Viacom, Yahoo! and the New York Times Company were all reported to be interested in buying MarketWatch, which owns , and the 'CBS MarketWatch Weekend' programme on CBS, as well as subscription products for investors like Retirement Weekly.
Viacom, which owns US TV network CBS, was one of MarketWatch's biggest shareholders with a 23% holding. Financial Times-owner Pearson also owned a stake in the company.
MarketWatch said that it expected the deal with Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal, to be completed in the first quarter of 2005.
Larry Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer of MarketWatch, said: "By combining Dow Jones' legendary brands, infrastructure and valuable strategic alliances with MarketWatch's award-winning newsroom and comprehensive suite of business and analytical tools, this transaction supports our mission to be the market leader in licensed and advertising-supported financial news and information."
As well as publishing The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones is known for its newswires and indexes, as well as publishing Barron's. Its 58-year-old Asian title, Far Eastern Economic Review, is shifting from weekly to monthly publication after sustaining six years of losses.
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