Hurray! News
Hurray! to Acquire Major Interest
in a Record Label
BEIJING, March 12, 2007/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Hurray! Holding Co.,
Ltd. (Nasdaq: HRAY - News), a leader in wireless music distribution
and other wireless value-added services, artist development and
music production, and wireless value-added services management software
in China, today announced the signing of definitive agreements to
acquire a major interest in Beijing Secular Bird Culture and Art
Development Center ("Secular Bird"), a music production
and offline music distribution record label in China.
Secular Bird specializes in music production and distribution for
its portfolio of artists and many songs produced by Secular Bird
and its artists, such as " Autumn Never Comes Back (Qiu Tian
Bu Hui Lai)", "Don’t Wanna Make You Cry" (Bu Xiang
Rang Ni Ku) were top hits in ringtones, ringback tones and full
track downloads on mobile and internet platforms in China. "Qiu
Tian Bu Hui Lai" not only ranked Number 1 on Baidu’s music
search platform and China Mobile’s mobile music board, but also
received the “Most Popular Album in 2006” award at the China Mobile
M.Music Awards in January 2007.
In the acquisition, Secular Bird will inject the music business
into a newly formed company ("Hurray! Secular Bird"),
which upon the closing of the acquisition will be 65% owned by Hurray!
and 35% owned by Secular Bird. The total consideration for the acquisition
is US$1,480,000 in cash. Consideration payable by Hurray! and the
respective ownership interests of the parties in Hurray! Secular
Bird is subject to adjustment based on 12-month financial performance
of Hurray! Secular Bird following the closing of the acquisition.
The transaction is expected to be accretive to Hurray!’s earnings
per share in 2007.
Hurray! currently expects the transaction to close before May 1,
2007, subject to required China regulatory approval and other customary
closing conditions. Upon closing, pursuant to certain contractual
arrangements, Hurray! will distribute Hurray! Secular Bird music
via wireless and Internet platforms, and Hurray! Secular Bird will
distribute such music via offline channels, such as music stores.
Commenting on this acquisition, QD Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Hurray!, said, "We are very pleased to announce
this strategic partnership with Secular Bird, a record label with
strong music production capability. This takes us one step closer
toward our goal of reaching more than 25% music market shares and
becoming a leading digital entertainment content production and
distribution house in China."
About Hurray! Holding Co., Ltd.
Hurray! is a leading provider of music and music-related products
such as ringtones, ringback tones, and truetones to mobile users
in China through SMS, IVR, RBT, WAP, MMS and Java wireless value-added
services platforms over mobile networks and through the Internet.
The company also provides a wide range of other wireless value-added
services to mobile users in China, including games, pictures and
animation, community, and other media and entertainment services.
In addition, Hurray! is a leader in artist development, music production
and offline and online distribution in China through its majority
controlled record labels Huayi Brothers Music and Hurray! Freeland
Music.
Hurray! also designs, develops, sells and supports a service provisioning
and management software for mobile operators in China to manage
wireless value-added services.
About Beijing Secular Bird Culture and Art Development Center
Beijing Secular Bird Culture and Art Development Center is an all-around
cultural diffusion company in China in artist development, interpretation
organization, music production and offline music distribution in
China.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature.
These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions
of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You
can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such
as "will," "expects," "anticipates,"
"future," "intends," "plans," "believes,"
"estimates" and similar statements. The accuracy of these
statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected or anticipated, including: the risk that this or any future
acquisition will not create the operational and financial results
that the management and board of directors of Hurray! and Secular
Bird’s expect, including in particular the possibility that this
acquisition may not be accretive to earnings in any future period
or that Secular Bird will not continue to be able to attract popular
music artists in China; the risk that Hurray! will not be able to
effectively manage Secular Bird ' artists or effectively utilize
its library of music; the risk that the popularity of music-related
wireless value-added services will not continue to grow or that
it may decrease; the risk that this and any future acquisition could
divert management's attention from Hurray!'s operations, which could
adversely affect its results of operations; and the risks outlined
in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
our registration statement on Form F-1. We do not undertake any
obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as
required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
Phoebe Meng
Investor Relations Manager
Tel: 8610-84555532
yfmeng@hurray.com.cn
SOURCE: Hurray! Holding Co., Ltd.
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