BEIJING, Aug. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) (the "ChinaNet" or "Company"), a leading B2B (business to business) Internet technology company focusing on providing online-to-offline ("O2O") sales channel expansion services for small and medium-sized enterprises ("SMEs") and entrepreneurial management and networking services for entrepreneurs in the People's Republic of China, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Baidu, Inc. ("Baidu"), China's largest online search engine.
ChinaNet cooperates with the major search engines to perform search engine marketing and related value-added services for its clients. In order to secure and further enhance the business relationship with Baidu, the Company has signed a one-year agreement with Baidu for approximately $26 million to optimize the search advertising campaigns run on behalf of ChinaNet's clients through Baidu's search engine.
"ChinaNet has built a strong relationship with Baidu," said George Chu, Chief Operating Officer of ChinaNet. "We are excited to enhance this business relationship further with Baidu through this agreement. It will allow ChinaNet to have stable access to the traffic directed from Baidu's search engines and more resources shared from Baidu to enhance the effectiveness of ChinaNet's search advertising performed on behalf of ChinaNet's clients. With this agreement, the Company will be able to provide additional value-added services for its SME clients, which should translate into incremental revenues over time."
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language online search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best way for people to find information and connect users with services. In addition to serving individual online search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for business to reach potential customers. Baidu's ADSs trade on NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "BIDU".
About ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc.
The Company, a parent company of ChinaNet Online Media Group Ltd., incorporated in the BVI ("ChinaNet"), is a leading B2B (business to business) Internet technology company focusing on providing O2O (online to offline) sales channel expansion service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurial management and networking service for entrepreneurs in China. The Company, through certain contractual arrangements with operating companies in the PRC, provides Internet advertising and other services for Chinese SMEs via its portal websites, 28.com, Liansuo.com and Chuangye.com, TV commercials and program production via China-Net TV, and in-house LCD advertising on banking kiosks targeting Chinese banking patrons. Website: http://www.chinanet-online.com.
Safe Harbor
This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc., which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including business uncertainties relating to government regulation of our industry, market demand, reliance on key personnel, future capital requirements, competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on ChinaNet's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting ChinaNet will be those anticipated by ChinaNet. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. ChinaNet undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.