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The Big Business of Esports

YourUpdateTV

Esports have burst into the mainstream in recent years, transforming from a vibrant niche to a central form of entertainment around the world. Last year, there were more than 1.2 billion hours of esports consumed, with audience numbers expected to double by the year 2023. Sponsors have taken notice. Verizon’s recent sponsorship deal with Riot Games, maker of popular game League of Legends, is just another indication that esports is here to stay. Recently, Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships & Business Development at Riot Games, participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss the rise of Riot Games’ esports titles globally. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/pKnRoHYSYCo Riot Games announced that two of its biggest esports events of the year will take place back-to-back this May in Reykjavík, Iceland. Additionally, as Riot Games continues to expand its esports footprint, the company has expanded its partnership with Verizon as the Official 5G Partner, supporting both LoL Esports Global Events and VALORANT Esports. This partnership just serves as the latest iteration of Verizon’s consistent support of Riot’s esports business. Since 2020, Verizon has been the Official 5G wireless network provider for the League Championship Series (LCS), providing support for LCS through original video content and in-broadcast sponsored segments. Their support extended to VALORANT First Strike: North America, the first official tournament for Riot's premier tactical shooter, as well as The Wild Rift Invitational - the world’s first Wild Rift esports event featuring LCS players and celebrities. Fans can follow @lolesports on Twitter and visit lolesports.com for more info on MSI, including a list of qualified teams and broadcast schedule. The latest information about Masters 2 and the VALORANT Champions Tour can be found at @valorantesports and playvalorant.com. Naz Aletaha: As head of global esports partnerships at League of Legends publisher Riot Games, Aletaha has helped take esports from a niche competition to the fastest-growing global sport, drawing interest and investment from the traditional sports and entertainment industries. Aletaha has secured sponsorship agreements with some of the most valuable world-class brands including Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, State Farm, and Mastercard, as well as the single biggest media-rights agreement in the history of esports. The first-generation daughter of Iranian immigrants, Aletaha applied her passion for gaming and entertainment at Sony Motion Pictures and Activision prior to her current role at Riot Games. About LoL Esports™: LoL Esports is a premier global sport that has attracted the attention of millions of fans around the world since 2010. More than 800 players on 100+ professional League of Legends esports teams compete across a dozen leagues globally. Within each regional league, teams compete against one another over the course of two seasonal splits in hopes of earning regional titles and championship points. Regional placements and championship points are used to qualify teams for the two major international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship (known as Worlds). To close out a season, fans vote for their favorite players from each league to attend the All-Star Event where players enjoy a weekend of friendly competition. For further information, visit: www.lolesports.com and www.lolesportsmedia.com. About the VALORANT Champions Tour: After a record-breaking closed beta that saw more than 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers on Twitch, VALORANT quickly established itself as the fastest growing esport of 2020. To support the competitive scene, Riot Games launched the VALORANT Champions Tour, a year-long, global circuit featuring three levels of competition: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. Teams compete through regional Challengers events, then qualify into international Masters events, with the goal to earn a spot at Champions, a two-week long tournament where one team is crowned the VALORANT Global Champion. The season-long competition tour will feature competitions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

March 09, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Video

Cloudrise Accelerates Growth

Cloudrise

Cloudrise conquered the seemingly impossible in 2020, launching a new company amid a pandemic and economic downturn. Despite those challenges, we are pleased to announce their hard work paid off and Cloudrise is reporting a successful year one in business. Combining decades of data protection expertise with automation, Cloudrise focuses on securing data wherever it resides. Their data-centric approach to cybersecurity and use of automation enables Cloudrise to secure organizations’ data during their digital transformation journey. After launching the company in October 2019, Cloudrise went on to secure capital investments through a network of seasoned cybersecurity investors, and deliver automation-centric data protection services to over 50 customers. “The team at Cloudrise started this journey 17 months ago with an overriding focus and commitment to delivering value to our customers. Fueled by impactful partnerships and a relentless push for innovation, every day we strive to solve complex data protection and privacy problems. As we expand our data protection capabilities in the areas of in complex cloud and hybrid computing environments, as well as utilize automation to solve enterprise data protection problems, Cloudrise is well-positioned to become a global market leader in the area of scalable and effective data protection programs,” said Rob Eggebrecht, CEO and co-founder at Cloudrise. In 2021 the momentum continues to build as Cloudrise adds new customers across the globe, and expands team coverage across North America and Europe. They recently raised additional capital to help to fund growth and innovation, with the Greater Colorado Venture Fund (“GCVF”) leading significant investment in Cloudrise. The GCVF invests in early-stage startups headquartered across the state of Colorado, outside of the Front Range. “The innovative nature of the Cloudrise leadership team, and commitment to the communities of the Western Slope of Colorado, made for a perfect fit with our mission,” said Cory Finney, Partner at GCVF. In December, Cloudrise moved their headquarters from Denver to Grand Junction, CO. In doing so they have partnered with the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (“GJEP”), Economic Development Council of Colorado (“EDCC”), and Colorado Mesa University because their missions align. “Cloudrise embodies the community spirit that we seek from businesses who startup, expand, or relocate here. EDCC, an organization who promotes effective, responsible economic development, applauds Cloudrise’ decision to base its company in Grand Junction,” said Kim Woodworth, Operations Director with the EDCC. “This move will be a catalyst to growing an industry that will support Grand Junction’s effort in diversifying its economy.” One of Cloudrise’s goals is to create opportunity, revenue, and employment in rural communities of Colorado. “We are thrilled to officially welcome Cloudrise to our community. The founding team at Cloudrise has an esteemed reputation in major tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Boston. Their choice to relocate to Grand Junction will help attract more cutting-edge businesses, encourage skilled talent to move here, and grow our reputation as a rising tech hub,” said Robin Brown, Executive Director at the GJEP. Cloudrise is committed to delivering high-value, innovative solutions to its customers in the areas of data protection, automation, and data privacy, while driving opportunities for members and business partners within their community. About Cloudrise Cloudrise was founded by business and security entrepreneurs with experience in global markets, successful start-ups, and Fortune 500 companies. Combining decades of data protection expertise with automation, Cloudrise focuses on securing data wherever it resides. They assist organizations by assessing, enabling, automating, and managing their data protection and privacy programs. At Cloudrise, they are redefining data protection. Cloudrise can be found at www.cloudrise.com or on LinkedIn. Contact Details Cloudrise Jodi Lewis +1 800-917-7619 sales@cloudrise.com Company Website https://cloudrise.com/

March 09, 2021 11:11 AM Central Standard Time

Shares of NHL Players are now available on Jock MKT

Jock MKT

Jock MKT (Jock Market), the company turning sports into a stock exchange, announced the National Hockey League has been added to their platform this week. The announcement marks the fourth league within Jock MKT’s proprietary platform that allows users to buy and sell shares of NFL, NBA, PGA and now NHL athletes in real time for real money. In an NHL “cash market,” Jock MKT users are able to buy virtual shares of star players like Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers or Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals on a nightly basis. Likewise, users can invest in shares of players with more upside, such as the Anaheim Ducks’ Rickard Rakell. In the first NHL cash market on Monday, shares of Rakell increased 640% over the course of the night, from $3.38 to $25 per share, after he netted two goals and one assist. Prior to each night of NHL games, Jock MKT hosts an IPO stage that concludes minutes before the first puck drop. During the IPO, users can bid on shares of players using real cash. When the IPO ends, any Jock MKT user can buy and sell shares with other investors while the games are happening. Users have the option to hold their shares to the end of the night for cash payouts based on fantasy rankings. For a tutorial of how to play, watch this video. “In the world of fantasy sports, I think hockey fans are an underserved community,” said Tyler Carlin, Co-Founder of Jock MKT. “We are thrilled to add the NHL to our nightly lineup of cash markets. We currently have daily NHL and NBA offerings nearly every night, along with PGA happening weekly.” Now approved in 34 states, Jock MKT is one of the fastest growing fantasy sports platforms in the world. Early investors include Isaiah Kacyvenski, a retired eight-year NFL veteran with a Harvard MBA. Kacyvenski is Founding Partner and Managing Director of Will Ventures, an early-stage fund investing at the intersection of sports and technology. Additional investors include Ryan Moore, a current board member of DraftKings and Accomplice founding partner. Headquartered in Boston and launched in 2020, Jock MKT ( JockMKT.com ) is a fantasy gaming platform where users can make real money â every minute, every second, of every game. Inspired by a traditional stock exchange, Jock MKT allows users to buy and sell shares of athletes in real time. Jock MKT was co-founded by Tyler Carlin and investors include Isaiah Kacyvenski, Ryan Moore, Brandon Adams and Alumni Ventures Group. Available in the U.S. in 34 states, Jock MKT offers gaming options for events tied to the NFL, NBA, NHL and PGA Tour. Contact Details Eric PR & Marketing, LLC Eric Nemeth +1 602-502-2793 nemeth@ericpr.com Company Website https://jockmkt.com/

March 09, 2021 10:57 AM Eastern Standard Time

DistroScale Breaks the Barrier to Entry for Streaming TV Channel Creation, Monetization, and Distribution with New DistroTV Platform Services™

DistroTV

DistroScale, a leading media technology company with the industry’s most comprehensive video platform for webs, apps, and streaming, today announced its new DistroTV Platform Services™ unit, aimed at publishers, content creators, video libraries, brands and agencies. This new offering significantly lowers the barrier to market entry for any media brand interested in creating, monetizing, and distributing its own streaming TV channel. “Channel creation used to only be accessible to content owners with big budgets and infrastructure,” said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale, parent company to DistroTV. “Given how quickly streaming evolved from a niche to a standard media consumption platform, we saw a need to create a solution that would reduce any perceived cost, complexity, and risk barriers that were preventing media brands from making the leap to OTT.” With no upfront fees, DistroTV Platform Services offers a comprehensive range of tools necessary to develop and execute successful streaming video platforms, from technical infrastructure and curation to monetization and distribution. 40-plus content brands have piloted the new Platform Services offering including Black Enterprise, which turned to DistroTV Platform Services to transform and monetize its video library into its first ad-supported streaming channel, as well as partners Us Weekly, Lone Star, Best of British TV (BoB TV), Pinoy Box Office (PBO), and more. The new business-to-business unit complements the company’s consumer-facing DistroTV platform, the leading, independent FAST (free, ad-support streaming TV). DistroTV’s growing, multicultural content lineup targets a diverse lineup of independent programming for passionate viewers in the US, Canada, and the UK. DistroTV provides today’s brands an opportunity to build a direct-to-consumer relationship with DistroScale and its network partners. Since its launch in 2019, DistroTV has seen rapid growth concerning its breadth of content and global audience figures. In the last six months, viewership quadrupled and total watch time multiplied eight times over. The platform focuses on building a robust network that delivers news, entertainment, music, sports, and lifestyle programming to audiences globally. “We bring expertise and efficiency to our approach, so that content companies no longer have to invest millions to be ‘streaming-ready’,” said Saini. “Our business model is unique and rooted in a solid and continuously improving technical infrastructure. We assume the risk so our content partners and brands can focus on leveraging our platform to execute their audience objectives. Extending our platform to put the power of streaming in reach of more voices and more content partners is a big part of our mission and equally a big part of why we have built the largest truly independent streaming TV service. Our diverse content line-up resonates with audiences who can’t find what we offer on any other platform.” Through Platform Services, interested media companies, publishers, content creators, video libraries, and brands and agencies can: Create and build a streaming TV strategy. Build, manage, and program linear and VOD streaming channels with a full-featured, cloud-based platform that is both easy to use and affordable. Monetize with dynamic ad insertion technology. This allows media companies, creators, and brands to simply leverage advertising demand and earn revenue from the DistroScale Marketplace, or run their own advertising. Opt for syndicated distribution. DistroTV offers syndicated distribution to make it easy for channel partners to reach tens of millions of new users, with a flexible cost structure that saves thousands as compared to similar services. To learn more on DistroTV Platform Services, visit here. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit https://www.distro.tv or install DistroTV on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS or Android. About DistroTV DistroTV is the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming television service on the market. Launched in 2019 by parent company DistroScale, the platform caters to a multicultural, rapidly expanding, globally-minded audience of passionate viewers in the US, Canada, and UK. Satisfying the growing demand for premium video content in multiple languages, DistroTV delivers premium video content from producers globally across North America, the UK, Bollywood, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, and growing. With more than 150 channels plus thousands of Video on Demand (VOD) shows, DistroTV cultivates content that covers a broad spectrum of topics to connect with people’s passion points around Entertainment, Lifestyle, Sports, News, Documentaries and International Content in live, linear and video-on-demand formats. DistroTV is available on the web, as well as through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and iOS and Android devices. About DistroScale DistroTV is the first direct-to-consumer offering from DistroScale, a technology company founded in 2013 and known for providing a global clientele of thousands of media properties with the industry’s most comprehensive video platform for web, apps, and streaming. DistroScale is an all-in-one solution providing infrastructure, content delivery, curation, analytics and a full suite of monetization options. Video enabled by DistroScale reaches more than 250 million visitors per month. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit www.distro.tv. More information on DistroScale & DistroTV is available at www.distroscale.com. Contact Details Kite Hill PR Mackenzie Gavel +1 631-739-5716 mackenzie@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.distroscale.com

March 09, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

News Release

Statement from Nick Desai: Co-Founder of Heal

Nick Desai

The following is a statement from Nick Desai, Co-Founder of Heal: " It's with great sense of appreciation and high hopes for the future that I announce I've stepped down as CEO of Heal. As I catch my breath from Heal, I am thinking about who's going to create the healthcare solution that is used not by 100,000 or one million, but rather 100 million Americans. In the six years of building Heal and my 30+ year professional career, I know more than anything that education and equal access - especially to Americans who are economically or demographically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities and others who struggle with getting even the most basic healthcare - are desperately needed and my hope is to help improve access to innovations and information that will help them, most of all. It was recently reported that 85% of telehealth users come from households with an income over $150,000 - meaning much work remains in creating truly accessible, effective solutions that are equally and easily available to those who need it most. As of now, I am an entrepreneur again. And, of course, I am an enthusiastic supporter of Heal, its team and mission. I am incredibly proud of what my wife and Co-Founder, Renee, and I built at Heal. We transformed healthcare with innovat ive solutions like doctor house calls, one-touch telehealth and upfront price transparency, that enable better healthcare for all. Looking back and seeing things we invented as industry standard best practices is very gratifying. While my role as CEO has been passed on to my successor Scott Vertrees, Renee remains the Chief Medical Officer of Heal and driving force of Heal's continued innovations and of the excellent, life-changing patient care Heal delivers every day. More than the awards Heal won, or the investors I brought to Heal, such as Lionel Richie, Fidelity, Breyer Capital and Humana, or the 250,000 patients we have served, I am most proud of the dozens of letters, postcards and emails from everyday Americans saying we saved the lives of their parents, kids and loved ones. Thank you to everyone who's contributed to the growth and success of Heal. Looking back, I can barely imagine we went from Renee and I going house to house to Heal being available to nearly 150MM Americans in 11 US States. I look forward to the future and know Heal will continue to do great things as I focus on helping solve more problems impacting healthcare in America." Contact Details NRPR Group Nicole Rodrigues +1 424-421-9610 nicole@nrprgroup.com

March 09, 2021 05:00 AM Pacific Standard Time

CSG to Present at the Sidoti & Co. Virtual Investor Conference

CSG

CSG® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced that the company will present at the Sidoti & Co. Virtual Investor Conference on March 24. The CSG presentation will be held at 4:00pm EST and will feature comments from CSG Chief Executive Officer and President Brian Shepherd. The conference presentation will be available via webcast. You can register and view the webcast here. About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Mediacom, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf, State of California, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contact Details CSG Investor Relations John Rea +1 210-687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

March 09, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Telenor Global Services Selects CSG to Accelerate Its Digital Transformation

CSG

CSG® (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced an extension of their multi-year agreement with Telenor Global Services. As part of the expanded engagement, CSG will deploy its innovative, cloud-based digital wholesale solution suite to simplify and streamline Telenor’s operations. “To enhance customer experience and foster a more efficient business model, our goal is to be fully cloud-based this year,” said Tone Snellingen, chief sales officer, Telenor Global Services. “Using CSG’s digital wholesale solution suite, we can increase quality, speed, and responsiveness for our customers, while driving efficiencies through development and process improvements. Our relationship with CSG will not only help accelerate our digital transformation, but also leverage the cloud to reduce complexities and simplify our network operations.” CSG is shifting Telenor’s on-premise wholesale network to a cloud-based SaaS system that will optimise the operator’s routing, enable hands-on control, increase visibility in its intercarrier business, and lower capital and operating expenditures. In addition, CSG’s digital wholesale solution: • Drives efficiencies and new functionalities: Uses one single point of contact, allowing Telenor to focus on the business of trading and routing traffic while driving efficiencies and providing new functionality. • Grows revenue: Provides full support for origin-based routing and optimised features for network provisioning, positioning Telenor to stay on top of their cost base, grow revenue, and quickly update numbering plans. • Enhances customer experience (CX): CSG will support Telenor in creating bespoke customer products and the ability to react quickly to customer demands for individual routing and pricing. “As Telenor looks to extend its industry leadership, we are excited to leverage our digital wholesale expertise to help them automate their business processes, manage risk, and control costs,” said James Kirby, head of CSG's EMEA business. “We are thrilled to be expanding our 15-year relationship with Telenor by delivering this critical transformation and helping to move their wholesale business into the cloud and into the future.” CSG is a leader in the global communications market with a long-standing track record delivering innovative digital wholesale solutions in disciplines including trading, routing, QoS assurance and inter-carrier billing and settlement. The company serves more than 300 operators and service providers worldwide, including more than half of companies that make up the ITW Global Leaders’ Forum. # # # About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Mediacom, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. About Telenor Telenor Group connects its 182 million customers to what matters most. Connecting the world has been Telenor’s domain for more than 160 years and we currently operate across Scandinavia and Asia. We are committed to responsible business conduct and driven by the ambition of empowering societies. Telenor Global Services is the international communication provider of Telenor Group, connecting countries and offering global reach with managed quality to customers worldwide. We deliver high quality interconnect solutions within Voice, Roaming and Messaging; providing you with the world at hand wherever you are. To learn more please visit www.telenor.com/globalwholesale. Contact Details CSG Global, North America, Asia-Pacific Brad Jones +1 303-200-3001 brad.jones@csgi.com CSG Europe, Middle East, Africa Kristine Østergaard +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com CSG Investor Relations John Rea +1 (210) 687 4409 john.rea@csgi.com Telenor Global Services Anne Gundersen +47 94107894 Anne.gundersen@telenor.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

March 09, 2021 01:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

Agora Data’s Steve Burke Joins The Independent Dealer Podcast Showcasing Innovation in Auto Finance

Agora

Steve Burke, CEO of Agora Data, Inc., joined The Independent Dealer Podcast to talk about his firm’s recent industry-first crowdsourced securitization and the immense positive impact that future Agora crowdsourced securitizations will have on the auto industry and its consumers. During a recent episode, Burke joined the podcast’s hosts Jeff Watson of 4 Seasons Auto Sales and Luke Godwin of Godwin Motors for a 48-minute conversation on how Agora Data is changing the world of auto financing for Buy Here Pay Here auto dealers and smaller finance companies. Burke’s appearance on the show comes on the heels of Agora Data’s developing and executing the auto industry’s first-ever subprime crowdsourced securitization on December 29, 2020. This groundbreaking development in the world of structured finance provides Buy Here Pay Here auto dealers and small to mid-sized finance companies access to affordable capital markets funding. “There is a reason all the big dealers and banks are all in the capital markets,” Burke told Watson and Godwin on the podcast. “Enabling Joe’s Auto Sales with a $3 million portfolio to access the capital markets and be recognized adds an unbelievable number of intangibles and financial value to their dealership including significant growth. Now, the same exact capital that the big box dealers and finance companies have access to is available for Joe’s Auto Sales. AgoraCapital is bringing Wall Street to Main Street.” Prior to Agora, direct access to the capital markets with its more favorable financing terms was limited to only the largest institutional lenders and auto dealers. With Agora’s crowdsourced securitization program, subprime originators of all sizes now have a unique and viable financing option to obtain lower-cost capital with massively favorable terms thereby providing liquidity and fueling growth. In addition, Agora Data also recently announced its latest product offering – AgoraCredit. AgoraCredit was designed to transition originators from their current senior lender into interim credit lines that work in harmony with the AgoraCapital securitization program. AgoraCredit was created with the specific goal of not locking originators into expensive and risky lines of credit, but instead initiating the freedom of providing a smooth glidepath into the world of crowdsourced securitizations. Burke said, “The Independent Dealer Podcast by Jeff Watson and Luke Godwin is a source for independent used car dealers who want to get educated on how to improve their business and their life, and I applaud them for what they do for the dealer community.” Watson and Godwin talk to industry experts and dealers that are doing it right. Podcast #159 – Connecting Your Dealership To Wallstreet Money with Steve Burke is available on Apple, Spotify and where podcasts are found. About Agora Data, Inc Agora is re-inventing auto finance for Buy Here Pay Here dealers and finance companies with a crowdsourcing platform that bridges access to the capital market. Easy to use and analytically robust business tools empower the untapped and diverse portfolios of the BHPH auto market connecting dealers, sub-prime buyers, and capital market lenders with results-driven resources to enhance financial growth. Founded in 2017 by a best-in-class team of top professionals in auto finance and leading data scientists, the company has successfully combined billions in historical loan performance data to develop its AI-Infused predictive loan technology and machine learning models. www.agoradata.com. For more information, please contact Agora at (877) 592-4672 or contactus@agoradata.com. Contact Details Agora Data, Inc. Shelly Vandeven +1 682-282-4130 media@agoradata.com Company Website https://agoradata.com/

March 08, 2021 10:03 AM Eastern Standard Time

China Tower (788.HK) Continued to Consolidate Core Advantages; Strengthened Profitability with Payout Ratio Further Increased to 68%

Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 8 March 2021 - The world's largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider China Tower Corporation Limited ("China Tower", or the "Company") (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2020. Performance Highlights RMB Million 2020 2019 Change Operating revenue 81,099 76,428 6.1% EBITDA 59,527 56,696 5.0% Profit attributable to owners of the Company 6,428 5,222 23.1% Basic earnings per share (RMB yuan) 0.0368 0.0297 23.9% Key operating data Number of tower sites (thousand) 2,023 1,994 1.5% Number of tower tenants (thousand) 3,361 3,239 3.8% Tower tenancy ratio (tower tenants / tower sites) 1.66 1.62 2.5% The Company's revenue maintained stable and healthy growth in 2020 while profitability continued to improve. Our operating revenue for 2020 recorded a 6.1% year-on-year increase to reach RMB81,099 million; our EBITDA [1] amounted to RMB59,527 million, with a 73.4% EBITDA margin [2]. Profit attributable to owners of the Company totaled RMB6,428 million, up by 23.1% over the previous year, with a net profit margin of 7.9%. Our cash flow remained strong while the debt leveraging level was stable and healthy. Net cash generated from operating activities amounted to RMB57,548 million in 2020. Capital expenditures amounted at RMB37,122 million, while our free cash flow [3] reached RMB20,426 million. As of 31 December 2020, our total assets reached RMB337,380 million and interest-bearing liabilities amounted to RMB112,871 million, with a gearing ratio [4] of 36.7%. Aligned with our commitment to providing good returns to our shareholders, the Board of Directors recommends to pay a final dividend of RMB0.02235 (pre-tax) per share for the year ended 31 December 2020, equivalent to a payout ratio of 68% of our annual distributable net profit. Supporting 5G network construction efficiently and maintaining stable growth in TSP business In 2020, in view of the accelerated 5G network deployment and the scaling of 5G construction, we strengthened the market-oriented approach with customer demands and 5G new features in mind. We continued to drive resource sharing by making full use of both existing resources and social resources and stepping up technological and product innovation to drive construction and service model transformation. By accelerating the implementation of our integrated wireless communications coverage solutions, we were able to meet customer demands with cost-effective, intensive and high-performing network coverage solutions. Our competitive advantages in low cost, high efficiency and quality services were further reinforced, supporting the stable growth of our TSP business. As of the end of 2020, we managed a total of 2.023 million tower sites, representing an increase of 29,000 compared to the end of 2019. The number of TSP tenants reached 3.175 million, representing an increase of 112,000 compared to the end of 2019. Our TSP tenancy ratio reached 1.57. With regard to our DAS business, we had covered buildings with a cumulative area of 4,060 million square meters, while high-speed railway tunnels and subway coverage totaled a cumulative length of 12,702 kilometers. In 2020, our TSP business revenue reached RMB76,899 million, or a 3.8% increase year-on-year, among which tower business revenue increased by 2.8% to RMB73,371 million, while DAS business revenue increased by 32.7% to RMB3,528 million. Fostering competitive advantages to accelerate the growth of Two Wings business Developing through sharing and collaboration is our founding principle, which has enabled us to fully leverage our resources and strengths to promote product innovation and better platform operation in key sectors. The Two Wings business maintained a good development momentum and has become important driver for revenue growth and value enhancement. In 2020, the Two Wings business recorded revenue of RMB3,939 million, or a year-on-year increase of 89.4%. The TSSAI business sustained rapid growth. Along with the accelerated pace of informatization across society, we captured timely opportunities to develop two types of services around resource sharing and data information. Targeting key clients in important sectors relating to national economy and peoples' livelihoods, such as environmental protection, forestry, lands, water resources, we enhanced our integrated information service abilities and continued to deliver rapid growth in our TSSAI business. In 2020, revenue generated from our TSSAI business reached RMB3,004 million, or a year-on-year growth of 59.2%. The energy operation business achieved considerable breakthrough in scale. Leveraging the advantage of our site resources and expertise in securing power supply and operation, we have taken proactive steps to expand socialized energy applications and services. In 2020, aligned to our core business segments of battery exchange and power backup, we enhanced our product platform, expanded our customer base and built our brand advantages. While building up our market competitiveness, we achieved initial breakthrough in scale. As of 31 December 2020, we have cumulatively developed 301,000 paid users for our battery exchange services. In 2020, our energy operation business generated revenue of RMB935 million. Mr Tong Jilu, Chairman of China Tower said, "Looking forward, we will seize the opportunities to achieve the goal of building an enterprise with the best potential for growth and value creation. We will continue to uphold our resource sharing to promote stable revenue growth and enhance the value of our Company, and to achieve high-quality development featured 'One Core and Two Wings' strategy." [1] EBITDA is calculated by operating profit plus depreciation and amortization. [2] EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by operating revenue, and multiplying the resulting value by 100%. [3] Free cash flow is the net cash generated from operating activities minus the capital expenditures. [4] Gearing ratio is calculated as net debt divided by the sum of total equity and net debt, then multiplied by 100%. Net debt is calculated as the amount of interest-bearing liabilities minus the amount of cash and cash equivalents. About China Tower Since its incorporation on 15 July 2014, China Tower Corporation Limited ("China Tower") has developed into the world's largest telecommunications tower infrastructure service provider with compelling market advantage under the national strategy of Cyberpower. China Tower was listed on the Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 8 August 2018 (Stock Code: 0788.HK), raising approximately HK$58.8 billion. The Company implements the strategy of "One Core and Two Wings". "One core" refers to the traditional tower business and indoor Distributed Antenna System (DAS) business, which provide services to the TSPs based on site resources; while "Two Wings" refers to the Trans-sector Site Application and Information (TSSAI) business which mainly provides tower site resources and data information services to different industries, as well as energy operation business to satisfy the growing demands on energy services in the society, such as power backup and generation, charging, battery exchange and echelon use of batteries. China Tower adheres to the "sharing" philosophy for business development. It promotes site co-location and provides a wide range of services to fulfill the specific needs of its customers. As of the end of December 2020, the Company's total assets amounted to RMB337,380 million. China Tower operated and managed 2.023 million tower sites across 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the PRC, and served over 3.361 million tenants with the tenancy ratio of 1.66. Contact Details iPR Ogilvy Ltd. Callis Lau / Gary Li / Emily Chiu / Charmaine Siu / Momo Yang +852 2136 6952 chinatower@iprogilvy.com

March 08, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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