• Record growth in new customer contracts of 610,000 to 11.28 million
• Sales up 15.3% to new all-time-high of EUR 1.164 billion
• Strong earnings growth in established business fields
• Expansion course accelerated with heavy investment in new business fields

Montabaur, August 14, 2012. United Internet AG continued its growth course as Europe's leading internet specialist in the first half-year 2012. The company succeeded in raising both sales and customer contract figures to new record levels and significantly improved earnings in its established business fields. At the same time, considerable investments were made in the establishment and expansion of new business fields.

Development of the Group
In the first six months of 2012, consolidated sales of United Internet AG reached a new all-time-high of EUR 1.164 billion ? representing year-on-year growth of 15.3%. Sales in established business fields rose by 14.4% to EUR 1.149 billion. In addition, there was revenue from new business fields of EUR 14.7 million (prior year: EUR 5.1 million) due to the strong international growth of the 1&1 Do-It-Yourself Homepage with 130,000 new contracts (40,000 in same period last year). There was also a sharp rise in United Internet?s other customer contract figures: with the addition in total of 610,000 new contracts to 11.28 million, the strong growth of the first half-year 2011 (+400,000 new contracts) was easily exceeded again.

In its operating business, i.e. without consideration of special items, United Internet also improved earnings significantly in its established business fields during the first half of 2012. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew by 21.9%, from EUR 181.6 million last year to EUR 221.3 million, while earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) improved by 25.8%, from EUR 141.2 million last year to EUR 177.6 million.

As announced at the beginning of the year, this strong growth in earnings of the Group's established business fields was used to invest heavily in the development of new business fields. The main focus was placed on the international marketing campaign for the 1&1 Do-It-Yourself Homepage, and the development of De-Mail applications. In line with planning, EBIT-effective start-up losses of EUR 73.9 million (prior year: EUR 6.0 million) were incurred for these activities in the first half of 2012. These start-up losses result mainly from high expenditures for marketing the 1&1 Do-It-Yourself Homepage in seven European nations and the USA and are part of total start-up losses planned for new business fields in 2012.

As a result of these start-up losses, there was an expected overall decline in earnings of United Internet AG in its operating business compared to the comparative figures of last year. Adjusted for special items, EBITDA amounted to EUR 148.6 million (prior year: EUR 176.1 million) and EBIT totaled EUR 103.7 million (prior year: EUR 135.2 million). Pre-tax earnings (EBT) stood at EUR 95.8 million (prior year: EUR 127.9 million), while earnings per share (EPS) reached EUR 0.32 (prior year: EUR 0.41).

* Positive special items HY 2011 (Versatel): EBITDA and EBIT effect: EUR 24.8 million
Negative special items HY 2012 (Sedo impairments): EBIT effect: EUR 46.3 million
(Possible addition differences due to rounding effects)

"The strong growth and healthy earnings of our established business fields enables us to invest heavily in new business fields. We are well on track to reaching the targets set for 2012 as a whole," states Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of United Internet, in his assessment of the half-year figures 2012.

Earnings in the first half of 2011 and the first half of 2012 were influenced by various special items. Whereas in the previous year, there was a positive effect on consolidated earnings from the sale of Versatel shares in the second quarter of 2011 (EBITDA and EBIT effect: EUR 24.8 million, EBT effect: EUR 16.3 million, EPS effect: EUR 0.07), there was a negative effect on earnings in the second quarter of 2012 from impairment charges of the United Internet subsidiary Sedo Holding AG. The latter recognized impairment of goodwill in its half-year figures for 2012. These impairment charges were necessitated in particular by a significant change in expectations regarding the company's Domain Parking business. United Internet AG included the impairment in its consolidated financial statements on the level of the Applications segment. The non-cash extraordinary impairment charges amounted to EUR 46.3 million (EBIT and EBT effect; EPS effect: EUR 0.24).

Outlook
With the exception of Sedo Holding AG, all business divisions of United Internet AG are developing in line with planning. Against this backdrop, United Internet can confirm its guidance for operating business and expects full-year sales to grow by around 15% to approx. EUR 2.4 billion. The number of new customers added in 2012 is expected to rise to approx. 1.2 million, compared to 910,000 in the previous year. Despite start-up costs in new business fields of around EUR 120 million, EBIT before special items is expected to remain at around the prior-year figure of EUR 250 million. Due to extraordinary non-cash-effective impairment of Sedo goodwill amounting to EUR 46.3 million, expected EBIT will be reduced to approx. EUR 200 million. EPS 2012 will amount to around EUR 0.58 (after approx. EUR 0.42 start-up losses in new business fields and after approx. EUR 0.24 Sedo impairments).

For 2013, United Internet expects further strong earnings growth with an EPS of around EUR 1.00 ? EUR 1.10 (after approx. EUR 0.30 ? EUR 0.40 start-up losses in new business fields).

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