covers a varie-

ty of themes and broadcasts 26 daily news bulle-

tins. It also provides hourly service updates on the

stock and financial markets, traffic conditions and

the weather.

Every day, the channel broadcasts live for 18

hours, with information and discussion program-

mes covering areas of interest to a variety of

audiences: national and international news, busi-

ness and finance, the family, the home, work,

sport, culture and leisure, health and well-being.

Light entertainment is also offered, in formats con-

sistent with Radio 24’s news & talk identity as a

“stimulus for intelligence”.

Continuous interaction with the Il Sole 24 ORE

newsrooms and the Radiocor wire service enhan-

ces the news and discussion programmes with

contributions from Group journalists.

With its news & talk format, multi-theme schedule,

distinguished presenters and quality content,

Radio 24 has built up an adult audience (72% aged

25-64 years old) with high educational qualifica-

tions (79% university and high-school graduates)

from higher socio-economic brackets (25% profes-

sionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, tea-

chers, intellectuals; 25% office workers).

Audience loyalty is high. Every day listeners interact

live with the presenters and studio guests, sending

questions and offering opinions via the radio call

centre, sms texts and e-mail, or contributing to the

website forums and blogs.

Radio 24’s high-profile audience confirms the sta-

tion as a medium consistent with the Group philo-

sophy and the specialist reputation of the Il Sole 24

ORE brand, a name that attracts a select adverti-

sing target.

Radio 24 broadcasts from studios in Milan and

Rome on frequencies providing nationwide covera-

ge. Listeners may also access Radio 24 via satel-

lite or an online streaming service, or download

podcasts from the www.radio24.it website.

Radio

XXXIII


Professionals

Professionals

XXXIV


More than 140 specialist journals, a book catalogue

with 1,100 titles, 20 databanks, 385 educational

initiatives in one year, more than 9,000 manage-

ment software subscribers. These figures offer an

overview of activities in the Professionals Area, the

unit that develops and distributes integrated

systems comprising specialised editorial services

and products for professionals, corporate users

and government agencies—an audience numbe-

ring approximately 430,000 subscribers in 2007.

The Professionals Area is the natural extension of

the Publishing Area. A specialist extension that tran-

sforms the issues covered by the Il Sole 24 ORE

daily newspaper into daily work and reference tools

for barristers, accountants, employment consul-

tants, technical professionals (engineers, surveyors,

architects), entrepreneurs, corporate executives,

other economic operators, civil servants, students.

The result is a rich portfolio of editorial products,

services, software and multimedia tools, developed

by a specialised team for each user segment within

a single integrated system, and distributed through

a multichannel organisation consisting of a national

network of 180 agents, 63 specialist bookshops

(“Librerie Professionali”), 440 general-interest book-

stores, 57 software partners, mail order, the e-com-

merce channel and a dedicated advertising net-

work. The Professional Area’s operations are han-

dled by four special business units.

Tax, Legal & PA

This unit develops, produces and sells products

and services dealing with juridical and regulatory

issues, subdivided by specific themes such as

taxation, employment, law, building, and econo-

mics. Each sector offers an integrated system of

“solutions”: periodicals, books, manuals, user gui-

des, online and offline databanks, online services,

training courses, and e-learning modules.

The Tax, Accountancy and Financial Reporting por-

tfolio includes such successful products as the onli-

ne Guida Normativa legal daily, the Settimana

Fiscale and Guida Pratica Fiscale Frizzera tax perio-

dicals, the Guida alla Contabilità & Bilancio accoun-

tancy and reporting fortnightly review, the Guida ai

Controlli Fiscali fiscal monthly, the Banca Dati del

Commercialista accountancy databank, the Nuovo

Tributi Lavoro Società tax and legal databank and

Sistema Elettronico Frizzera, the innovative editorial

solution, available online and on DVD, created in

2008. Key products in the Employment sector are

the Guida al lavoro, the Punto Lavoro and

Informatore Pirola periodicals, the UnicoLavoro

databank, the Guida al Lavoro internet site

(www.guidaallavoro.ilsole24ore.com).

The Law and Public Administration sector offers the

Guida al Diritto, Ventiquattrore Avvocato, and Guida

agli Enti Locali periodicals, the Lex24&Repertorio24

and Sistema Enti Locali databanks, as well as

Sectorial Codes and the new service of online

directories Avvocati24 for the research of law

professionals.

For Economics and Management, the portfolio

includes books, manuals and papers for corporate

executives, entrepreneurs and marketing, manage-

ment, finance and economics experts: volumes,

manuals, essays, and the monthly magazine

L’Impresa, which is sold in newsstands.

Professionals

XXXV


Business Media

The Business Media unit’s mission is to bring toge-

ther players in individual production, distribution or

services sectors - or individual professional com-

munities - who share similar information needs (rea-

ders) and communication needs (advertisers/spon-

sors) by creating and offering integrated web-orien-

ted standard or customisable multimedia product

systems. Business Media’s targets are corporate

users, in particular SMEs, technical professionals

and government agencies. While this is largely a

B2B audience, the Business Media approach is

always by sector or individual professional commu-

nity. The unit covers the following main markets:

building, agriculture, medicine, ho.re.ca., retail and

ICT. The unit’s integrated communication opera-

tions account for the majority of its revenues: space

(display advertising, sponsorships, advertising fea-

tures, online), content (special initiatives, supple-

ments, newsletters, personalised content, studies),

databases (DEM, directories).

Over the last few years, the focus on growth along

external lines has established the unit as Italy’s lea-

ding business information player, with aggregate

revenues of around 66 million euro. In addition to

products developed in-house, the Business Media

offer also includes products from the acquisition of

a series of historic specialist publishers, such as

Agepe, Edagricole, Jce, Motta Architettura, Faenza

Editrice.

Software Solution

This unit develops and markets software tools

intended mainly for professionals and SMEs.

Products for professionals include accountancy, tax

and financial reporting software which make it pos-

sible to share files and information. Enterprises are

offered management solutions developed with the

support of Il Sole 24 ORE’s publishing operations

and know-how.

As a result of the acquisitions of the STR and Data

Ufficio companies in the second half of 2007,

Il Sole 24 ORE’s management solutions offer now

also covers the Legal, Employment, Building and

PA markets. This has generated a significant

expansion in competences, the client base, distri-

bution channels and support, as part of the strate-

gy to complete and expand the Tax and Legal

editorial offer.

Professionals

XXXVI


TTrraaiinniinngg

Managers, professionals and new graduates are the

key beneficiaries of this unit’s educational and training

initiatives, whose high-profile brand, up-to-the-minute

subject matter and teaching methods, coupled with

the distinguished reputation of Il Sole 24 ORE’s tutors

and experts are attracting an ever growing audience.

The Training business unit offers several different pro-

duct lines: the Business School, targeting selected

new graduates with 12 full-time master’s degrees

ending in an internship to facilitate entry on to the job

market; events and annual conferences, providing a

forum for discussion of key economic issues and

reforms, organised jointly with the newspaper and

intended for the top management of public- and priva-

te-sector companies and representatives of financial

institutions; the Executive line and part-time master’s

degrees based on a weekend formula for junior and

senior managers; professional updates and training ini-

tiatives on corporate management and strategy, mar-

keting communication and general management; per-

sonalised versions of the education offer with classro-

om and online courses tailored to the strategies and

training requirements of individual companies. The offer

is completed with an innovative multimedia distance-

learning product created in close synergy with the daily

newspaper and distributed on newsstands from

January to July 2007: the Master24 Corporate

Management and Strategy master’s degree. It is the

first distance-learning master’s degree and has an

innovative format: CDs with video lessons; DVDs with

case histories; a book with additional information on

the individual topics covered; and an online area for

tests and for issuing online certificates. Completing the

multimedia series and in order to obtain the Master24

diploma, a part-time master’s program with 24 days of

in-class work has also been created.

Professionals

XXXVII

@


Multimedia

Multimedia

XXXVIII


Il Sole 24 ORE’s leadership in financial information

extends into the digital dimension. The Multimedia

Area comprises three lines of business: real-time

financial information services, online services

accessed primarily through the Il Sole 24 ORE

portal and mobile phones, and the Radiocor wire

service.

The real-time market information line of business

produces and distributes real-time stock market

data, news and financial analysis in digital format.

Banks, securities brokerages, corporations, asset

managers, financial advisors and the media are the

client typologies that monitor the financial markets in

real time via information and operating platforms,

which also provide business and financial news,

comments, analysis and charts, as well as access

to databanks (products include: X-plane Xtra;

Market Pro; Prime Terminal 24 and Vetrina). The

platforms providing access to the national and inter-

national financial markets were recently joined by

two new Internet or WAP-enabled information plat-

forms for the London Metal Exchange (Metalli 24)

and the Chicago Board of Trade and Euronext

Commodities (Cereali 24), and the recent agree-

ment for the distribution of products and services

dedicated to funds analysis with Morningstar.

The cornerstone of the online information and servi-

ces line of business is the Group website,

www.ilsole24ore.com, Italy’s leading business and

financial information site with more than three million

users per month and a 43 per cent share of the

financial website market, double the share of the

second-largest player. The portal is also the gate-

way to the Group’s online content and services,

designed to meet the information needs of profes-

sionals, investors and corporations.

n addition to real-time news, stock market prices,

updates on Italian and international business

events, special features and dossiers on specific

current issues, the site includes an e-commerce

channel, Shopping24, with the full range of pro-

ducts available from the Group and other suppliers.

The portal’s information and service offer is comple-

ted with a series of topic-specific channels, inclu-

ding Casa24, Job24, Luxury24, Arteconomy24

and Viaggi24. An additional online facility is the

databank system for access to the archives of the

Group’s publications and to other sources for simul-

taneous consultation of multiple databases in diffe-

rent years. Real-time market prices and the latest

market and business news are also provided as

services to mobile carriers, for delivery to their sub-

scribers via mobile phone.

The source of all real-time news is the Il Sole 24

ORE Radiocor wire service. The agency’s editorial

staff - journalists, supported by collaborators and

experts from the international markets - produces a

daily average of around 900 general news items, for

newspapers, radio, television, private business

organisations and government agencies.

With three newsrooms, in Milan, Rome and

Brussels, the Radiocor wire service also produces

economic analyses in specific areas of interest as

requested by the customer and business/financial

electronic newsletters with customised content,

page layouts and publication frequency.

Multimedia

XXXIX


System

web

radio

magazines

free press

cultural events

arts publishing

financial and legal advertising

corporate communication

newspaper

System

XL


The System Area business unit is the advertising

agent for the Il Sole 24 ORE Group, and is one of

Italy’s top six advertising space vendors. Formed in

1986 to handle advertising sales for the Il Sole 24

ORE daily newspaper, today the unit’s portfolio

comprises all Group media, with the exception of

the specialised press in the Professionals Area, as

well as the publications of other publishers, which

account for approximately 5 per cent of its aggrega-

te advertising fee income.

Nearly 8,000 clients, mainly large Italian and interna-

tional corporations, use Il Sole 24 ORE Group

media to inform the market and consumers about

their operations.

The changes affecting the Area during 2007, inclu-

ding the recruitment of a number of highly-experien-

ced consultants, has boosted the number of adver-

tisers and resulted in growth significantly higher than

that of the market (at constant scope, + 17 per cent

for all media, compared with market growth of + 3

per cent). The arrival of new investors has also

generated a significant differentiation in advertise-

ments. Although Il Sole 24 ORE continues to be the

medium of choice for financial advertising and cor-

porate communication, it is also the ideal channel

for integrated communication covering luxury

goods, consumer products, personnel recruitment,

notices of requests for tenders by government

agencies, real-estate offers, and classified adverti-

sing, because the advertiser is certain of reaching

the right target.

Use of one large brand encompassing a multiplicity

of media - daily newspapers, the web, radio, perio-

dicals, free press, cultural and educational events,

art book collections, philosophy encyclopaedias,

and others still - enables advertisers to address an

ideally unified, highly educated audience with

sophisticated tastes, at various times of day.

System

XLI


Culture

Culture

XLII


With its Sunday supplement, Il Sole-24 ORE has

been an important presence in and valuable

contributor to the Italian arts world for more than

twenty-five years.

Its interest stems from the awareness that culture is

an irreplaceable driver of civil and economic

development; and from the cultural interests of the

traditional consumers of the Group’s editorial pro-

ducts, who are typically young, highly educated,

professionals.

Over the last few months, through a series of acqui-

sitions or agreements with some of the most distin-

guished names in Italian culture, the Group has flan-

ked the newspaper’s long-standing cultural com-

mitment with direct operations in arts publishing,

organisation of cultural exhibitions and events, and

management of important photographic collections.

24 ORE Motta Cultura, for example, is the result of

the acquisition of Arti Grafiche Motta, an historic

name in art publishing, exhibitions and bespoke

books. 24 ORE Motta Cultura also includes another

distinguished Italian publisher, Libri Scheiwiller,

which specialises in literary, artistic and current

affairs non-fiction.

Similarly, the Alinari 24 ORE company, in which the

Group holds an absolute majority, is the outcome of

an important agreement signed recently with Fratelli

Alinari. Alinari 24 ORE operates on today’s highly

dynamic photography market, where its mission is

to manage and enhance the immense fund of pho-

tographs built up by Alinari, another symbolic name

in Italian culture and civilisation.

With a broad range of instruments and a portfolio of

distinguished brands, Il Sole 24 ORE activities in

arts and culture complete the services the Group

offers the public and, equally, provides the Italian

business community with sophisticated new

communication tools.

Culture

XLIII


IL SOLE 24 ORE GROUP

Legal and Administrative Headquarters: Via Monte Rosa, 91 - 20149 MilanTel. 02 3022.1 – www.gruppo.ilsole24ore.com

XLIV


PUBLISHED BY

Il Sole 24 ORE S.p.A.

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRINTING

Azienda Grafica Modulimpianti - Grezzago (Mi)

PHOTO CREDITS

Luigi Annessa

Agenzia Emblema

John Fass

Davide Forti

Luca Placido

Edward Rozzo

Le Tre Grazie - Antonio Canova 1813-1816,

State Hermitage Museum © Aurelio Amendola

Canova at the Zar’s Court.

Masterpieces from the Hermitage of St. Petersburg,

Palazzo Reale, Milan,

23 February - 24 August 2008

Book Milano Expo 1906,

realised by Alinari 24 ORE in collaboration

with Comune di Milano

XLV

Il Sole 24 ORE

Group

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