Ascential Regulatory News (ASCL)

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuerof existing shares to which voting rights areattached: ii

 Ascential PLC

2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

S

An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached

¨

An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments

S

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

¨

Other (please specify):

¨

3. Full name of person(s) subject to thenotification obligation: iii

BlackRock, Inc.

4. Full name of shareholder(s)  (if different from 3.):iv

5. Date of the transaction and date onwhich the threshold is crossed orreached: v

11 January, 2017

6. Date on which issuer notified:

12 January, 2017

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed orreached: vi, vii

Total holding for BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited has gone above 5%

Total holding for BlackRock, Inc. remains above 5%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares viii, ix

Class/type ofshares

if possible usingthe ISIN CODE

Situation previousto the triggeringtransaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

NumberofShares

NumberofVotingRights

Numberof shares

Number of votingrights

% of voting rights x

Direct

Direct xi

Indirect xii

Direct

Indirect

GB00BYM8GJ06

22,120,088

22,120,088

N/A

N/A

23,304,124

N/A

5.81%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Expirationdate xiii

Exercise/Conversion Period xiv

Number of votingrights that may beacquired if theinstrument isexercised/ converted.

% of votingrights

Securities Lending

292,426

0.07%

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Exercise price

Expiration date xvii

Exercise/Conversion period xviii

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights xix, xx

CFD

816,016

Nominal

Delta

0.20%

0.20%

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

24,412,566

6.09%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or thefinancial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi

See Annex 1

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will ceaseto hold:

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to holdvoting rights:

13. Additional information:

BlackRock Regulatory Threshold Reporting Team

14. Contact name:

Marc-Oliver Lesch

15. Contact telephone number:

020 7743 3650

Annex 1

Name

% of voting rights if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold

% of voting rights through financial instruments if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold

Total of both if it equals or is higher than the notifiable threshold

BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.

BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.

BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.

BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.

BlackRock Group Limited

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited

4.81%

0.20%

5.01%

BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc.

BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.

BlackRock International Holdings, Inc.

BR Jersey International Holdings L.P.

BlackRock Group Limited

BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited