Cricket Media Announces Publishing Partnership with Leading Chinese Media Company Yilin Group

Partnership expected to expand access to Cricket Media's content in the Chinese market via an array of Yilin brands and educational initiatives

WASHINGTON DC, and BEIJING, China, June 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Cricket Media, an education media company and global learning network, today announced a partnership with Yilin Group, one of China's leading publishing, educational training and brand marketing companies, to expand the availability of Cricket's award-winning content in China.

Under the partnership framework, Cricket Media and Yilin expect to pursue several areas of collaboration.  Initially, Cricket Media will provide Yilin access to selected Cricket Media brands and content for inclusion in Yilin's wide circulation of children's publications in China. Cricket Media and Yilin also expect to collaborate on the creation of a children's book series based on Cricket Media content as well as other physical and digital products in English and Mandarin.  Cricket Media also may introduce Yilin's Mandarin content to the United States.  Additionally, the two companies expect to undertake joint marketing activities and explore additional opportunities including education-related initiatives.

"We are very excited to broaden access to our acclaimed literary and informational content in China through our partnership with such a highly respected leader in the market," said Katya Andresen, CEO, Cricket Media. "This is an important step forward in our continued efforts to meet China's growing demand for high-quality English language and bilingual content and educational tools through channel partners."

The Yilin partnership was developed in coordination with Neusoft Holdings, Cricket Media's strategic partner in China and the country's largest IT services company.  Cricket Media is expanding access to its content and platform in China through its joint venture with Neusoft, which is called NeuPals, and its media partner, Neumedias, a digital publishing company owned by Neusoft Holdings.

"Yilin Group is committed to introducing the best foreign-language content to mainland Chinese readers through first-class translations, and so we are delighted to partner with Cricket Media," said Wu Du, President of Yilin Group. "We also look forward to working together to address a global audience by making Yilin's Chinese language titles available through Cricket Media."

About Cricket Media  
Cricket Media (TSXV: CKT) is an education media company that provides award-winning content on a safe and secure learning network for children, families and teachers across the world.  Cricket Media's 11 popular media brands for toddlers to teens include Babybug, Ladybug, Cricket® and Cobblestone®.  The Company's innovative web-based K12 tools for school and home include the ePals community and virtual classroom for global collaboration as well as In2Books®, a Common Core eMentoring program that builds reading, writing and critical thinking skills.  Cricket Media serves approximately one million classrooms and millions of teachers, students and parents in over 200 countries and territories through its platform and NeuPals, its joint venture with China's leading IT services company Neusoft. Cricket Media also licenses its content and platform to top publishing and educational companies worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.Cricketmag.com, www.ePals.com.

About Yilin Group
Yilin Group is a leading publishing, educational training and brand marketing company in China with three divisions: Yilin Media Group, Yilin Education Group and Yilin CG (China Girl Brand). Its brands include magazines, books, video, kindergartens, schools, training programs and curricula, and its student magazines have the largest circulation in China.  The company's monthly periodical circulation is more than 5 million.  Specific brands include Yilin, Yilin – teen version, Yilin – Original version, Yilin – 12+, Xiao Xiao Jie (Little Little Gir), Yilin – essay materials, Yilin – little literature, Yilin – with Pinyin notation, Yilin- fairytales, Yilin – light novels and Yilin – Orange. For more information, visit www.yilin.net.cn

SOURCE Cricket Media Inc.