Yahoo to buy GeoCities

Yahoo is buying GeoCities in a stock deal expected to be finalised in the second quarter of this year.

The companies did not give the dollar value of the acquisition, announced yesterday, which brings together two of the Internet's most well-known service sites. The agreement must pass federal regulatory scrutiny before being completed.

Yahoo will issue 0.3384 shares of its common stock for each share of GeoCities common stock and all outstanding GeoCities options will be converted into Yahoo options, the companies said. Yahoo expects to take a one-time charge related to acquisition expenses in the second quarter of this year.

GeoCities creates and hosts more than 3.5 million World Wide Web sites, the companies said. The merged company expects to reach more than 58 per cent of those who use the Internet at home and work, making it the second largest Web network.