Unassociated Document
As filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on December 31, 2009
Registration
No. 333-_____
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
20549
FORM
F-3
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CHINA
NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Translation
of Registrant’s Name into English)
|
|
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British
Virgin Islands
|
|
Not
applicable
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(State
or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation
or Organization)
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(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
9
Dong San Huan Zhong Lu, Suite 1101
Chaoyang
District, Beijing, 100020
P.
R. China
(011)
(8610) 8591-1829
(Address
and Telephone Number of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
George
Kaufman
Chardan
Capital Markets, LLC
17
State Street, Suite 1610
New
York, New York 10004
(646)
465-9015
(Name,
Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)
Copies
to:
Barbara
A. Jones, Esq.
Joel
Rubinstein, Esq.
McDermott
Will & Emery LLP
340
Madison Avenue
New
York, New York 10173
(212)
547-5400
Approximate date of commencement of
proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the
effective date of this registration statement.
If the
only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to
dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨
If any of
the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or
continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, please
check the following box. x
If this
Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule
462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the
Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. ¨________________
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the
Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ¨
________________
If this
Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a
post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with
the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the
following box. ¨
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to
General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional
classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check
the following box. ¨
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of
Securities To Be Registered
|
|
Amount To
Be Registered
|
|
|
Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate Price Per
Security
|
|
|
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price
|
|
|
Amount of
Registration Fee
|
|
Ordinary
shares, par value $0.0001 per share, issuable on exercise
of public warrants(1)
|
|
|
10,464,400 |
|
|
$ |
5.00 |
(2)
|
|
$ |
52,322,000.00 |
|
|
$ |
3,730.56 |
|
Ordinary
shares, par value $0.0001 per share(1)
|
|
|
2,983,488 |
|
|
$ |
1.26 |
(3)
|
|
$ |
3,759,194.88 |
|
|
$ |
268.03 |
|
Insider
warrants, each exercisable for one ordinary share(1)
|
|
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1,820,000 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
Ordinary
shares issuable on the exercise of insider warrants(1)
(2)
|
|
|
1,820,000 |
|
|
$ |
1.26 |
(3)
|
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$ |
2,293,200.00 |
|
|
$ |
163.51 |
|
Units
issuable on the exercise of the Unit Purchase Option
(“UPO”)
|
|
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300,000 |
|
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$ |
10.00 |
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$ |
3,000,000.00 |
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$ |
213.90 |
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Ordinary
shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO(1)
|
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300,000 |
|
|
|
— |
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|
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— |
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|
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(4)
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Warrants
included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO
(1)
|
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300,000 |
|
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— |
|
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— |
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(4)
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Ordinary
shares issuable on exercise of the underlying Warrants included as part of
the units issuable on exercise of the UPO
(1)
|
|
|
300,000 |
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$ |
7.50 |
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$ |
2,250,000.00 |
|
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$ |
160.42 |
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Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
$ |
63,624,394.88 |
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$ |
4,536.42 |
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(1)
|
Pursuant
to Rule 416 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the registration statement
also registers a currently indeterminate number of additional shares of
our ordinary shares that may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from
share splits, share dividends, recapitalizations or other similar
transactions.
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(2)
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Pursuant
to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act, the proposed maximum aggregate
price per security represents the exercise price of the
warrants.
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(3)
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Estimated
solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to
Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act based upon the average high and low
prices of the ordinary shares, as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board on
December 28, 2009.
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(4)
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No
fee due pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Exchange
Act.
|
The
Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as
may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a
further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement
shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the
Securities Act or until the registration statement shall become effective on
such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said
Section 8(a), may determine.
The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These
securities may not be issued until the registration statement filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer
to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these
securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, Dated
December 31, 2009
Prospectus
China
Networks International Holdings Ltd.
10,464,400 Ordinary
Shares
This
prospectus relates to the issuance by us of 10,464,400 ordinary shares, par
value $0.0001 per share, of which:
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•
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8,044,400 are issuable upon
the exercise of outstanding warrants originally issued in an initial
public offering by Alyst Acquisition Corp. (“Alyst”), our immediate
predecessor, pursuant to a prospectus dated June 29, 2007 (the “public
warrants”);
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•
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1,820,000 are issuable upon
the exercise of outstanding insider warrants (the “insider warrants”)
issued by Alyst in a private placement to the original sponsors, officers
and directors of Alyst, and their respective affiliates, and subsequently
transferred to their current holders;
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300,000
are issuable upon exercise of the units
underlying the unit purchase option (the “UPO”), issued by Alyst to the
representatives of the underwriters in Alyst’s initial public offering,
each unit consisting of one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one
ordinary share, at an exercise price of $10.00 per unit;
and |
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|
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300,000
are issuable upon exercise of the warrants included as part of the
units issuable on exercise of the
UPO. |
This
prospectus also relates to the resale by selling security holders
of:
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•
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1,820,000
outstanding insider warrants;
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•
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1,820,000
ordinary shares acquired upon exercise of the insider
warrants;
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•
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2,983,488
ordinary shares acquired or received in connection with the consummation
of our business combination with China Networks Media, Ltd., as described
herein;
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•
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300,000
warrants included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO;
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•
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300,000
ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO; and
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•
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300,000
ordinary shares underlying the warrants issued as part of the units
issuable on exercise of the UPO.
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Each
warrant entitles the holder to purchase one of our ordinary
shares. In order to obtain the shares, the holders of the warrants
must pay an exercise price of $5.00 per share, except in the case of the
warrants underlying the UPO which have an exercise price of $7.50 per
share. We will receive proceeds from the exercise of the warrants but
not from the sale of the underlying ordinary shares. We may redeem
the warrants under certain circumstances at a price of $0.01 per
warrant. The insider warrants are exercisable on a cashless basis if
we call the warrants for redemption and, in such event, we will receive no
proceeds from their exercise.
Our
ordinary shares and warrants are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the
symbols “CNWHF.OB”, and “CHNWF.OB”, respectively. On December 28,
2009, the closing sale prices of the ordinary shares and warrants on the OTC
Bulletin Board were $1.26 per share and $0.03 per warrant.
Investing
in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors”
beginning on page 6 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that
should be considered ordinary before buying our ordinary shares.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or
adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
You
should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We
have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is
different.
The
information contained in this prospectus is correct as of the date of this
prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale
of our ordinary shares. You should be aware that some of this
information may have changed by the time this document is delivered to
you.
China
Networks International Holdings Ltd. is the successor of Alyst and is the
surviving entity from the merger of Alyst and China Networks International
Holdings Ltd. and the parent company of China Networks Media, Ltd.
The date
of this prospectus is ●, 2010 .
INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
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1
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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1
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FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
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2
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PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
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3
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RISK
FACTORS
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6
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THE
OFFERING
|
17
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MARKET
PRICE INFORMATION
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17
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USE
OF PROCEEDS
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18
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CAPITALIZATION
AND INDEBTEDNESS
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18
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DILUTION
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19
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DIVIDENDS
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19
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DESCRIPTION
OF BUSINESS
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20
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DIRECTORS
AND MANAGEMENT
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32
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SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS
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38
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DESCRIPTION
OF SECURITIES
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42
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MATERIAL
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
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47
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PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
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52
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LEGAL
MATTERS
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54
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EXPERTS
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54
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DISCLOSURE
ON COMMISSION POSITION ON SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
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54
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INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The Securities and Exchange Commission,
or SEC, allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with or
submit to it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by
referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be part of this prospectus, and later information filed with or
submitted to the SEC will update and supersede this information. We incorporate
by reference into this prospectus (i) the financial statements of China Networks
Media, Ltd. (formerly known as China Networks Limited) (a development stage
enterprise) as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, for the year ended December 31,
2008, and for the period from March 30, 2007 (inception) to December 31, 2007,
appearing in our Registration Statement on Form S-4, as amended, File No.
333-157026, (ii) the financial statements of PRC TV Stations as at and for the
periods ended December 31, 2008, December 31, 2007, December 31, 2006 and
December 31, 2005, appearing in our Registration Statement on Form S-4, as
amended, File No. 333-157026, (iii) the financial statements of China Networks
Media, Ltd. for the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, appearing in our
Registration Statement on Form S-4, as amended, File No. 333-157026, (iv) the
sections entitled “China Networks Media’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Alyst’s Management’s
Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation,” appearing in our Registration
Statement on Form S-4, as amended, File No. 333-157026, and (v) our Reports on
Form 6-K, filed July 2, 2009 (except for the unaudited pro forma financial
information contained therein), July 8, 2009, July 20, 2009, August 5, 2009,
September 2, 2009 and November 6, 2009 (SEC File No. 001-34395).
This
prospectus may contain information that updates, modifies or is contrary to
information in one or more of the documents incorporated by reference in this
prospectus. Reports we file with or furnish to the SEC after the date
of this prospectus may also contain information that updates, modifies or is
contrary to information in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by
reference in this prospectus. All annual reports on Form 20-F
subsequently filed with the SEC, and any reports on Form 6-K subsequently
furnished to the SEC or portions thereof that we specifically identify in such
Forms 6-K as being incorporated by reference into the registration statement of
which this prospectus is a part, shall be considered to be incorporated into
this prospectus by reference. Investors should review these reports
as they may disclose a change in our business, prospects, financial condition or
other affairs after the date of this prospectus.
You
should rely only upon the information incorporated by reference or provided in
this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized
anyone else to provide you with any other information. You should not
assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is
accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of those
documents.
Upon the written or oral request of any
person, including a beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, we
will provide, at no cost, a copy of any or all of the information that is
incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this
prospectus. Requests should be directed to: China Networks
International Holdings Ltd., c/o Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, 17 State Street,
Suite 1610, New York, New York 10004, (646) 465-9015, Attention: George
Kaufman.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a
registration statement on Form F-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “Securities Act”), with respect to the securities offered by this
prospectus. However, as is permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC,
this prospectus, which is part of our registration statement on Form F-3, omits
certain information, exhibits, schedules and undertakings set forth in the
registration statement. For further information about us, and the
securities offered by this prospectus, please refer to the registration
statement.
We are subject to the reporting
requirements of the Exchange Act that are applicable to a foreign private
issuer. In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; as
amended (the “Exchange Act”), we file reports with the SEC, including annual
reports on Form 20-F which are required to be filed within six months following
our fiscal year end. Our fiscal year end is December 31 of each
year. We also furnish to the SEC under cover of Form 6-K material
information required to be made public in the British Virgin Islands, filed with
and made public by any stock exchange or automated quotation system or
distributed by us to our shareholders. As a foreign private issuer,
we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing
and content of proxy statements to shareholders. In addition, our
officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the “short-swing
profits” reporting and liability provisions contained in Section 16 of the
Exchange Act and related Exchange Act rules.
The registration statement on Form F-3
of which this prospectus forms a part, including the exhibits and schedules
thereto, and reports and other information filed by us with the SEC may be
inspected without charge and copied at prescribed rates at the SEC’s Public
Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20549. Copies of this material are also available by mail from the
Public Reference Section of the SEC, at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington D.C.
20549, at prescribed rates. The public may obtain information on the
operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains
reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding
issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC ( www.sec.gov
).
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
prospectus contains and/or incorporates by reference “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts and
are based on current projections about operations, industry conditions,
financial condition and liquidity. Words such as “may,” “should,” “plan,”
“predict,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,”
“believe,” “may impact,” “on track,” and words and terms of similar substance
identify forward-looking statements. Any statements that refer to expectations,
projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances,
including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These
statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results could
differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking
statements.
Among the
factors that could cause our actual results in the future to differ materially
from any opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods are
competitive industry conditions, general economic conditions, risks relating to
our operations in China and various other factors set forth under the heading
“Risk Factors.” We operate in a continually changing business
environment, and new factors emerge from time to time. We cannot
predict such factors or assess the impact, if any, of such factors on our
financial positions or results of operations. Accordingly, you are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date of
such statement.
All
subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning our business
or other matters addressed in this prospectus and attributable to us or any
person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the
cautionary statements contained or referred to in this
section. Except to the extent required by applicable law or
regulation, we do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions
or updates to such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, further developments or otherwise.
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights information contained in other parts of, or incorporated by
reference in, this prospectus. Because this is a summary, it is not
complete and it does not contain all of the information that you should consider
before investing. You should read this entire prospectus carefully,
including the information incorporated by reference herein, especially the risks
described under the caption “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and
related notes included herein, before making an investment
decision.
As
used in this section, “we”, “us”, “our”, “CNIH”, the “Company” and words of
similar import refer to China Networks International Holdings Ltd. and, except
where the context otherwise requires, our subsidiary, China Networks Media,
Ltd., a private British Virgins Islands company with limited liability, which we
individually refer to herein as “China Networks.”
Our
Company
We
were incorporated in Delaware on August 16, 2006 as Alyst Acquisition Corp.
(“Alyst”) in order to serve as a vehicle for the acquisition of an operating
business in any industry, with a focus on the telecommunications industry,
through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar
business combination. Our initial shareholders purchased 1,750,000
shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), in a
private placement. On July 5, 2007, Alyst consummated its initial
public offering (“IPO”) of 8,044,400 of its units (“Units”). Each
Unit consisted of one share of Common Stock and one warrant to purchase one
share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per
share. Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, Alyst (i)
consummated a private placement of 1,820,000 warrants to the original sponsors,
officers and directors, and certain of their affiliates, of Alyst, each warrant
entitled upon exercise to one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of
$5.00 per share, and (ii) issued to the representatives of the underwriters in
the IPO an option to purchase 300,000 of its units (the “UPO”) at an exercise
price of $10.00 per unit. The units issuable upon exercise of the UPO
are identical to the Units, except that the exercise price of the underlying
warrants is $7.50 per share.
On June 25, 2009, we completed a
business combination pursuant to which Alyst merged with and into CNIH, its
wholly-owned subsidiary, to effect its redomestication to the British Virgin
Islands. On June 26, 2009, China Networks Merger Co., Ltd., our
wholly-owned British Virgin Islands subsidiary, merged with and into China
Networks, resulting in China Networks becoming our wholly-owned
subsidiary. We refer to the foregoing transactions herein as the
Business Combination, and the merger agreement pursuant to which the Business
Combination was consummated as the Merger Agreement. CNIH and its
subsidiary, China Networks, are the surviving entities of the Business
Combination.
Upon consummation of the Business
Combination, CNIH had outstanding 12,773,688 ordinary shares, par value $0.0001
per share, 9,864,400 warrants, and the UPO for 300,000 units, each unit
containing one ordinary share and one warrant.
On a
pro forma basis, giving effect to the joint venture acquisition of the
advertising operations of the PRC TV stations in Kunming and Taiyuan as if they
had occurred on January 1, 2007, China Networks had combined audited carve-out
revenue for the years ending 2007 and 2008 of approximately $17.7 million and
$17.4 million, respectively, with net income of approximately $12.4 million and
$8.9 million, respectively. As a combined entity, China Networks’ three-year
compound annual growth rate, as measured by revenues, was 8.4% for
2006-2008.
China
Networks’ strategy is to replicate this operating partnership model and seek
other such joint venture partnership opportunities in other regions in the PRC
and then introduce operating efficiencies and increase service offerings across
its network of local joint venture companies. These efficiencies are expected to
include reducing the costs associated with advertising delivery and designing
more effective incentive structures to drive sales. In addition, China Networks
is considering establishing strategic relationships with advertising agencies
with an objective of exploiting unsold advertising inventory.
We are a foreign private issuer as
defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Our business is
administered from the PRC, which is where our sole operations currently
are. Our principal executive offices are located at 9 Dong San Huan
Zhong Lu, Suite 1101, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100020, P. R. China and our
telephone number is (011) (8610) 8591-1829. We are currently
developing an active website.
Public
Shareholders’ Warrants
As of the
effective time of the Business Combination, there were 8,044,400 public warrants
outstanding. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one
ordinary share. In order to obtain the shares, the holders of the warrants must
pay an exercise price of $5.00 per share. The warrants are exercisable and will
expire on June 28, 2011, unless earlier redeemed. We may redeem the
warrants at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior
written notice of redemption if, and only if, the last sale price of our
ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 per share for any 20 trading days
within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the
notice of redemption.
Insider
Warrants
In
connection with its IPO, Alyst issued 1,820,000 insider warrants to its
sponsors, directors and officers, and certain of their affiliates, in a private
placement. Such warrants became exercisable into ordinary shares
after September 27, 2009, the date that is 90 days after consummation of the
Business Combination. The insider warrants have terms and provisions
that are identical to the public warrants, except that they may be exercised on
a cashless basis if the warrants are redeemed at our option under the same
conditions applicable to the public warrant holders and, at such time, are held
by the initial holders.
Ordinary
Shares
In connection with the consummation of
the Business Combination: (i) the former class A preferred shareholders of China
Networks received one ordinary share of CNIH for each class A preferred share of
China Networks for an aggregate of 980,000 ordinary shares; and (ii) the
representatives of the underwriters in Alyst’s IPO received an aggregate of
253,488 ordinary shares in lieu of payment of certain fees. The
1,750,000 ordinary shares held by the former Alyst insiders are subject to a
stock escrow agreement entered into at the time of issuance in 2006 and, unless
such restrictions are modified or waived, such shares are not transferrable
until the earlier or June 19, 2010, the date that is 12 months following the
consummation of the Business Combination, or the consummation of a merger,
business combination, liquidation or similar transaction (subsequent to the
Business Combination) which results in all of our shareholders having the right
to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other
property.
UPO
In connection with Alyst’s IPO, an
option to purchase up to a total of 300,000 units was issued to representatives
of the underwriters, for $100. The units issuable upon exercise of
the option are identical to the units issued to the public in the IPO, except
that the exercise price of the underlying warrants is $7.50 per
share.
Shares Offered by the
Company Upon Exercise of Outstanding Warrants
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|
10,464,400
ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of
which:
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|
|
|
|
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•
|
8,044,400
shares are issuable upon the exercise of outstanding public warrants
originally issued in an initial public offering by Alyst pursuant to a
prospectus dated June 29, 2007; |
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|
|
|
|
|
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•
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1,820,000
shares are issuable upon the exercise of outstanding insider warrants
originally issued in a private placement in connection with Alyst’s
initial public offering; |
|
|
|
|
|
|
•
|
300,000
are issuable upon exercise of the units
underlying the unit purchase option (the “UPO”), issued by Alyst to the
representatives of the underwriters in Alyst’s initial public offering,
each unit consisting of one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one
ordinary share, at an exercise price of $10.00 per unit;
and |
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|
|
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•
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300,000
are issuable upon exercise of the warrants included as part of the units
issuable on exercise of the UPO. |
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Securities
Offered for Resale by Selling Securityholders
|
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1,820,000
outstanding insider warrants;
|
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|
|
|
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300,000
warrants included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO;
and
|
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5,403,488
ordinary shares, of which:
|
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|
|
|
|
|
·
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1,820,000
shares are issuable upon exercise of the insider
warrants;
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2,983,488
shares were acquired or received in connection with the consummation of
the Business Combination;
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300,000
ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO; and
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300,000
ordinary shares underlying the warrants included as part of the units
issuable on exercise of the UPO.
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Warrant Exercise
Price
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$5.00
per share, except for each warrant underlying the UPO which is $7.50 per
share. The insider warrants may be exercised on a cashless
basis if we call the warrants for redemption.
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Ordinary Shares Outstanding as
of December 28, 2009
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12,927,888
ordinary shares.
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Ordinary Shares to be
Outstanding Assuming Exercise of All of the Outstanding Public and Insider
Warrants
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23,392,288
ordinary shares.
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Use of
Proceeds
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We
will receive up to an aggregate of $54,572,000 from the exercise of the
public warrants, insider warrants, UPO and warrants underlying the UPO, if
they are exercised in full and no warrants are exercised on a cashless
basis. We expect that any net proceeds from the exercise of
these securities will be used for general corporate
purposes. We will not receive any proceeds from the resale of
any of the securities covered by this prospectus.
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OTC
Bulletin Board Trading Symbols:
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Ordinary
Shares
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CNWHF.OB.
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Warrants
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CHNWF.OB.
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Please
see “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 of this prospectus.
You
should consider carefully the following risk factors as well as other
information in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus
before investing in any of our securities. If any of the following risks
actually occur, our business, operating results and financial condition could be
adversely affected. This could cause the market price of our securities to
decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks
Related to Our Business and Industry
Our
business substantially depends on the television stations that China Networks
partners with.
Through our subsidiary, China Networks,
we provide broadcast television services in the People’s Republic of China
(‘‘PRC’’), operating in partnership with two local state-owned enterprises
(‘‘SOE’’) in the cities of Kunming and Taiyuan which have been authorized by the
PRC government to control the distribution of broadcast TV services
(collectively, “PRC TV Stations”). China Networks relies heavily on
its access to advertising time slots on the PRC TV Stations to broadcast
clients’ advertisements. Any unfavorable change in the PRC TV
Stations’ advertising model, any changes that adversely affect their market
position or any limitation on China Networks’ access to desired television
advertising time slots would materially adversely affect its results of
operations and financial position.
The PRC
TV Stations are the sole television networks for which China Networks currently
sells advertising time and are owned by the Chinese government. As a
result, the PRC TV Stations enjoy certain favorable governmental support that
might not be available to privately owned networks. For example, the government
mandates that the PRC TV Stations be broadcast in their local
regions. The PRC TV Stations also face increasing competition from
other regional and national television networks that strive to offer more
attractive television programs to compete with the PRC TV Stations for
television audiences. If the PRC TV Stations fail to compete successfully
against these other networks, they may lose market share. Any changes that could
potentially erode the PRC TV Stations’ market position, such as relaxation of
media control by the government or inadequate response to competition from other
networks by the PRC TV Stations, could in turn reduce the attractiveness of
China Networks’ advertising offerings and materially adversely affect its
results of operations and financial position.
Television
advertising in China faces significant competition from existing and new
competitors, and if we do not compete successfully against them, we may lose
market share and our profitability may be materially harmed.
The
advertising industry in China is intensely competitive and highly
fragmented. We compete with other industry participants mainly on the
basis of service quality, available advertising time slots, price, reputation
and relationships with television networks. China Networks faces significant
competition in selling advertising space to advertisers and their advertising
agencies mainly from other media sales companies that have dedicated
relationships to particular PRC TV Stations and/or companies that broker
timeslots from those stations. At the national level, these include such
companies as SinoMedia Holding Limited, Walk-on Advertising Co. Ltd., China Mass
Media International Advertising Corporation and Charm Communication Group. At
the local level, China Networks competes with other local television stations in
the region on the basis of desirability of time slots offered, television
network coverage, service quality, brand name and pricing.
In
addition, in securing further media resources through joint venture or other
contractual relationships, we face competition from other media sales companies
and/or advertising agencies who could become our competitors for media resources
on other stations. We also face competition from new entrants in the
television advertising sector, including the wholly foreign-owned advertising
companies that have been allowed to operate in China since December 2005, which
exposes us to increased competition from advertising media companies with
greater financial and other resources than us.
Television
advertising in China competes against other forms of advertising media and
advancing technology, and if we do not adapt successfully, we it may lose market
share and our profitability may be materially harmed.
Television
advertising, upon which we depend for our business, competes with other forms of
advertising media for overall advertising spending, such as
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indoor
or outdoor flat panel displays,
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public
transport advertising.
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According
to ZenithOptimedia, advertising spending in media other than television
collectively accounted for approximately 60.7% of total advertising spending in
China in 2007. In particular, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as
an alternative advertising medium among advertisers.
In
addition, technology in television, video, data services and other media used in
the entertainment industry is changing rapidly, and advances in technology have
led to alternative methods of content delivery and storage, including in the
case of cable television, a significantly expanded menu of channel offerings.
Certain changes in the behavior of television viewers driven by these methods of
delivery and storage could have a negative effect on television advertising
revenues. For example, devices that enable users to view television programs on
a time-delayed basis or allow them to fast-forward or skip advertisements may
cause changes in consumer behavior that could adversely affect the advertising
revenues of television networks and China Networks’ results of
operations.
Advertising
clients periodically review and change their advertising or marketing models and
strategies, and if we fail to adapt quickly to such changes, we may be unable to
attract advertisers and increase the demand for our services.
Advertising
service contracts with clients are generally entered into on a short-term and
non-exclusive basis. A client’s decision to place its advertisements with China
Networks is affected by a number of factors, including:
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the
desirability of time slots it offers on the relevant PRC TV
Stations;
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the
extent of television network coverage
provided;
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the
service packages and pricing structure offered;
and
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the
client’s perception of the effectiveness and quality of its
services.
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If China Networks fails to retain its
existing clients or increase advertisers’ awareness and utilization of its
services, or to formulate attractive service packages and pricing structures to
attract new clients, demand for our services will not grow and may even
decrease. Advertisers might be unwilling to seek time slots from China Networks
or to pay the levels of advertising fees it requires to generate profits, which
could materially and adversely affect our ability to increase revenues and
profitability.
China
Networks has a very limited operating history, which may make it difficult for
you to evaluate our business, financial performance and prospects.
In 2008,
China Networks established certain equity joint ventures with PRC TV Stations
through its wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiary, Advertising Networks Ltd.
(“ANT”). ANT established an equity joint venture under the name of Shanxi Yellow
River and Advertising Networks Cartoon Technology Co., Ltd. (“Taiyuan JV”) with
China Yellow River TV Station in Shanxi Province in June 2008; and ANT
established an equity joint venture under the name Kunming Taishi Information
Cartoon Co., Ltd. (“Kunming JV”) with Kunming TV Station in Yunnan Province in
July 2008 (Taiyuan JV and Kunming JV are collectively referred to as the “JV
Tech Cos”). The respective historical operating results of the
Kunming and Taiyuan TV stations’ advertising operations may not provide a
meaningful basis for evaluating China Networks’ business, financial
performance and prospects, particularly in view of the fact that the networks
comprising the operations of China Networks have historically been operated
independently.
China
Networks also faces numerous risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties
frequently encountered by companies at an early stage of development. Some of
these risks and uncertainties relate to its ability to:
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develop
new customers or new business from existing
customers;
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expand
the technical sophistication of the products it
offers;
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respond
effectively to competitive pressures;
and
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attract
and retain qualified management and
employees.
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We cannot
predict whether we will meet internal or external expectations regarding future
performance. If we are not successful in addressing these risks and
uncertainties, our business, operating results and financial condition may be
materially adversely affected.
China
Networks may encounter difficulties in expanding into other regional television
networks, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
One
important element of our strategy is to expand our presence into other regional
television networks. Implementation of this strategy will be subject to many
risks, including, but not limited to, the following:
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China
Networks has no track record in obtaining advertisement resources from
other regional television networks;
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There
is expected to be intense competition from advertising companies that are
already well-established in those
markets;
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China
Networks may not be able to accurately assess and adjust to the consumer
tastes, preferences and demands in the relevant regional markets;
and
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We
may not be able to generate enough revenue to offset our
costs.
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These and
other risks may make our expansion into other regional television networks
unsuccessful. In addition, implementing this strategy may require us to devote
significant resources to promoting advertising time slots on such regional
television networks, which may divert management’s attention from our existing
business. If China Networks is not successful in expanding into other regional
television networks, our business, financial condition and results of operations
may be materially and adversely affected.
We
will need additional capital to fund the growth of our business and meet our
existing financial obligations, and may not be able to secure needed capital on
acceptable terms or at all.
Capital
requirements are difficult to plan in the rapidly changing advertising
industry. We have significant outstanding obligations resulting from
the Business Combination, including in relation to China Networks’ partnerships
in China. We will require significant sums from our operations or
third parties to meet these obligations, unless we are able to restructure some
or all of our obligations on acceptable terms. In addition, we will
need additional capital to grow our business and expand our operations in
China. For example, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt
securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of convertible debt securities
or additional equity securities could result in additional dilution to our
shareholders. Furthermore, if we incur more debt, we will be liable for
increased debt service costs and might have to agree to operating and financing
covenants that would restrict our operations and liquidity.
Our
ability to obtain additional capital on commercially acceptable terms is subject
to significant risks and uncertainties, including:
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investors’
perception of, and demand for, our
securities;
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prevailing
conditions in the global financial and capital markets in
which we will seek to raise funds;
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the
future results of operations, financial condition and cash flows of China
Networks;
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PRC
governmental regulation of foreign investment in advertising companies in
China;
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PRC
governmental policies relating to foreign exchange;
and
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economic,
political and other conditions in
China.
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Any
failure to raise additional funds when needed, or to restructure existing
obligations, could limit our ability to expand or develop our operations to
respond to market demand or competitive challenges.
Our
business may be adversely affected by unforeseen events or natural disasters
that are beyond our control, such as the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan
Province, or the global financial crisis.
Our
business may be adversely affected by certain events, natural disasters beyond
our control, such as the magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Sichuan Province
in May 2008, or the global financial crisis. Many television stations in
China significantly changed their programming after the earthquake to broadcast
developments and rescue operations relating to the earthquake. All television
channels in China ceased to broadcast any advertisements during a three-day
national mourning period from May 19, 2008 to May 21, 2008. Certain television
advertisements with content that was deemed to be inappropriate for broadcast
during coverage of this tragic event were suspended in May and June 2008. Such
unforeseen natural disasters may adversely affect advertisement spending of our
clients which in turn may adversely affect our sales and results of
operations.
China
Networks may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may
be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.
China
Networks places advertisements provided by advertising clients on television. In
doing so, it may employ information, software programs, technology or equipment
supplied by other parties, to which such parties may not have intellectual
property rights. Some of its existing contracts with advertising clients do not
provide indemnity for any intellectual property infringement claims relating to
the advertisements provided. We cannot be certain that our operations
or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon patents,
copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. Although
we are not aware of any such claims, we may become subject to legal proceedings
and claims from time to time relating to the intellectual property rights of
others. If we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of
others, we:
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may
be subject to liability for infringement activities or may be prohibited
from using such intellectual
property;
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may
incur licensing fees or be forced to develop
alternatives;
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may
incur significant expenses; and
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may
be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our
business and operations to defend against these third-party infringement
claims, regardless of their merits.
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Successful infringement or licensing
claims may result in significant monetary liabilities and may materially disrupt
China Networks’ business and operations by restricting or prohibiting the use of
the intellectual property in question.
ANT
is currently in default under its equity joint venture contract with Kunming TV
Station, and, if an agreement is not reached to extend ANT’s payment obligations
under such contract, the Kunming JV may terminate, which may materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operation.
In May 2008, ANT entered into an Equity
Joint Venture Contract Of Kunming Taishi Information Cartoon Co., Ltd. with
Kunming TV Station (the “Kunming Agreement”), pursuant to which ANT was
obligated to make a capital contribution in the amount of approximately $11
million to the Kunming JV on July 17, 2009. ANT has failed to make
such payment and, pursuant to the terms of the Kunming Agreement, it is possible
Kunming TV Station may declare ANT to be in breach of the agreement and dissolve
the Kunming JV. Although we are currently in negotiations with
Kunming TV Station to amend the Kunming Agreement and extend ANT’s payment
obligations, there is no assurance that any such agreement will be
reached. A termination of the Kunming JV, and any liability, if any,
resulting from a breach of the Kunming Agreement, may materially and adversely
affect our business, financial condition and results of operation. In
addition, a termination could make it more difficult to obtain financing from
other sources in the future.
China
Networks is currently faced with a lawsuit from one of our noteholders, the
litigation and outcome of which may be detrimental to our financial
condition.
On
September 3, 2009, Alpha Capital Anstalt, one of our noteholders and selling
shareholders, filed a complaint against China Networks in the Supreme Court of
the State of New York, County of New York, alleging that China Networks
defaulted on a promissory note made by China Networks and payable to Alpha
Capital in the principal amount of $999,650. The complaint alleges
that the note was payable in full, together with all accrued interest, on July
10, 2009, which represents the tenth business day following the closing of the
Business Combination. The complaint seeks damages in the amount of
$1,168,591, which represents the principal and accrued interest due and owing as
of August 24, 2009, plus a late fee in the amount of $55,647 with interest
accruing thereafter at a rate of 12% per annum. Although we are
currently working with Alpha Capital to reach an agreement outside of court,
there is no assurance that such an agreement will be reached and it is possible
that Alpha Capital will continue to litigate this matter in court. An adverse
judgment would be detrimental to our financial condition. In
addition, the pendency of the claim brought against China Networks, with or
without merit, could make it more difficult to obtain financing from other
sources in the future.
We
depend on the services of key personnel, in particular Mr. Li Shuangqing, our
chairman and chief executive officer, and our business and growth prospects may
be severely disrupted if we lose his services.
Mr. Li
Shuangqing, our chairman and chief executive officer, has led China Networks
since its establishment. Our business and operations depend to a significant
extent on his business vision, industry expertise, experience with business
operations and management skills, as well as his relationships with television
stations, many key clients and employees. We do not maintain key-man life
insurance for Mr. Li Shuangqing. If he becomes unable or unwilling to
continue in his present position, it may not be possible to replace him in a
timely manner or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our
business and growth prospects.
If
we fail to maintain an effective and adequate sales and marketing team, our
sales and revenues could materially decrease.
China
Networks depends on its sales personnel to increase advertisers’ awareness,
acceptance and utilization of its services, which are crucial to our revenues,
business and growth. China Networks currently has 23 employees directly engaged
in sales. Consistent with the industry norm, China Networks typically
experiences a high turnover rate among sales personnel, and there can be no
assurance that our current sales personnel will remain effective or
loyal. We face intense competition for experienced sales personnel
both from direct competitors and other advertising and media companies.
Furthermore, we will need to continue expanding our sales force if our business
continues to grow. We may not be able to hire, retain, integrate or
motivate an adequate number of qualified new sales personnel as we grow our
business, which could disrupt our business and cause revenues to materially
decrease.
The
independent auditor’s opinion on China Networks’ financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2008 includes an explanatory paragraph to their audit
opinion stating that there are certain conditions that raise substantial doubt
about China Networks’, and therefore our, ability to continue as a going
concern.
Our
continued operations are contingent on our ability to raise additional capital
and obtain financing and success in future operations. If we do not acquire
sufficient additional funding or alternative sources of capital to meet our
working capital, we may have to substantially curtail our operations and
business plan. If we do not achieve sufficient revenues to meet our future
obligations, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain
a credit facility. We may be unable to obtain additional financing using any of
these methods. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern. However, the financial statements for China
Networks do not include any adjustments that might result if we are unable to
continue our business. The report of China Networks’ independent auditors for
the year ended December 31, 2008 states that China Networks’ incurrence of net
loss, working capital deficit and dependence on borrowings from related parties
raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Until
such time we receive additional debt or equity financing, there is a risk that
our auditors will continue to include a going concern provision in their
reports.
Risks
Relating to China Networks’ Structure
China
Networks exercises voting and economic control over Hetong pursuant to
contractual agreements among the Hetong shareholders, the JV Tech Cos and ANT
that may not be as effective as direct ownership.
As a
result of the contractual agreements entered into between ANT and the
shareholders of Hetong, ANT controls and is considered the primary beneficiary
of Hetong, and is entitled to consolidate the financial results of Hetong, which
includes Hetong’s 50% economic interest in the financial results of Kunming
Kaishi Advertising Co., Ltd. and Taiyuan Guangwang Hetong Advertising Co., Ltd.
(collectively, the “JV Ad Cos”). While the terms of these contractual agreements
are designed to minimize the operational impact of governmental regulation of
the media, cultural and telecommunications industries in the PRC, and provide
ANT with voting control and the economic interests associated with the
stockholders’ equity interest in Hetong, they are not accorded the same status
at law as direct ownership of Hetong and may not be as effective in providing
and maintaining control over Hetong as direct ownership. For
example:
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ANT
may not be able to take control of Hetong upon the occurrence of certain
events, such as the imposition of statutory liens, judgments, court
orders, death or incapacity.
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If
the PRC government proposes new laws or amends current laws that are
detrimental to the contractual agreements with Hetong, such changes may
effectively eliminate China Networks’ control over the Hetong and its
ability to consolidate the JV Tech Cos and the JV Ad
Cos.
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If
the shareholders of Hetong fail to perform as required under those
contractual agreements, ANT will have to rely on the PRC legal system to
enforce those agreements and there is no guarantee that it will be
successful in an enforcement
action.
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Furthermore,
if China Networks or ANT were found to be in violation of any existing PRC laws
or regulations, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion
to deal with such violation, including, but not limited to the
following:
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confiscating
income; and/or
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requiring
a restructuring of ownership or
operations.
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The
agreements that establish the structure for operating China Networks’ business
may result in the relevant PRC government regulators revoking or refusing to
renew JV Tech Cos respective operating permits.
JV Tech
Cos obtained exclusive operating rights by entering into exclusive cooperation
agreements with PRC TV Stations who are 100% owned by different levels of
branches of the Chinese State Administration for Radio, Film and Television
(“SARFT”) in Kunming and Taiyuan municipality. PRC TV Stations enjoy the right
to provide broadcast television services in their territories. Any
foreign-invested enterprise incorporated in the PRC is prohibited from
conducting a business that involves the transmission of broadcast television or
the provision of cable access services. China Networks’ contractual arrangements
with Hetong and its shareholders provide it with the economic benefits of the JV
Ad Cos. If SARFT determines that its control over Hetong, or relationship with
the JV Ad Cos through those contractual arrangements, is contrary to their
generally restrictive approach towards foreign participation in the PRC
broadcast television industry, there can be no assurance that SARFT will not
reconsider JV Ad Cos’ eligibility to hold exclusive rights to provide
advertising services to PRC TV Stations. If that were to happen, China Networks
might have to discontinue all or a substantial portion of its business pending
the approval of exclusive service and operating rights on the required operating
permit held by PRC TV Stations. In addition, if China Networks is found to be in
violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, the relevant
regulatory authorities, including the SARFT, would have broad discretion in
dealing with such violation, including:
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confiscating
its income,
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revoking
the business licenses or operating licenses of its PRC affiliates and PRC
TV Stations,
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requiring
China Networks to restructure the relevant ownership structure or
operations, and
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requiring
it to discontinue all or any portion of its
operations.
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Any of
these actions could cause significant disruption to its business operations and
may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Risks
Relating to the People’s Republic of China
Adverse
changes in economic policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse
effect on the overall economic growth of the PRC, which could reduce the demand
for our services and materially adversely affect our business.
All of
our assets are located in, and all of our revenue is sourced from, the PRC.
Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects will be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and
social conditions in the PRC generally and by continued economic growth in the
PRC as a whole.
The PRC
economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects,
including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth
rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC
government has implemented measures since the late 1970s emphasizing the
utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduced state ownership of
productive assets and the established of improved corporate governance in
business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in the PRC is
still owned by the PRC government. In addition, the PRC government continues to
play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing
industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over
the PRC’s economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling
payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and
providing preferential treatment to particular industries or
companies.
While the
PRC economy has experienced significant growth over the past decade, growth has
been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The
PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and
guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall
PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on our business. For
example, our operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected
by government control over capital investments or changes in applicable tax
regulations.
The
Chinese government could change its policies toward, or even nationalize,
private enterprise, which could reduce or eliminate the interests held in China
Networks.
Over the
past several years, the Chinese government has pursued economic reform policies,
including the encouragement of private economic activities and decentralization
of economic regulation. The Chinese government may not continue to pursue these
policies or may significantly alter them to China Networks’ detriment from time
to time without notice. Changes in policies by the Chinese government that
result in a change of laws, regulations, their interpretation, or the imposition
of high levels of taxation, restrictions on currency conversion or imports and
sources of supply could materially and adversely affect China Networks’ business
and operating results. The nationalization or other expropriation of private
enterprises by the Chinese government could result in the total loss of our’
investment in China.
Uncertainties
in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit
the legal protections available to you and our business.
The PRC
legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law
systems, it is a system in which legal decisions have limited value as
precedents. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive
system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The
overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly
increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector
investment in the PRC. These laws and regulations change frequently, and their
interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. For example, we may have
to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal
protections that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC
administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting
and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to
evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of
legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These
uncertainties may also impede our ability to enforce our contracts. As a result,
these uncertainties could materially adversely affect our business and
operations.
We
may become subject to government actions due to our advertising content, which
may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of
operations.
PRC
advertising laws and regulations require advertisers, advertising distributors
and advertising service providers, such as China Networks, to ensure that the
content of the advertisements prepared or distributed are fair, accurate and in
full compliance with applicable laws. Violation of these laws or regulations may
result in penalties, including:
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confiscation
of advertising fees,
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orders
to cease disseminating the advertisements,
and
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orders
to publish public announcements to correct the misleading
information.
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In
circumstances involving serious violations, the PRC government may revoke a
license to operate an advertising business. In addition, such noncompliance
can constitute a violation of criminal law and criminal proceedings could be
brought as a result.
Under the
relevant PRC regulations, China Networks is required to independently review and
verify the content of a client’s advertisement for compliance and to confirm
that any required government review has been performed and that all necessary
approvals have been obtained. In addition, for advertising content related to
certain types of products, such as tobacco, alcohol, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals
and medical instruments, China Networks is required to confirm that the
advertisers have obtained requisite government approvals relating to their
operations, including the advertisers’ operating qualifications and proofs of
quality inspection. Under contracts with advertising clients, advertisers are
responsible for obtaining any PRC government approvals or licenses required for
their advertisements and providing China Networks with proof of such approvals
or licenses prior to it placing its clients’ advertisements. While China
Networks ensures advertising content is reviewed for compliance with relevant
PRC laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that each advertisement
placed is in compliance with the relevant PRC laws and regulations or that the
supporting documentation and government approvals provided by advertising
clients are true and complete. Any failure to conduct such review may subject
China Networks to governmental inspections or actions.
Governmental
proceedings may harm our reputation and may divert significant amounts of
management’s time and other resources. It may be difficult and expensive to
defend against such proceedings. There can be no assurance that we would
successfully defend such claims, and if we fail to do so we would have to bear
the costs of all such actions as well as any fines imposed. In addition, some of
our existing contracts with advertising clients do not provide China Networks
with any indemnity from its clients for claims relating to advertising content.
As a result of the foregoing, any governmental proceedings brought could have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
Under
the PRC’s Enterprise Income Tax Law, it is unclear whether CNIH and China
Networks will be classified as “resident enterprises” or “non-resident
enterprises” of China. Depending on the classification, there could be certain
unfavorable tax consequences to CNIH and China Networks and our non-PRC
shareholders.
On March
16, 2007, the National People’s Congress approved and promulgated a new tax law,
the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (the “EIT Law”) which took effect on January
1, 2008. The EIT
Law and its implementation rules are relatively recent developments in the PRC
and are ambiguous in terms of definitions, requirements and procedures. There is
also a dearth of published official guidance with respect to the EIT Law, which
makes it difficult at this stage to determine how the PRC tax authorities will
interpret the provisions of the law and its implementing rules with respect to
certain of the tax matters addressed below.
Pursuant
to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, enterprises established outside the
PRC whose actual management or control is located in the PRC can be considered
“resident enterprises” for purposes of the EIT Law. According to the
implementation rules of the EIT Law, “management” generally refers to the person
or body of persons that exercises substantial and overall management and control
over the manufacturing and business-operations, personnel, accounting and
properties of an enterprise. Our management is located in the PRC and is
expected to remain located in the PRC in the future. Therefore, it is likely
that China Networks and potentially CNIH could be considered “resident
enterprises” by the PRC tax authorities. As indicated above, it is unclear as to
how the PRC tax authorities will ultimately determine tax residency based on the
facts of each case.
If the
PRC tax authorities determine that CNIH or China Networks is a “resident
enterprise” for purposes of the EIT Law:
|
·
|
Such
company would be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25
percent (the “EIT”) on its worldwide
income;
|
|
·
|
Such
company would be liable for the EIT on dividends it receives from
subsidiaries unless such company is a “qualifying resident enterprise” and
the dividend it receives is attributable to direct investment in another
“qualifying resident enterprise” that is paying the dividend (it is
unclear whether CNIH or China Networks would qualify as a “qualifying
resident enterprise” in light of uncertainties of interpretation and lack
of official guidance);
|
|
·
|
Such
company may be required to withhold a 10 percent PRC withholding tax on
dividends it pays to non-resident enterprise shareholders (subject to
possible reduction under an applicable income tax treaty);
and
|
|
·
|
Gains
derived by non-resident enterprise shareholders upon disposition of shares
of such company may be subject to a 10 percent PRC withholding tax
(subject to possible reduction under an applicable income tax
treaty).
|
Non-PRC
shareholders may be entitled to a foreign tax credit with respect to the PRC
withholding tax referred to above against their domestic income tax liability
(subject to applicable conditions and limitations). Because of the lack of
clarity and the complexities in interpretation associated with potential PRC tax
liabilities, each holder of our securities should consult their own tax advisors
regarding the applicability of any such taxes, the effects of any applicable
income tax treaties, and any available foreign tax credits.
If CNIH
or China Networks is classified as a “non-resident enterprise” for purposes of
the EIT Law, PRC-source dividends received by them may be subject to a 10
percent PRC withholding tax. Under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, a
withholding tax at the rate of 10 percent will normally apply to PRC-source
dividends payable to investors who are “non-resident enterprises,” defined as
enterprises that do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or
that have such an establishment or place of business but the relevant income is
not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business. Such
withholding tax may be exempted or reduced by the State Council of the PRC or
pursuant to a tax treaty between the PRC and the jurisdiction in which the
non-resident enterprise resides.
Similar
PRC tax considerations to those discussed above may pertain to ANT, which also
may be subject to local jurisdiction tax obligations.
Foreign
exchange regulations in the PRC may affect China Networks’ ability to pay
dividends in foreign currency or conduct other foreign exchange
business.
Renminbi,
or RMB, is not presently a freely convertible currency, and the restrictions on
currency exchanges may limit China Networks’ ability to use revenues generated
in RMB or to make dividends or other payments in U.S. dollars. The PRC
government, through the State Administration for Foreign Exchange (‘‘SAFE’’),
regulates conversion of RMB into foreign currencies. Currently, foreign invested
enterprises are required to apply for ‘‘Foreign Exchange Registration
Certificates’’ and to renew those certificates annually. In addition, SAFE
recently issued a new regulation, under which RMB converted from the registered
capital shall only be utilized in accordance with the purposes approved by the
relevant government authority (including the local SAFE). The local SAFE has the
right to
|
·
|
take
appropriate remedial action;
|
|
·
|
confiscate
any illegal income; and
|
|
·
|
impose
a fine in the event of a contravention of the new
regulation.
|
In the
event that China Networks is unable to convert the registered capital
conveniently, this would restrict our ability to operate our foreign exchange
business.
We
may have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial
controls in the PRC, which could result in misconduct and difficulty in
complying with applicable laws and requirements.
As
quasi-governmental businesses in the PRC, the networks comprising China Networks
have not historically focused on establishing Western-style management and
financial reporting concepts and practices, as well as modern banking, computer
and other internal control systems. We may have difficulty in hiring and
retaining a sufficient number of qualified internal control employees to work in
the PRC. As a result of these factors, we may experience difficulty in
establishing management, legal and financial controls, collecting financial data
and preparing financial statements, books of account and corporate records and
instituting business practices that meet Western standards, especially on the
operational level of China Networks’ joint ventures with municipal broadcast TV
network operators.
Risks
Relating to the British Virgin Islands
We
are a British Virgin Islands company and, because the rights of
shareholders under British Virgin Islands’ law differ from those under U.S.
law, you may have fewer protections as a shareholder.
Since our
redomestication to the British Virgin Islands, our corporate affairs are
governed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, the
BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (as amended) of the British Virgin Islands (the
“Companies Act”) and the common law of the British Virgin Islands (the “BVI”).
The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by
minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibility of the directors under
BVI law are governed by the Companies Act and the common law of the BVI. The
common law of the BVI is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial
precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive,
but not binding, authority on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights
of shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of directors under BVI law
are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial
precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the BVI has
a less prescriptive body of securities laws as compared to the United States,
and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially
interpreted bodies of corporate law.
BVI
companies may not be able to initiate shareholder derivative actions, thereby
depriving shareholders of the ability to protect their interests.
BVI
companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a
federal court of the United States. The circumstances in which any such action
may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect
to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a BVI company
being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the
United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available
to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred. The BVI courts
are also unlikely to recognize or enforce against CNIH judgments of courts in
the United States based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities law
and to impose liabilities against it, in original actions brought in the
BVI.
Although
there is no statutory enforcement in the BVI of judgments obtained in the United
States, the courts of the BVI will recognize a foreign judgment as the basis for
a claim at common law in the BVI provided:
|
·
|
The
U.S. court issuing the judgment had jurisdiction in the matter and the
company either submitted to such jurisdiction or was resident or carrying
on business within such jurisdiction and was duly served with
process;
|
|
·
|
The
judgment given by the U.S. court was not in respect of penalties, taxes,
fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations of the
company;
|
|
·
|
In
obtaining judgment there was no fraud on the part of the person in whose
favor judgment was given or on the part of the
court;
|
|
·
|
Recognition
or enforcement of the judgment in the BVI would not be contrary to public
policy; and
|
|
·
|
The
proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to
natural justice.
|
Under the
laws of the BVI, there are some statutory provisions for the protection of
minority shareholders under the Companies Act. The principal protection under
the Companies Act is that shareholders may bring an action to enforce our
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Companies Act
sets forth the procedure to bring such a claim. Shareholders are entitled to
have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the general law and
our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. Pursuant to our
constitutional documents, we are obliged to hold an annual general meeting and
provide for the election of directors. Companies are not obligated to appoint an
independent auditor and shareholders are not entitled to receive the audited
financial statements of the company.
There are
common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked. Such
rights have also now been given a statutory basis under the Companies Act.
The common law rights are largely dependent on English company law, since the
common law of the BVI for business companies is limited. Under the general rule
pursuant to English company law, a court will generally refuse to interfere with
the management of a company at the insistence of a minority of its shareholders
who express dissatisfaction with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the
majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is entitled to
have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the
constituent documents of the corporation. As such, if those who control the
company have persistently disregarded the requirements of company law or the
provisions of the company’s memorandum or articles of association, then the
courts will grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will
intervene are the following:
|
·
|
an
act complained of which is outside the scope of the authorized business or
is illegal or not capable of ratification by the
majority,
|
|
·
|
acts
that constitute fraud on the minority where the wrongdoers control the
company,
|
|
·
|
acts
that infringe on the personal rights of the shareholders, such as the
right to vote, and
|
|
·
|
where
the company has not complied with provisions requiring approval of a
special or extraordinary majority of
shareholders,
|
which are
more limited than the rights afforded minority stockholders under the laws of
many states in the United States.
Because
we are organized under the laws of the BVI, it may be difficult to serve CNIH
with legal process or enforce judgments against us, our directors or our
management.
We are
organized under the laws of the BVI. Substantially all of our assets
are located outside of the United States, our principal executive offices are
located in China, and some of our directors and officers reside outside the
United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you
to bring an action against us or against our directors or our management in the
United States if you believe that your rights have been infringed under
securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing
an action of this kind, the laws of the BVI and of other jurisdictions,
including China, may prevent or restrict you from enforcing, or make it
difficult to enforce, a judgment against our assets or our directors and
officers.
Risks
Relating to Our Ordinary Shares
The
price of our ordinary shares may be volatile.
The price
of our ordinary shares may be volatile, and may fluctuate due to factors such
as:
|
·
|
actual
or anticipated fluctuations in quarterly and annual
results,
|
|
·
|
limited
operating history,
|
|
·
|
mergers
and strategic alliances in the television industry in
China,
|
|
·
|
market
conditions in the industry,
|
|
·
|
changes
in U.S. or Chinese government
regulation,
|
|
·
|
fluctuations
in our revenues and earnings and those of our
competitors,
|
|
·
|
shortfalls
in our operating results from levels forecasted by securities
analysts,
|
|
·
|
announcements
covering China Networks or its competitors,
and
|
|
·
|
the
general state of the financial and
capital markets.
|
Our
ordinary shares and warrants trade on the OTC Bulletin Board, which may make it
more difficult for you to dispose of your ordinary shares and warrants or for us
to secure additional financing as compared with companies whose shares trade on
national securities exchanges.
Our
ordinary shares and warrants trade on the OTC Bulletin Board, an electronic
quotation medium regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Securities traded on the OTC Bulletin Board typically have low trading volumes.
As a result, it may be more difficult to dispose of or to obtain accurate
quotations as to the market value of our ordinary shares and warrants. Trading
on the OTC Bulletin Board may also make it more difficult for us to issue
additional securities or secure additional financing in the future as compared
with companies whose shares trade on national securities exchanges.
If
the outstanding warrants are exercised, the underlying ordinary shares will be
eligible for future resale in the public market. ‘‘Market overhang’’ from the
warrants results in dilution and has an adverse effect on the market price of
our ordinary shares.
Outstanding
warrants and unit purchase options to purchase an aggregate of 10,464,400
ordinary shares issued in connection with Alyst’s IPO are presently exercisable
once the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, becomes
effective. If they are exercised, a substantial number of additional ordinary
shares will be eligible for resale in the public market, which could adversely
affect the market price of our ordinary shares.
Because
we do not intend to pay dividends on our ordinary shares, shareholders will
benefit from an investment in our ordinary shares only if the ordinary shares
appreciate in value.
We have never declared or paid any cash
dividends on its shares of common stock. We currently intend to retain all
future earnings, if any, for use in the operations and expansion of our
business. As a result, we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment
of cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will
depend on factors our directors deem relevant, including among others, our
results of operations, financial condition and cash requirements, business
prospects, and the terms of our credit facilities, if any, and any other
financing arrangements. Accordingly, realization of a gain on our investments
will depend on the appreciation of the price of our ordinary shares. There is no
guarantee that our ordinary shares will appreciate in
value.
We
may choose to redeem outstanding warrants at a time that is disadvantageous to
the warrant holders.
Subject
to there being a current prospectus under the Securities Act, we may redeem all
of our currently outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable
at a price of $.01 per warrant, upon a minimum of 30 days prior written notice
of redemption, if and only if, the last sale price of our ordinary shares equals
or exceeds $11.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day
period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption.
Calling all of such warrants for redemption could force the warrant holders
to:
|
·
|
exercise
the warrants and pay the exercise price for such warrants at a time when
it may be disadvantageous for the holders to do
so,
|
|
·
|
sell
the warrants at the then current market price when they might otherwise
wish to hold the warrants, or
|
|
·
|
accept
the nominal redemption price which, at the time the warrants are called
for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value
of the warrants.
|
Risks
Relating to Tax Matters
There
is a risk that CNIH could be treated as a U.S. domestic corporation for U.S.
federal income tax purposes which could result in significantly greater U.S.
federal income tax liability to CNIH.
Section
7874(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as amended, generally
provides that a corporation organized outside the United States which acquires,
directly or indirectly, pursuant to a plan or series of related transactions
substantially all of the assets of a corporation organized in the United States
will be treated as a domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes
if shareholders of the acquired corporation, by reason of owning shares of the
acquired corporation, own at least 80% (of either the voting power or the value)
of the stock of the acquiring corporation after the acquisition. If Section
7874(b) were to apply to the redomestication merger, then, among other things,
CNIH, as the surviving entity, would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on
its worldwide taxable income following the redomestication merger and the
Business Combination as if CNIH were a domestic corporation. After the
completion of the Business Combination, the former stockholders of Alyst
(including warrant holders treated as owning stock of Alyst under applicable
regulations) should be considered to own, by reason of owning (or being treated
as owning) stock of Alyst, less than 80% of the voting power and the value of
the ordinary shares of CNIH (including any warrants treated as shares of CNIH
under applicable regulations). Accordingly, taking the redomestication merger
and Business Combination together, Section 7874(b) should not apply to treat
CNIH as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due to
the absence of full guidance on how the rules of Section 7874(b) will apply to
the transactions which comprised the redomestication merger and Business
Combination, this result is not free from doubt and there can be no assurance
that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or a court will not adopt a
contrary view. As a result, investors are urged to consult their own tax
advisors on this issue. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see
“Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”. The PFIC discussion
that immediately follows assumes that CNIH will be treated as a foreign
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
There
is a risk that we will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or
‘‘PFIC,’’ which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to
U.S. holders of our ordinary shares or warrants.
We will
be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in which either (1) at least 75% of
our gross income (looking through certain corporate subsidiaries) is passive
income or (2) at least 50% of the average value of our assets (looking through
certain corporate subsidiaries) produce, or are held for the production of,
passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents,
royalties, and gains from the disposition of passive assets. If we were a PFIC
for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder held our ordinary shares or
warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax
liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our actual
PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after
the end of our taxable year, and accordingly there can be no assurance as to our
status as a PFIC for the current taxable year or any future taxable year. We
urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible
application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed discussion of the
foregoing, see ‘‘Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations–U.S.
Federal Income Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders of Ordinary Shares and Warrants
of CNIH–Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.’’
THE
OFFERING
The
offering shall remain open until the earlier of June 28, 2011 (the date upon
which the outstanding warrants expire) and the date on which all the shares
registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part are distributed. We will announce the extension or early closure
of the offering through a press release or other means reasonably sufficient to
provide adequate notice to investors.
The
offering price of the ordinary shares underlying the warrants has been
determined by reference to the exercise price of the warrants. The exercise
price of the public and insider warrants is $5.00 per share and was determined
at the time of Alyst's IPO.
MARKET
PRICE INFORMATION
On July
24, 2009, our ordinary shares and warrants began trading on the OTC Bulletin
Board under the symbols “CNWHF.OB” and “CHNWF.OB,” respectively. The
common stock and warrants of our predecessor, Alyst, were traded on the NYSE
Amex until Alyst’s redomestication to the BVI on June 25, 2009.
Our
ordinary shares and warrants traded on the NYSE Amex until July 17, 2009, when
the trading of such securities was suspended pending our ability to meet the
Exchange’s listing requirements following our business combination with China
Networks. We were delisted from the NYSE Amex in September 2009 for
failure to meet such listing requirements. The following sets forth
the high and low closing sales price of our ordinary shares and warrants, as
reported on the OTC Bulletin Board for the periods shown:
Ordinary
Shares
Quarter Ended
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
September
30, 2009 (commencing July 24, 2009 through September 30,
2009)
|
|
$ |
5.15 |
|
|
$ |
1.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Month Ended
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
November
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
1.70 |
|
|
$ |
1.25 |
|
October
31, 2009
|
|
$ |
2.11 |
|
|
$ |
1.25 |
|
September
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
2.82 |
|
|
$ |
2.10 |
|
August
31, 2009
|
|
$ |
5.15 |
|
|
$ |
1.00 |
|
July
31, 2009 (commencing July 24, 2009 through July 31, 2009)
|
|
$ |
5.00 |
|
|
$ |
4.00 |
|
Warrants
Quarter Ended
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
September
30, 2009 (commencing July 24, 2009 through September 30,
2009)
|
|
$ |
0.25 |
|
|
$ |
0.05 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Month Ended
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
November
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.10 |
|
|
$ |
0.08 |
|
October
31, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.15 |
|
|
$ |
0.06 |
|
September
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.15 |
|
|
$ |
0.15 |
|
August
31. 2009
|
|
$ |
0.20 |
|
|
$ |
0.05 |
|
July
31, 2009 (commencing July 24, 2009 through July 31, 2009)
|
|
$ |
0.25 |
|
|
$ |
0.17 |
|
On
December 28, 2009, the last reported sale price for our ordinary shares and
warrants on the OTC Bulletin Board was $1.26 per share and $0.03 per
warrant.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
Assuming
the full cash exercise of all of the public warrants, insider warrants, UPO and
warrants underlying the UPO, we will receive gross proceeds of
$54,572,000. The actual exercise of any of these securities, however,
is beyond our control and will depend on a number of factors, including the
market price of our ordinary shares. There can be no assurance that any
of these securities will be exercised. We intend to use the
proceeds of the exercise of these securities, if any, for working capital,
operating expenses and other general corporate purposes. We will not receive any
proceeds from the resale by shareholders of any of the securities covered by
this prospectus.
CAPITALIZATION
AND INDEBTEDNESS
The
following table sets forth unaudited short-term debt and capitalization as at
December 1, 2009. This table should be read in conjunction with the audited
financial statements included in this prospectus. Both short and long-term debts
have been included in the calculation of our capitalization.
|
|
December 1, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In US $
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-term
debt – unsecured
|
|
|
0 |
|
Total
short-term debt – secured
|
|
|
25,491,249 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
short-term debt
|
|
|
25,491,249 |
|
Long-term
debt (excluding amounts due within one year):
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term
debt – unsecured
|
|
|
0 |
|
Long-term
debt – secured
|
|
|
0 |
|
Total
long-term debt
|
|
|
0 |
|
Shareholders'
Equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ordinary
share capital
|
|
|
1,293 |
|
Profit
and loss account
|
|
|
(7,539,417 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
shareholders' equity
|
|
|
(7,538,124 |
) |
Total
capitalization
|
|
|
17,953,125 |
|
DILUTION
If
holders of warrants exercise their warrants to purchase our ordinary shares,
their interests will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference
between the exercise price per ordinary share and the as adjusted net tangible
book value per share of our ordinary shares assuming all outstanding warrants
are exercised. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our
net tangible book value, which is its total tangible assets less total
liabilities, by the total number of outstanding ordinary shares.
As of
December 1, 2009, net tangible book value adjusted for the purposes of this
calculation was approximately $(33,031,837), or $(2.56) per ordinary share.
After giving effect to the exercise of warrants to purchase 9,841,632 ordinary
shares underlying the outstanding warrants, our net tangible book value per
share would have been approximately $0.71.
The
following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Exercise
per share price
|
|
$ |
5.00 |
|
Net
tangible book value per share before warrant exercises
|
|
$ |
(2.56 |
)
|
Increase
in net tangible book value per share attributable to warrant
exercises
|
|
$ |
3.27 |
|
As
adjusted net tangible book value per share after warrant
exercises
|
|
$ |
0.71 |
|
Impact
per share to warrant holders
|
|
$ |
(4.29 |
)
|
DIVIDENDS
We have never declared or paid any cash
dividends on its shares of common stock. We currently intend to retain all
future earnings, if any, for use in the operations and expansion of our
business. As a result, we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the
foreseeable future. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment
of cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will
depend on factors our directors deem relevant, including among others, our
results of operations, financial condition and cash requirements, business
prospects, and the terms of our credit facilities, if any, and any other
financing arrangements. Accordingly, realization of a gain on our investments
will depend on the appreciation of the price of our ordinary shares. There is no
guarantee that our ordinary shares will appreciate in
value.
DESCRIPTION
OF BUSINESS
Overview
CNIH,
through its wholly-owned subsidiary China Networks, is a provider of broadcast
television advertising services in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”),
operating joint-venture partnerships with PRC state-owned television
broadcasters (“PRC TV Stations”) in regional areas of the country. It manages
these regional businesses through a series of joint ventures and contractual
arrangements to sell broadcast television advertising time slots and so-called
“soft” advertising opportunities to local advertisers directly and through
advertising agencies and brokers. It also assists PRC TV Stations in selling
advertising time slots and “soft” advertising opportunities to national
advertisers, specifically by offering multi-region campaigns to maximize value
and cut costs these national advertisers would otherwise face when dealing with
individual stations on a station-by-station basis. CNIH also provides advisory
services to the PRC TV Stations to help optimize the impact that their program
scheduling and content has on their key advertising demographics. As discussed
below, CNIH believes that its distinctive business model positions it to become
one of the leading companies with a growing network of regional television
advertising operations in the PRC.
On a
pro forma basis, giving effect to the joint venture acquisition of the
advertising operations of the PRC TV stations in Kunming and Taiyuan as if they
had occurred on January 1, 2007, China Networks had combined audited carve-out
revenue for the years ending 2007 and 2008 of approximately $17.7 million, and
$17.4 million, respectively, with net income of approximately $12.4 million and
$8.9 million, respectively. As a combined entity, China Networks’ three-year
compound annual growth rate, as measured by revenues, was 8.4% for
2006-2008.
CNIH’s
strategy is to replicate this operating partnership model and seek other such JV
partnership opportunities in other regions in the PRC and then introduce
operating efficiencies and increase service offerings across its network of
local joint venture companies (“Local JV Cos”). These efficiencies are expected
to include reducing the costs associated with advertising delivery and designing
more effective incentive structures to drive sales. In addition, CNIH is
considering establishing strategic relationships with advertising agencies with
an objective of exploiting unsold advertising inventory.
The
PRC Television Advertising Industry
According
to publicly-available information, China’s total advertising spend in 2007 of
approximately $16 billion represented 33% of total worldwide spend, ranking
fifth overall in total spend. Industry experts project that China will
experience a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 17.33% from 2007 to 2010,
which is nearly 4% higher than the next fastest growing advertising market among
the ten largest markets, which is Brazil, and nearly triple the worldwide
average of 5.97%.
China’s
Advertising Spend by Category ($ million)
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
2008E
|
|
|
|
2009E
|
|
|
|
2010E
|
|
Advertising
Spending: ($ million)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TV
|
|
|
4,670
|
|
|
|
5,311
|
|
|
|
6,187
|
|
|
|
7,826
|
|
|
|
8,452
|
|
|
|
9,128
|
|
Newspapers
& Magazines
|
|
|
3,693
|
|
|
|
4,426
|
|
|
|
5,152
|
|
|
|
6,094
|
|
|
|
6,385
|
|
|
|
7,343
|
|
Radio
|
|
|
511
|
|
|
|
752
|
|
|
|
876
|
|
|
|
1,074
|
|
|
|
1,181
|
|
|
|
1,287
|
|
Outdoor
|
|
|
1,655
|
|
|
|
1,890
|
|
|
|
2,202
|
|
|
|
2,678
|
|
|
|
3,348
|
|
|
|
3,850
|
|
Internet
|
|
|
535
|
|
|
|
927
|
|
|
|
1,606
|
|
|
|
2,618
|
|
|
|
3,553
|
|
|
|
4,598
|
|
Cinema
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
22
|
|
|
|
26
|
|
|
|
29
|
|
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
37
|
|
Total
|
|
|
11,084
|
|
|
|
13,327
|
|
|
|
16,049
|
|
|
|
20,319
|
|
|
|
22,951
|
|
|
|
26,243
|
|
Source:
Advertising Expenditure Forecasts (2008.06), ZenithOptimedia p. 51
In the
television advertising sector, China has not demonstrated the same weaknesses
currently affecting the United States and Western Europe, namely the trends
towards personal video recorders and other time-shifting devices, migration of
viewers from premium mass-audience channels to cheaper specialist channels and
competition from the internet. As a result, China’s television advertising
industry has grown rapidly in recent years and now comprises 38.5% of the total
advertising market, representing approximately $7.8 billion in 2008, according
to industry reports. China’s television advertising market has developed
significantly over the last decade, and is expected to continue to grow in the
coming years. By 2010, China’s television advertising spending is projected to
reach US$9.1 billion according to industry reports, implying a CAGR of 13.8%
from 2007 to 2010. This compares favorably to growth of 8.2% in Hong Kong, 4.9%
in Korea, and 1.5% in the United States.
CNIH
expects to benefit from the following trends underlying the PRC TV advertising
industry:
|
·
|
According
to the PRC National Statistics Bureau, household consumption grew by a
5-year CAGR of 10.2%, reaching RMB 8.0 trillion in 2006. This
underlying dramatic expansion in consumption is expected to continue to
drive growth in the advertising
industry.
|
|
·
|
Notwithstanding
this rapid recent growth, advertising spending per capita and spending as
percentage of gross domestic product in China are still much lower than
other countries, representing significant opportunity for further
growth.
|
PRC
Operating Structure
In order
to comply with current PRC laws limiting foreign ownership in the television
advertising industry, China Networks’ operations are conducted through direct
ownership of ANT and contractual arrangements with its trustee company, Hetong
and Hetong’s affiliated wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”). China Networks
does not have an equity interest in Hetong, but instead enjoys the economic
benefits derived from Hetong through a series of contractual arrangements.
Hetong is owned 100% by two PRC nationals (Trustees, Li Shuangqing and Guan
Yong). Through these contractual arrangements, ANT controls Hetong, which in
turn owns 50% of a joint venture advertising companies (“JV Ad Cos”) established
with PRC TV Stations. The television advertising revenue earned by the JV Ad Cos
is paid, however, to an equity joint venture in which ANT has a direct 50%
interest (a “JV Tech Co”), which owns the assets transferred from PRC TV
Stations.
ANT
established a JV Tech Co under the name of Shanxi Yellow River and Advertising
Networks Cartoon Technology Co., Ltd. (“Taiyuan JV”), with China Yellow River TV
Station in Shanxi Province in June 2008; and ANT established a JV Tech Co under
the name Kunming Taishi Information Cartoon Co., Ltd. (“Kunming JV”) with
Kunming TV Station in Yunnan Province in July 2008.
In August
2008, Hetong (the trustee company) established two JV Ad Cos with Kunming TV
Station and China Yellow River TV Station, under the respective name of Kunming
Kaishi Advertising Co., Ltd. (“Kunming Ad Co.”) and Taiyuan Advertising Networks
Advertising Co., Ltd. (“Taiyuan Ad Co.”). In each locale, these companies form a
group comprising of one JV Tech Co and one JV Ad Co (collectively referred to as
the “Local JV Cos”).
The JV
Tech Cos bear 100% of the costs of selling the advertising time-slots, and are
entitled to 100% of the revenues earned by the JV Ad Cos associated from such
sales.
Competitive
Strengths
|
·
|
Advantageous
joint-venture relationship
structure
|
The
long-term nature of the exclusive joint-venture contracts (typically 20-30
years) that China Networks has established with the PRC TV Stations is unique in
the market and compares favorably with other operating structures in that it
aligns the incentives of the joint-venture partners around ensuring that a
sustainable business is created that generates significant advertising revenue.
This revenue is expected to be maximized through, on China Networks’ part, the
efficient management of the operation of the advertising sales force, and on the
part of the PRC TV Stations, the continued delivery of a high-quality schedule
of programming that is attractive to audiences.
China
Network business model is also distinctive and robust as there are significant
benefits that accrue from the collaborative association of multiple regional TV
stations operations – essentially, the beneficial network effects of operating a
number of TV advertising businesses. These benefits include factors such as
ability to share certain costs, most importantly increased effectiveness in
selling to national advertisers, and also across the many businesses a certain
portfolio effect is created that insulates the overall business from volatility
in any one market/subsidiary operation. These network effects are expected to
increase as China Networks expands its partnership arrangements.
|
·
|
CNIH’s opportunity
to grow and scale the business and embark on more
partnerships
|
CNIH has
a strong opportunity to grow its network by investing in further partnerships in
additional territories, and in addition, has a rich set of growth options
including expanding the relationships with its partner stations to include
provision of additional services. The highly fragmented nature of the TV
industry in China creates significant demand for the expansion of the scale and
scope of the joint-venture relationships China Networks can build with TV
stations across the country.
CNIH has
attracted a highly-experienced team with solid experience and proven track
record in the TV and advertising industry in China and internationally, as well
as established relationships with national and local governments, led by the CEO
and Co-Chairman, Li Shuangqing, who has specific experience of establishing and
building a network of advertising sales agencies handling the business of
multiple regional television stations across China. This directly relevant
experience is matched among the key senior managers –Guan Yong (VP Business
Development) and Liu Rui (Head of Media Planning) – who not only have
significant industry experience individually, but also have considerable
experience working together as a team over many years with Mr. Li.
Strategies
for Future Growth
|
·
|
Improve
core business profitability in the Local JV
Cos
|
In order
to maximize advertising sales and the effectiveness of its operations, CNIH is
in the process of implementing new incentive structures, bringing in new talent
and senior managers, and significantly enhancing the skill base of the sales
force in Kunming and Taiyuan through training and development programs. In
addition, CNIH is exploring ways of reducing the costs of advertising delivery –
including by utilizing new storage/transmission technologies and exploiting
economies of scale – as well as leveraging its network to offer advantageous
pricing for advertising customers.
|
·
|
Expanded
offering across the network of partner
stations
|
Through
its consulting work for PRC TV Stations, China Networks goes beyond the typical
means of serving advertisers and seeks to improve the quality of the programming
offering and of the advertiser’s on-air promotion strategy, including by
utilizing research aimed at better understanding the demographics of the
audience. This may also include coordinating the acquisition of quality
programming across the PRC TV Stations in its network and advising on the
exploitation and promotion of successful programming produced by the local TV
stations into the national TV market, and across other media platforms. By
offering a higher level of value-added services to local advertisers, including
media planning and creative services, China Networks expects to increase the
volume and level of local advertiser spending and may work with PRC TV Stations
to develop new offerings, such as Home Shopping, on their existing
channels.
|
·
|
Expand the
network to include more TV station
partners
|
CNIH is
actively continuing to seek new opportunities to form partnerships with
additional PRC TV Stations in other regions across China using the template
operating and regulatory structure established with Kunming and
Taiyuan. It is also considering establishing relationships with
advertising agencies to exploit unsold ad inventory.
Television
Advertising Products and Services
The China
television industry has grown rapidly in recent years. The total number of
available television stations increased considerably to 2,231 in 2006 from 837
in 1995, and volume of television programming increased to 2,618,034 hours in
2006 from 383,513 hours in 1995.
These
channels historically operated on a four-level system established by the PRC
government in 1983: central (two stations), provincial (76 stations), city (264
stations) and county (1,935 stations). As a result of the promulgation of
Document No. 82 in 1999, the last category of stations – which were effectively
only re-broadcasting programs from the other three levels of stations as they
had no means of producing their own programming – was merged with the other
three levels of stations in their regions, resulting in the current three-level
system, which closely mirrors the structure of the PRC government. In 2001, the
three-level system was expanded to include cable television operators and the
stations also began to acquire satellite TV operations, beginning with Shenzhen
City TV in 2004.
The three
current levels are as follows:
|
·
|
Central
Level (2) – The central level has two channels, CCTV and CETV, which
broadcast 16 channels nationally.
|
|
·
|
Province
Level (76) – The province level has 27 province stations with
satellite channels that can be rebroadcast in other
regions. The province level also includes 45 education TV
stations and the 4 major municipalities – Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and
Chongqing – that have satellite
channels.
|
|
·
|
City
Level (264) – At the city level, most of the channels are broadcast only
in the city areas. However, some, such as Shenzhen and Harbin,
provide a broader provincial footprint and/or have satellite
channels.
|
China Networks’ focus is, in
general, on partnering with city TV stations. These PRC TV Stations
then agree to, effectively, have China Networks run the advertising operations
formerly managed directly by the PRC TV Stations. By operating the JV
Tech Cos on behalf of the PRC TV Stations, China Networks believes that it
brings its experience in commercial best-practices to bear and provides
centralized coordination and sales force services for reaching national
advertisers to local advertising markets. Through its demographic reach and
network of affiliations, China Networks is able to maximize the value of the
advertising time-slots on the stations it serves and offers a compelling value
proposition to PRC TV Stations, which are in themselves profitable and thriving
businesses.
Kunming
Kunming
City
Kunming
is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Yunnan province, located in
southwestern China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural
center of Yunnan. In 2008, the gross domestic product, or GDP, of
Kunming was RMB 160.5 billion and the GDP per capita was RMB 25,826. As of
December 31, 2008, the population was 6.24 million, with urban residents
constituting 60.12% of the population.
Kunming
TV Station
The
Kunming Television Station was originally established in March 1985 and, in July
2001, merged with the Kunming Cable Television station to form the new Kunming
Television Station. Kunming TV has six television channels covering five
districts, eight counties and one city, in Kunming, with a combined population
of approximately 6.2 million. Kunming TV’s six channels are comprised of:
General Channel, Living Channel, Entertainment Channel, Economic Channel, Movies
Channel and News Channel, collectively offering more than 130 hours per day of
programming including drama, documentary, news and entertainment of which
Kunming TV produces 7 programming hours per day in-house. The General Channel
and the Movies Channel are broadcast through terrestrial and cable dual
launches, while the other four channels are broadcast through cable
transmission. The Kunming TV Station has comparatively higher audience ratings
and markets shares in the Kunming city area. Kunming TV’s General Channel was
ranked fourth and its Movies Channel was ranked seventh in audience ratings in
the Kunming city area in 2007. Collectively, Kunming TV’s channels generated
advertising sales revenues of approximately $12.8 million in 2008 and net income
of approximately $6.3 million. Kunming TV sells advertising on all six of
Kunming TV’s channels.
Top
10 TV Channels by Average Ratings in Kunming (2007)
Ranking
|
|
Channel
|
|
Rating (%)
|
|
|
Share (%)
|
|
1
|
|
Yunnan
TV City Channel (TV2)
|
|
|
1.24 |
|
|
|
10.3 |
|
2
|
|
CCTV
General Channel
|
|
|
1.00 |
|
|
|
8.3 |
|
3
|
|
CCTV-6
|
|
|
0.65 |
|
|
|
5.4 |
|
4
|
|
Kunming
TV General Channel
|
|
|
0.63 |
|
|
|
5.2 |
|
5
|
|
CCTV-8
|
|
|
0.61 |
|
|
|
5.1 |
|
6
|
|
CCTV-3
|
|
|
0.59 |
|
|
|
4.9 |
|
7
|
|
Yunnan
TV Movies Channel (TV5)
|
|
|
0.56 |
|
|
|
4.7 |
|
8
|
|
CCTV-5
|
|
|
0.37 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
9
|
|
Kunming
TV Movies Channel
|
|
|
0.37 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
10
|
|
CCTV-2
|
|
|
0.35 |
|
|
|
2.9 |
|
Source: CSM Television Audience Rating Year
Book 2008
General
Channel
The
General Channel offers many regional current affairs programming, such as local
community news and discussion on hot topics, which attracts a large audience. It
also offers three prime-time drama series, which attract a large audience. CNIH
believes that more than 80% of the viewers who watch the General Channel are
between 15-54 years old, with male viewers accounting for 54% of the viewers.
CNIH also believes that the percentage of the public officers who view the
channel constitute 24.4% of the viewers. The cadre, management level personnel,
personnel at private enterprises, public officers, students and retirees
constitute a majority of the channel’s viewers. CNIH believes that viewers with
incomes of more than RMB 600 account for 65% of the viewers and viewers with
incomes between RMB 2,001 and RMB 2,300 account for viewership as high as
63.9%.
Living
Channel
The
Living Channel, with its focus on, among other things, fashion, lifestyle,
traveling and cooking, targets an audience mainly comprised of young viewers who
enjoy the new and modern lifestyle. The Living Channel has the largest number of
young viewers between 18 to 35 years old in the Kunming area.
Entertainment
Channel
The
Entertainment Channel broadcasts distinctive TV dramas, which appeals to a wide
audience. It broadcasts 13 classic drama series daily, which many
married women who stay at home enjoy.
Economic
Channel
The
Economic Channel broadcasts a combination of discovery and science programs,
money management programs, and movies and drama series during the day, which
appeals to a wide audience. In addition, this channel has created a home
shopping forum.
Movies
Channel
The
Movies Channel has ranked at the top, as compared to other Kunming channels in
the Kunming area for many years. This channel is known for its self-produced
local dialect drama series, “My Theater,” which has one of the top ratings
continuously for many years in the Kunming area. In addition, “Dawn Theater”,
“Action Theater”, “Your Family My Family”, “Overseas Theater” and other programs
appeal to all levels of family members.
News
Channel
The News
Channel offers news programs which are linked together as a series. Program
contents are supplementary and compatible with each other in order to attract
its audience to continuously watch the news programs and to reduce the
possibility of its viewers changing channels. Such arrangements have provided
effective advertisement delivery among programs. China Networks believes that
the viewers who watch the News Channel are primarily comprised of males, between
15-54 years old.
In 2007,
the percentages of revenue from advertising agencies and direct clients were as
follows:
Channel
|
|
Source
|
|
Percentage (%) of revenue
|
|
General
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
94.32 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
5.68 |
% |
Living
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
86.59 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
13.41 |
% |
Entertainment
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
98.86 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
1.14 |
% |
Economic
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
26.06 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
73.94 |
% |
Movies
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
90.04 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
9.96 |
% |
News
Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
61.30 |
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
38.70 |
% |
Source:
Kunming TV Station Management Data, 2008
The table
below describes the broadcast characteristics of the six Kunming TV
channels:
Channel
|
|
Broadcasting time of program
(Daily)
|
|
Broadcasting time of advertisement
(Daily)
|
General
Channel
|
|
21
hrs 2 minutes
|
|
5
hrs 43 minutes
|
Living
Channel
|
|
19
hrs 59 minutes
|
|
4
hrs 50 minutes
|
Entertainment
Channel
|
|
19
hrs 58 minutes
|
|
3
hrs 12 minutes
|
Economic
Channel
|
|
19
hrs 20 minutes
|
|
3
hrs 19 minutes
|
Movies
Channel
|
|
24
hrs
|
|
4
hrs 44 minutes
|
News
Channel
|
|
22
hrs 31 minutes
|
|
3
hrs 45 minutes
|
Source:
Kunming TV Station Management Data, 2008
Yellow
River
Taiyuan
City
Taiyuan
is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province, China. In 2008,
the GDP in Taiyuan was RMB 146.81 billion, and the GDP per capita was RMB
42,378. As of December 31, 2008, the population was 3.47 million, with urban
residents constituting 82% of the population.
China
Yellow River TV Station
China
Yellow River TV Station was established and officially approved by the State
Council Information Office and the Ministry of the Radio, Film and TV in 1991.
Yellow River TV Station is a professional radio and television broadcast
organization which is run by the Radio and Television Bureau of Shanxi
Province. Its operation principle is to disseminate Chinese culture,
introduce China to the world and facilitate China’s understanding of the
world. It has one TV Channel and one radio channel: Minsheng TV
Channel and Art and Entertainment Radio Station. Minsheng TV Channel
reaches a population of approximately 30 million across Shanxi province, and its
sister radio stations, Art and Entertainment Radio, reaches an approximately 20
million people. The Minsheng TV Channel is a general entertainment television
channel offering a wide range of content. The channel broadcasts
programs 20 hours per day, of which it produces 2.5 hours per day
in-house. It is the only provincial terrestrial TV station, two-way
cable channel covering the ground. Its programs cover the entire
Shanxi province and neighboring area, including Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan
and parts of Hebei, with more than 30 million potential viewers. Collectively,
the Yellow River television and radio stations generated advertising sales
revenues of $4.7 million in 2008 and net income of $2.7 million, of which
approximately 20% of its revenues were generated from its radio channel. Yellow
River TV Station sells advertising on the Minsheng TV and Art and Entertainment
Radio Station.
Minsheng
TV Channel
With the
channel’s desire to focus on current events and politics, its program ratings
have increased, and it has increased social influence and public credibility.
This channel has won the highest audience rating in ground-level television, the
largest number of award-winning programs, the highest-level awards, and has
become the best income-generating economic channel in Shanxi
province.
Art
and Entertainment Radio Station
The Arts
and Entertainment Radio Station was established in April 1995. It is
a general entertainment radio station offering a wide range of programs,
including news, music and comedy, and is the only professional arts FM stereo
radio in Shanxi province. It draws strength from different areas,
imports a number of outstanding programs from radio stations abroad, and creates
programming that combine local characteristics with international
trends. It keeps the highest listening rate and daily reach
rate in Shanxi province. In 2005, it became the first broadcast
medium to achieve a simultaneous live broadcast online across the
province.
In 2007,
the percentage of revenue from advertising agencies and direct clients were as
follows:
Channel
|
|
Source
|
|
Percentage (%) of revenue
|
|
Minsheng
TV Channel
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
58.38
|
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
41.62
|
% |
Arts
and Entertainment Radio Station
|
|
Advertising
Agency
|
|
|
27.66
|
% |
|
|
Direct
Client
|
|
|
72.34
|
%
|
The broadcast characteristics of the
Yellow River TV Channel and FM
Station are as follows:
Channel
|
|
Broadcasting time of program
(daily)
|
|
Broadcasting time of advertising
(daily)
|
Minsheng
TV Channel
|
|
20
hours 10 minutes
|
|
4
hours 13 minutes
|
Arts
and Entertainment Radio
|
|
24
hours
|
|
3
hours 50 minutes
|
Source:
China Yellow River TV Station Management Data, 2008
Media
Sales
China
Networks provides media sales services to its clients by providing them with
on-air advertising opportunities that may take the form of direct advertising
time slots (i.e., “commercials”) or “soft” advertising opportunities, such as
in-program product placement and program sponsorship rights. Through its JV Tech
Cos, China Networks provides its services to “national advertisers,” which China
Networks considers to be those advertisers who seek advertising opportunities
across multiple geographies in China, and to “local advertisers,” which China
Networks considers to be advertisers who seek advertising coverage in one
limited geographic area. China Networks services its national advertisers
through its National Client Service Center, which it maintains in its principal
office in Beijing.
A typical
campaign for a national advertiser begins with a meeting between China Networks’
national sales personnel and the potential advertiser or its agency to learn
more about the potential client’s business and its advertising goals. China
Networks then proposes a media plan that includes our recommendations for
specific television channels and time slots on which to place advertisements,
and typically also include proposals for utilization of soft advertising
opportunities.
China
Networks’ national advertisers or their agencies purchase advertising time slots
or “soft” advertising opportunities directly from the Local JV Cos. Once the
client approves the advertising plan or “soft” advertising concept, China
Networks’ National Client Service Center team negotiates the contract for the ad
to appear on the particular national channel. Typically, China Networks’
National Client Service Center then enters into a “back-to-back contract” with
the Local JV Cos team selling local advertising space and retains a commission
for its services. The National Client Service Center team will coordinate with
the Local JV Cos’ local operations teams to ensure that handling, review,
approval and broadcast of the relevant advertising complies with the contract,
as well as help the client prepare and collect the relevant legal documents,
business licenses and trademark certificates that PRC TV Stations require to run
an advertisement. China Networks then follows up the national broadcast with an
individualized report to the client analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness
of the advertisement. The individualized report is not a part of sales contract.
The individualized report is a value-added service provided to the advertiser in
addition to the broadcast of the advertisement. The effectiveness of a national
advertising client’s advertisement is measured by the audience rating of the
time-slot, in which the specific advertisement was broadcast. The audience
rating data is provided by a mutually agreed third-party independent marketing
intelligence company, such CSM Media Research. The audience rating is not
subject to concurrence of or approval by the advertiser. China Networks does not
have any substantive performance or financial obligation when the advertisement
is deemed ineffective. An advertiser is not entitled to a full or partial refund
or to reject (and does not have a right to a refund or to reject) the services
performed to date.
Sales to
local advertisers are handled in a similar fashion, although the local team
typically does not liaise with the National Client Service Center team and the
National Client Service Center team would not generate a report analyzing the
local advertisement’s effectiveness in the local market. To date, the National
Client Service Centers have not derived any income independent of the JV
Cos.
Significant
Customers
For the
year ended December 31, 2008, two customers of the Kunming JV accounted for
approximately 38% of China Networks’ revenues on a consolidated basis, as set
out in the table below:
Customer
|
|
Contribution to
Consolidated
Net Revenue
|
|
|
Percent of
Consolidated
Net Revenue
|
|
Kunming
Fengyun Advertisement Ltd
|
|
$
|
3,130,020
|
|
|
|
22.0
|
%
|
Yunnan
Hua Nian Advertisement Ltd
|
|
$
|
2,330,169
|
|
|
|
16.4
|
%
|
Each of these customers is an
advertising agency of the Kunming JV. Kunming Fengyun focuses on the local real
estate market; Yunan Hua Nian focuses on the pharmaceutical industry. Additional
advertising is purchased within the specific market focus for the agency’s
clients, subject to available time slots, within agreed price ranges and base
amount. Contracts are subject to renewal annually and contain minimum amounts of
advertising time which the agencies must purchase.
Competitors
and Threats of Substitution
The
television advertising industry in China is intensely competitive and highly
fragmented. China Networks finds that to successfully compete with other
industry participants it relies heavily on its management and advertising sales
teams to maintain an inventory of advertising time slots available for purchase,
sustain competitive prices, uphold its strategic relationships with
television networks and maintain its reputation within the industry. It
faces significant competition in selling advertising space to advertisers and
their advertising agencies, both on the national and local
levels. Its primary competitors are other media sales companies that
have dedicated relationships to particular television stations and/or companies
that broker timeslots from those stations. At the national level these include
such companies such as SinoMedia Holding Limited, China Mass Media International
Advertising Corporation, Qin Jia Yuan Media Services Company Limited and
Cosmedia Group Holdings Limited. Major local competitors are other local TV
stations, such as Yunnan TV station and Taiyuan TV station. Local
level competitors compete with China Networks for advertising sales revenue
based on the desirability of time slots it offers, the television network
coverage PRC TV Stations provide, the quality of services it provides its
clients, and its prices. Additionally, television as an advertising medium
competes with other forms of advertising media, such as radio, newspapers,
magazines, the Internet, indoor or outdoor flat panel displays, billboards and
public transport advertising, for overall advertising spending. As
providers of broadcast television advertising, it necessarily competes with
providers of advertising over such other media for advertising
revenue.
To the
extent that existing local advertising sales competitors try to expand their
relationships with local broadcast television providers, they also pose a threat
to China Networks’ ability to create new joint venture relationships with
additional local broadcast television stations. China Networks also faces
competition from new entrants in the television advertising sector, including
the wholly-owned foreign advertising companies that have been allowed to operate
in China since December 2005. These foreign entities expose China Networks to
increased competition from international advertising media companies that may
have greater financial resources or more advantageous professional connections
than it does.
PRC
Corporate Structure
China
Networks conducts substantially all of its business in the PRC through ANT, its
wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, and Beijing Guangwang Hetong Advertising
& Media Co., Ltd. (‘‘Hetong’’), a PRC company and a domestic variable
interest entity, or (VIE). Hetong is controlled by ANT through contractual
arrangements.
In order
to comply with the PRC’s regulations on private investment in the television
advertising industry, China Networks operates its business in two joint ventures
with two separate local state-owned PRC TV Stations. China Networks’ operations
are conducted through direct ownership of ANT and contractual arrangements
through ANT with Hetong. China Networks does not have an equity interest in
Hetong, but instead enjoys the economic benefits derived from Hetong through a
series of contractual arrangements.
ANT and
the PRC TV Stations each own 50% of the JV Tech Cos, the PRC joint ventures
which hold the television assets transferred from PRC TV
Stations. Hetong owns 50% of Kunming Ad Co. and 50% of Taiyuan Ad
Co., established with the PRC TV Stations. The JV Tech Cos collect
the television advertising revenue earned by the JV Ad Cos, using assets
transferred from the PRC TV Stations, which own the remaining 50% of the JV Tech
Cos.
Under the
Framework Agreements between ANT and each of the PRC TV Stations, ANT will
contribute cash to fund the JV Cos, in return for which ANT will obtain 50% of
the equity in each of the JV Cos. There is no specific provision in
the current transaction documents requiring ANT to contribute further funds to
the JV Cos once these capital contributions to subscribe this 50% equity have
been made.
Under the
contractual arrangements between the PRC TV Stations, each of the JV Cos and the
Ad Cos will be responsible for soliciting advertisements for some of the PRC TV
Stations’ current television and radio channels specified in the Framework
Agreements, and will enter into contracts with clients for the production and
publication of those advertisements in its own name. The Ad Cos will further
retain the JV Cos as their exclusive technical service providers, with the JV
Cos providing the Ad Cos with all technical and managerial support, consulting
services and any other relevant services in exchange for service fees. These
arrangements provide a channel for transferring all of the revenue generated
from the advertising business operated by the Ad Cos to the JV Cos.
Corporate
Structure for China Networks
China
Networks does not directly or indirectly have an equity interest in Hetong, but
ANT, our wholly owned subsidiary, has entered into a series of contractual
arrangements with Hetong and its shareholders. ANT will enjoy de facto management and
financial control over each of the JV Cos by virtue of the corporate governance
provisions in each of the JV contracts and the JV Cos’ articles of association.
Under the Equity Joint Venture contracts between ANT and the PRC TV Stations and
the related JV Co’s articles of association, ANT is entitled to appoint three
nominee directors, out of a total of five directors, to the board (which is the
highest level of authority in a JV Co) of each of the JV Cos, and also to
appoint the general manager and the chief financial officer.
The
respective PRC TV Station contributed capital in the form of assets and ANT
contributes capital in the form of cash, reflecting their 50/50 shareholding
ratio in the respective JV Tech Cos. The term of the Kunming JV Tech Co. is 20
years and the term of the China Yellow River JV Tech Co. is 30 years. The JV Cos
are subject to customary termination provisions. However, either party may move
to terminate if the JV Tech Co sustains significant losses for two consecutive
years making it impossible to operate or if one party is unable to perform any
of its material obligations under the Equity Joint Venture Contract for six or
more consecutive months, each such event constituting an Event of Force Majeure.
As a result of the following contractual arrangements, China Networks controls
and is considered the primary beneficiary of Hetong and, accordingly, it
consolidates Hetong’s results of operations in its financial statements. These
arrangements include the following:
|
·
|
The
shareholders of Hetong have jointly granted ANT an exclusive and
irrevocable option to purchase all or part of their equity interests in
Hetong at any time; this option may only be terminated by mutual consent
or at the direction of ANT;
|
|
·
|
Without
ANT’s consent, the shareholders of Hetong may not (i) transfer or pledge
their equity interests in Hetong, (ii) receive any dividends, loan
interest or other benefits from Hetong, or (iii) make any material
adjustment or change to Hetong’s business or
operations;
|
|
·
|
The
shareholders of Hetong agreed to (i) accept the policies and guidelines
furnished by ANT with respect to the hiring and dismissal of employees, or
the operational management and financial system of Hetong, and (ii)
appoint the candidates recommended by ANT as directors of
Hetong;
|
|
·
|
Each
shareholder of Hetong has appointed ANT’s designee as their
attorneys-in-fact to exercise all its voting rights as shareholders of
Hetong. This power of attorney is effective until 2037;
and
|
|
·
|
Each
shareholder of Hetong has pledged all of its respective equity interests
in Hetong to Guangwang Tonghe Technology Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd.
(“WFOE”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ANT in the PRC to secure the
payment obligations of Hetong under certain contractual arrangements
between Hetong and WFOE. This pledge is effective until the later of the
(i) date on which the last surviving of the Exclusive Service Agreements,
the Loan Agreement and the Equity Option Agreement terminates and (ii)
date on which all outstanding Secured Obligations are paid in full or
otherwise satisfied. Each of these agreements are subject to customary
termination provisions; however, the WFOE may terminate the Exclusive
Services Agreement at any time upon 30 days’ notice to
Hetong.
|
Consistent
with PRC practice relating to joint ventures between domestic entities, no
separate joint venture agreements have been entered into among the shareholders
in the JV Ad Cos. However, Hetong, the JV Tech Cos and PRC TV Stations have
entered into the following contractual arrangements that provide Hetong with the
ability to control and consolidate the results of operations of the JV Ad
Cos. As a result of these agreements, China Networks controls and
consolidates the JV Tech Cos and JV Ad Cos in its financial
statements.
Asset Transfer
Agreement. Pursuant to the Asset Transfer
Agreement between the JV Tech Cos and the PRC TV Stations, the PRC TV Stations
agree to transfer to the JV Tech Cos the assets of the PRC TV Stations in two
installments which have been appraised and the JV Tech Cos are obligated to pay
the full consideration to PRC TV Stations in two installments. The assets relate
to the advertising business operated by the PRC TV Stations, including, but not
limited to, tangible and intangible assets. Until the assets are delivered to
the JV Tech Cos, PRC TV Stations should be responsible for the custody and
maintenance thereof. Following delivery of the assets, the PRC TV
Stations will be entitled to continue using the assets for the purpose of the
advertising business for no consideration other than liability for loss or
damage. Furthermore, upon the expiration of two years from the date of
establishment of the JV Tech Cos, the PRC TV Stations will continuously transfer
assets to the JV Tech Cos and the JV Tech Cos shall continuously purchase such
assets, provided that such purchased assets are necessary for the operational
activities of the JV Tech Cos and that such purchases comply with the Asset
Transfer Agreement concluded separately between the parties.
Kunming
TV Station and Kunming JV entered into such Asset Transfer Agreement on August
11, 2008, under which Kunming TV Station will transfer its assets to Kunming JV,
valued at RMB150 million and Kunming JV will pay the same to Kunming TV Station.
China Yellow River TV Station and Shanxi Yellow River and Advertising Networks
Cartoon Technology Co., Ltd. (“Taiyuan JV”) entered into such Asset Transfer
Agreement on July 17, 2008, under which China Yellow River TV Station will
transfer its assets, valued at RMB45 million, to Taiyuan JV, and the same
consideration should be paid by Taiyuan JV accordingly. All governmental,
statutory and other approvals required for the transfer of the assets had been
obtained as of the date of the first transfer in August 2008. No further
approvals are required for the remaining transfers. The Asset Transfer
Agreements are subject to customary termination provisions, including material
breach, force majeure, insolvency and anticipatory breach.
Exclusive Cooperation
Agreement. Pursuant to the Exclusive Cooperation Agreement between the JV
Tech Cos and the PRC TV Stations, the PRC TV Stations exclusively and
irrevocably grant to the JV Tech Cos the right to carry out advertising
operations on its channels, and to provide to the JV Tech Cos all necessary and
relevant support, as well as most-favored terms for the conduct of the
advertising business. The PRC TV Stations shall share their resources with the
JV Tech Cos, including, but not limited to, all client’s information, such as
databases. Under the terms of this agreement, the PRC TV Stations will not
engage any other party in any similar cooperation. As such, the JV Tech Cos has
the exclusive right to carry out advertising business on PRC TV Stations’
channels.
Kunming
JV and Kunming TV Station entered into the Exclusive Cooperation Agreement
on August 6, 2008, while Taiyuan JV and China Yellow River TV Station entered
into an Exclusive Cooperation Agreement on July 17, 2008.
The
Exclusive Cooperation Agreements can be terminated (i) by each of the JV Cos
serving 30 days prior written notice; or (ii) by the non-breaching party, in the
event of breach, if the breaching party has not cured the breach within 30 days
of the receipt of the notice from the non-breaching party. Further,
the Exclusive Cooperation Agreement between Kunming TV Station and Kunming JV
can be automatically terminated in the event that Kunming JV terminates its
operation early, ceases to be lawfully established, or has its operational
qualification revoked.
Exclusive Services Agreement.
Pursuant to the Exclusive Services Agreement between the JV Tech Cos and the JV
Ad Co, the JV Ad Co engages the JV Tech Cos to be its sole and exclusive
provider of services relating to technical support for the production of
advertising and the advertising consulting. At the same time, the JV Tech Cos
engages the JV Ad Co to be its sole and exclusive advertising agent and grants
to the JV Ad Co agency rights for all advertising under the exclusive right to
carry out advertising operations, granted by the corresponding PRC TV Stations
to the JV Tech Cos in accordance with the Exclusive Cooperation Agreement. Under
the terms of this agreement, the JV Ad Co will pay the service fee to the JV
Tech Cos as accrued, in accordance with the JV Tech Cos’ regular invoices. As
such, all of the JV Ad Co’s pre-tax income (less the relevant business tax)
generated during the term of this agreement and relating to the marketing of
advertising and other operations will be transferred to the JV Tech Cos as the
service fee. Kunming JV and Kunming Ad Co. entered into an Exclusive Services
Agreement on August 6, 2008, while Taiyuan Advertising Networks Advertising Co.,
Ltd (“Taiyuan Ad Co.”) and Taiyuan JV entered into an Exclusive Services
Agreement on July 17, 2008.
The
Exclusive Services Agreements can be terminated (i) by each of the JV Cos
serving a 30 days prior written notice; or in the event of breach, by the
non-breaching party, if the breaching party has not cured the breach within 30
days after receipt of the notice from the non-breaching party.
Transition
Arrangements
Following
the execution of the foregoing agreement, China Networks has been engaged in the
process of determining which of the employees of the PRC TV Stations must be
employed by the JV Tech Cos, which are to be hired by the relevant JV Ad Co and
those who will remain as employees of the relevant PRC TV Station. In addition,
China Networks has been deploying extensive integration management software
system which allows management and investors to access and analyze the Company’s
operation, financial, sales, marketing and personnel data. It also has been
conducting personnel integration analyses and formalizing its policies with
respect to customer relations, pricing, incentivizing management and sales
personnel and government relations. China Networks has also begun the process of
transitioning the accounts receivable and establishing registered and working
capital at the JV Tech Cos and JV Ad Cos to enable it to fully commence
operations as joint ventures. The Company has been in the process of
re-executing contracts with their clients who had signed contracts with the PRC
TV Stations. In order to best understand local markets, China Networks’
management has been conducting extensive market research and
analysis.
Facilities
CNIH
maintains executive offices at 9 Dong San Huan Zhong Lu, Suite 1101, Chaoyang
District, Beijing, 100020, P. R. China. The base rental cost for this space is
approximately $5,027 per month. China Networks considers its current office
space with 226 square meters to be adequate for current operations.
China
Networks’ Kunming JV is located at No. 198, Danxia Road, Kunming City, Yunan
province. Yellow River JV is located at No. 318, Yingze Street, Taiyuan city,
Shanxi Province.
Employees
As of
November 1, 2009, CNIH had a total of 112 employees in the following entities:
Beijing headquarters (10), Kunming JV and Kunming Ad Co. (72), and Yellow River
JV and Taiyuan Ad Co. (30). CNIH offers employees competitive
compensation packages and various training programs, which are intended to
attract and retain qualified personnel. As required by PRC regulations, China
Networks participates in various employee benefit plans that are organized by
municipal and provincial governments, including housing, pension, medical and
unemployment benefit plans. CNIH is required under PRC law to make contributions
to the employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses
and certain allowances of employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the
local government from time to time. Members of the retirement plan are entitled
to a pension equal to a fixed proportion of the salary prevailing at the
member’s retirement date. CNIH typically enters into a standard employment
agreement and a confidentiality agreement with its employees and it believes its
relationship with its employees is good. CNIH’s employees are not represented by
any collective bargaining agreements or labor unions.
Legal
Proceedings
On
September 3, 2009, Alpha Capital Anstalt, one of our noteholders and selling
shareholders, filed a complaint against China Networks in the Supreme Court of
the State of New York, County of New York, alleging that China Networks
defaulted on a promissory note made by China Networks and payable to Alpha
Capital in the principal amount of $999,650. The complaint alleges
that the note was payable in full, together with all accrued interest, on July
10, 2009, which represents the tenth business day following the closing of the
Business Combination. The complaint seeks damages in the amount of
$1,168,591, which represents the principal and accrued interest due and owing as
of August 23, 2009, plus a late fee in the amount of $55,647 with interest
accruing thereafter at a rate of 12% per annum.
Governmental
Regulation
China’s
advertising industry is highly regulated by numerous PRC regulatory authorities.
Under the direct legal authority of the State Council, the State Administration
for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) is the primary regulator of advertising
industry in the PRC, and maintains a qualification system by issuing business
licenses with a business scope that covers advertising to qualified entities
through its local bureaus. A number of industry-specific authorities work with
the SAIC and/or under the SAIC’s regulatory framework to issue rules and
policies relating to advertising. For example, the State Administration of
Radio, Film and Television (“SARFT”) is involved in regulating TV
advertising.
Regulatory
Framework
In late
1987, the State Council issued the Regulations for the Administration of
Advertising (Advertising Regulations, promulgated on October 26, 1987 by the
State Council and effective as of December 1, 1987), which were supplemented
several months later by Detailed Implementing Rules for the Regulations for the
Administration of Advertising (Implementing Rules, promulgated on January 9,
1988 by the SAIC and revised on December 3, 1998, December 1, 2000, and November
30, 2004).
The
Advertising Regulations and Implementing Rules established the SAIC as the
governmental authority chiefly responsible for overseeing the advertising
industry, and initiated a system of licensing and censorship requirements for
advertising content. This legislation covers advertisements in print media,
television and radio broadcasts, and films, on public posters and billboards, in
vehicles, in printed materials sent through the mail, in exhibitions and product
displays, and in “any other media, as well as the use of other forms to publish,
broadcast, install, or post advertisements.” The Advertising Regulations and
Implementing Rules also specify penalties for legal violations.
It was
not until October 27, 1994 that the National People’s Congress promulgated the
Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China as Decree No. 34 and effective
as of February 1, 1995. Although as a national law it takes precedence over the
Advertising Regulations, the Advertising Law adopts the requirements,
definitions, and penalties set forth in those regulations and the Implementing
Rules. The Advertising Law thus contains the terms and definitions subsequently
used throughout the existing PRC regulatory structure for advertising. In
addition, the Advertising Law requires advertisers, publishers and advertising
agencies to publicize their fee standards and fee collection methods.
Advertising agencies are also required to issue special invoices provided by the
state tax authorities when receiving payment for services rendered. Only those
companies licensed to undertake advertising agency and publishing activities can
obtain such invoices, which are necessary for accounting and tax purposes.
Further, the Advertising Law outlines the basic requirements for advertising
content published in the PRC, namely, that it must be truthful, lawful and not
misleading to consumers.
Requirements
for Establishing Foreign-invested Advertising Enterprises
The Rules
for the Administration of Foreign-Invested Advertising Enterprises (promulgated
on March 2, 2004 by the SAIC and the Ministry of Commerce) detail the
application and approval procedures, and qualification requirements for
advertising joint ventures and wholly-foreign owned enterprises in the
PRC.
The
requirements for establishing Sino-foreign advertising joint ventures include a
two years or more operating history in the advertising business for each of the
joint venture parties, together with records evidencing the parties’
achievements in the advertising business.
To
establish a wholly foreign-owned advertising company, the foreign investor must
be engaged in advertising as its primary form of business, and must have been
established and operating for at least three years. Given that certain
foreign investors are unable to meet the two or three years qualification
requirement, the adoption of the trustee structure (as described below) is still
the preferred mode of entry in this industry.
Given
that China Networks and ANT are unable to meet the two or three years
qualification requirement, it currently relies on the trustee structure with
these affiliated PRC companies to establish domestic advertising companies that
operate our advertising business in China.
Once ANT
or any other subsidiary of China Networks meets the aforementioned statutory
requirements on foreign direct investment within the advertising industry in the
PRC, China Networks may, depending on the circumstances and legal requirements
in effect at such time, unwind the trustee structure and adopt the form of
either a wholly foreign-owned advertising company or a Sino-foreign advertising
joint venture.
Regulation
on Broadcasting Radio and TV Advertisements
SARFT and
its local branches at the county level or above are responsible for the
regulation and screening of programs for radio and TV broadcasting. This
includes restrictions on the content and airtime of the broadcast of TV
commercials. On September 15, 2003, SARFT promulgated the Provisional Measures
on Administration of Broadcasting Radio and Television Advertisements, which
provides detailed requirements for the broadcast of radio and TV advertisements,
including the following:
|
·
|
Radio
and TV advertisements shall be clearly differentiated from other TV
programs and should not be broadcasted in the form of news report. Current
events and political news programs shall not carry the names of any
enterprises or products. Advertisements with addresses, telephone numbers
or contact information shall not be broadcasted during special reports on
individuals or enterprises.
|
|
·
|
Radio
stations and TV stations shall examine the content of the advertisements
and the qualifications of the enterprises involved and shall only
broadcast the advertisements that have been so
examined.
|
|
·
|
Radio
and TV advertisements on each channel must not exceed 20% of the total of
each channel’s daily program time and must not exceed 15% of each
channel’s program time per hour (i.e. nine minutes per hour) between 11:00
a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for radio programs and between 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. for
TV programs.
|
|
·
|
Advertisements
shall not be broadcasted in a way that would affect completion of the
programs. Except for the period between 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.,
advertisements can only be broadcasted once and for a maximum period of
2.5 minutes during the airing of any movie or TV
drama.
|
|
·
|
The
broadcast of advertisements related to tobacco are prohibited by radio
stations and TV stations. Advertisements relating to alcohol are strictly
controlled in accordance with relevant PRC laws, rules and regulations.
The number of alcohol advertisements cannot exceed 12 segments for each TV
channel per day or exceed two segments between 7:00 p.m. - 9:00
p.m.
|
DIRECTORS
AND MANAGEMENT
Directors
and Executive Officers
Certain
information with respect to each of our current directors and executive officers
is set forth below, including their names, ages, a brief description of their
recent business experience, including present occupations and employment,
certain directorships that each person holds, and the year in which each person
became a director or executive officer.
Our board
of directors and executive officers consist of the following:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Li
Shuangqing
|
|
55
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman
|
Xin
Yan Li
|
|
33
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
Michael
Weksel
|
|
45
|
|
Director
|
Jian
Ping Huang
|
|
49
|
|
Director
|
May
Huang
|
|
41
|
|
Director
|
Kerry
Propper
|
|
34
|
|
Director
|
George
Kaufman
|
|
34
|
|
Director
|
Donald
Quinby
|
|
34
|
|
Director
|
Mr. Li
Shuangqing has been our chairman and chief executive officer and director since
our merger with China Networks. Prior to the merger, Mr. Li had served as the
chairman and chief executive officer and a director of China Networks since May
2008. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Li was the chairman of Shandong Huashi
Media & Technology, a leading Electronic Program Guide provider in
China. Prior to that, he was from 2001 to 2006 the general manager of
Huicong Advertising, a leading Chinese internet and TV advertising company and
director of advertising department of Qilu TV Station from 1997 to
2001. Mr. Li had various management and TV production roles with
Shandong and Qilu TV Stations from 1980 to 1997. Mr. Li completed
EMBA course from Guanghua School of Management, Peking University.
Mr. Xin
Yan Li has served as our chief financial officer since August 10,
2009. Mr. Li served as financial controller of China Networks from
January 2009 until its merger with CNIH, at which time he assumed the role of
our Financial Controller. From August 2007 to December 2008, he
worked at Terex Corporation as an internal auditor. Prior to that, he
was a financial specialist at Holcim North America Business Services from 2005
to 2007, and worked at Arthur Andersen from 1998 to 2001. Mr. Li
received a B.A. degree in Economics from Renmin University of China in 1998 and
an M.B.A from McGill University in 2004. Mr. Li holds a Certificate of Certified
Public Accountant from State of Delaware and is a Certified Internal Auditor.
Mr. Li is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Mr.
Michael E. Weksel has been our director since our inception. Mr.
Weksel served as our chief financial officer from our inception until August 10,
2009, and our chief executive officer from our inception until the merger with
China Networks. Mr. Weksel also served as the chief financial
officer of China Networks from January 2009 until its merger with CNIH.
Mr. Weksel had been a member of the board of directors of Alyst since its
inception and served as Alyst’s chief operating officer, chief
financial officer and secretary. From 2000 to 2007, Mr. Weksel was a principal
in Industrial Acquisitions Management, LLC, a private venture firm. From 1994 to
1999, Mr. Weksel served on the board of directors and as chief financial officer
and vice president of LogistiCare which he co-founded. From 1992 to 1994, Mr.
Weksel served as a managing director at Weksel, Davies & Co. Inc. In that
capacity, Mr. Weksel acted as the sole executive officer at Viking Mobile
Communications and as project director for the implementation of a new
enterprise computing solution at The E.F. Johnson Company. Mr. Weksel also
served on the board of directors of The E.F. Johnson Company. Prior to 1992, Mr.
Weksel worked for three years as an associate at the merchant banking firm of
Joseph, Littlejohn and Levy, Inc. Mr. Weksel currently is a director of both
GovDelivery, Inc., a leading e-mail subscription management system provider, and
Safe Lites, LLC, a developer of applications of electroluminescent technologies.
Mr. Weksel received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Albany and
an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Mr. Weksel is the son of Dr. William Weksel,
the former chief executive officer of Alyst.
Mr. Kerry
Propper has been our director since our merger with China Networks and a
director of China Networks Media since May 2008. Mr. Propper has been
the owner and chief executive officer of Chardan Capital Markets LLC, a New York
based broker/dealer, since July 2003. He has also been a managing director of
SUJG, Inc., an investment company, since April 2005. From its inception in
December 2003 until November 2005, Mr. Propper served as a member of the board
of directors of each of Chardan China Acquisition Corp., Chardan North China
Acquisition Corporation and Chardan South China Acquisition Corporation, each an
OTC Bulletin Board listed blank check company. In November 2005, Chardan China
Acquisition Corp. completed its business combination with State Harvest Holdings
Ltd. and changed its name to Origin Agritech Ltd., in September 2007, Chardan
North completed its business combination with Gifted Time Holdings, Limited and
changed its name to HLS Systems International, Ltd. and in January 2008 Chardan
South completed its business combination with Head Dragon Holdings, Limited and
changed its name to A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Ltd. Mr.
Propper has continued to serve as a member of the board of directors of Origin
Agritech and HLS Systems International Ltd. since their mergers. Mr. Propper
also sits on the board of directors of China Cablecom Holdings, Ltd., a
joint-venture provider of cable TV services in China. Mr. Propper was a founder,
and from February 1999 to July 2003 owner and managing director of Windsor
Capital Advisors, a full service brokerage firm also based in New York. Mr.
Propper was also a founder of The Private Capital Group LLC, a small private
investment firm specializing in hard money loans and convertible preferred debt
and equity offerings for small companies, in May 2000 and was affiliated with it
until December 2003. From July 1997 until February 1999, Mr. Propper worked at
Aegis Capital Corp., a broker dealer and member firm of FINRA. Mr. Propper
received his B.A. (with honors) in Economics and International Studies from
Colby College and studied at the London School of Economics.
Dr. Jian
Ping Huang has been
our director since our merger with China Networks. He is the Chairman
Emeritus and Chief Strategic Adviser of Jpigroup Inc., a company he founded in
1988. Under Dr. Huang’s advisory guidance, Jpigroup has become one of
China's major private investment and development companies that has invested and
advised in the areas of manufacturing, human capital development, technologies
and financial services. From 1985 and prior to founding Jpigroup, Dr.
Huang worked for the Government of China in the former Ministry of Foreign
Economic Relations and Trade and during this time, he was very active and
instrumental in helping formulate some of China's first open door strategies and
reform plans, especially in the area of international investment and
trade. Dr. Huang holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of
International Business and Economics in Beijing, where he now concurrently holds
a Professorship in Finance. Dr. Huang is a director of Golden Green
Enterprises, Ltd., and a member of that company’s audit committee.
Ms. May
Huang has been our director since our merger with China Networks. Ms.
Huang has been the Chief Operating Officer of Jpigroup Inc. since 2006. She
is responsible for coordinating the business activities and objectives of
Jpigroup’s two major divisions: investment banking services and principal
investments. Jpigroup is one of China’s major private investment and development
companies that has invested and advised in the areas of manufacturing, human
capital development, technologies and financial services. Before 2006, Ms. Huang
was Jpigroup’s Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Huang holds a Bachelor’s degree in
economics from Sun Yatsen University at Zhongshan. Ms. Huang is the
sister of Dr. Huang.
Mr. George B. Kaufman has been our
director since our merger with China Networks. Mr. Kaufman has served
as the Vice President of Investment Banking for Chardan Capital Markets LLC, a
New York based broker/dealer, since January 2006 and served as an Investment
Banking Associate for Chardan from November 2004, when he joined the firm, to
December 2005. As one of the seven original members of Chardan, Mr.
Kaufman established the investment banking, brokerage and marketing protocols
and standards. He has extensive experience with operating and
development stage companies, particularly those in the China and Greater Asian
region, having lead and/or managed over 30 public and private
transactions. In addition, Mr. Kaufman founded Detroit Coffee
Company, a national roaster, wholesaler and retail distributor of high-end
specialty coffees, in January 2002 and currently serves as its chief executive
officer. Mr. Kaufman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics
from the University of Vermont in 1999.
Mr. Donald Quinby has been our director
since our merger with China Networks. Mr. Quinby has served as the
lead business analyst for North Venture Partners, a boutique advisory firm for
early stage ventures, serving both entrepreneurs and investors, since December
2008. Prior to joining North Venture Partners, Mr. Quinby served as a
Director with KPMG LLP’s Transaction Services practice in San Francisco, CA,
from June 2004 to November 2008. At KPMG, Mr. Quinby worked on over
50 transactions and his primary responsibility was leading financial and
accounting due diligence efforts on potential acquisitions and investment
opportunities for various corporate and private equity clients. From
April 2003 to June 2004, Mr. Quinby performed financial and corporate governance
analysis on equity investments of the California Public Employees Retirement
System (CalPERS). Mr. Quinby received a Masters of Business
Administration in Finance from the Graduate School of Management at the
University of California, Davis in 2004 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in
International Studies from Colby College in 1997. Mr. Quinby is also
a CFA charter holder.
Our board
of directors is currently divided into three classes with only one class of
directors being elected in each year and each class serving a three-year term.
Our Class A directors are Ms. Huang and Mr. Quinby. Our Class B
directors are Mr. Kaufman and Mr. Li. Our Class C Directors are
Mr. Propper, Dr. Huang and Mr. Weksel. The term of the Class A directors expires
at the first annual meeting of our stockholders, with the Class B term expiring
at the second annual meeting, and the Class C term expiring at the third annual
meeting.
Key
Employees
Our key
employees are as follows:
Wu Ying
has been Chief Operating Officer of China Networks since November 2008. From
2007 to 2008, Ms. Wu was the chief executive officer of Globereel.com, an online
video website for global travel information in China. Prior to that, she was the
executive director and chief operation officer of HC International, Inc, a
leading cross-media business information provider in China, listed on the Hong
Kong Growth Enterprise Market for more than ten years. Ms. Wu graduated from
Peking University Guanghua School of Management in 2000 for Executive MBA
program.
Guan Yong
has served as Vice President, Business Development of China Networks since 2007.
From 2006 to 2007, she was the director of greater China sales department of
Zhuhai Cosmedia, a division of Hong Kong Cosmedia Holding Ltd., a London AIM
listed company, focusing on developing and implementing a multi-platform
advertising and distribution network in mainland China and Hong Kong. From 2004
to 2006, she served as the director of advertising department of economy &
life channel in Henan TV Station. From 2000 to 2004, she was the key account
manager of Huicong Advertising. From 1995 to 2000, she was the manager of east
China region of Shandong Qilu TV Station Advertising Department. Prior to that,
Ms. Guan worked with Shandong Linyi TV Station from 1988 to
1995.
Liu Rui has been Head of Media Planning
of China Networks since 2007. Mr. Liu also serves as director of
strategy at Daqi, a web 2.0 site, a position he has held since
2006. From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Liu was vice-president of Huamei Media,
a subsidiary of Huicong Advertising, specializing in advertising sales and
planning. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Liu worked with Sichuan Gaoyang
Advertising as a media buyer and data analyst for SCTV, CDTV and
CQTV. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Liu worked for the Institute of
Classics, Sichuan University, editing classical literature.
None of
the above members of the management team has worked with either Kunming TV
Station or Yellow River TV Station prior to the formation of the JV Cos. The
former Kunming TV Station Advertising Center’s general manager, Ms. Feng Ying,
served as the Kunming JV’s general manager since the formation of the JV Co. She
worked with the Kunming TV Station since 1993, and served as its Advertising
Center’s general manager for more than 10 years. Ms. Feng has a
strong understanding of the needs of the local market and its
customers.
Director
Independence
Dr. J.P.
Huang, Ms. Huang, Mr. Quinby and Mr. Kaufman are our independent directors
under NYSE Amex rules. Our independent directors will have
regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are
present.
Any
affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to CNIH than could be
obtained from independent parties. Any affiliated transactions must be approved
by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
During
the last fiscal year, no executive officer has received compensation, and no
officer has participated in deliberations of its board of directors concerning
executive officer compensation.
Meetings
and Committees of the Board of Directors
CNIH
intends to schedule its annual meetings so that its directors can attend. In
addition, CNIH expects its directors to attend all Board and committee meetings
and to spend the time needed and meet as frequently as necessary to properly
discharge their responsibilities.
Audit
Committee
We
established an audit committee of the board of directors, which consists of Dr.
J.P. Huang (Chairman), Mr. Quinby and Ms. Huang. We have determined that each of
these individuals is an independent director under the NYSE Amex listing
standards although such rules do not apply to us while we are not listed on the
NYSE Amex. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit
Committee Charter (which is the committee charter previously adopted by Alyst),
include, but are not limited to:
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reviewing and discussing with
management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial
statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial
statements should be included in the Form
10-K;
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discussing with management and
the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and
judgments made in connection with the preparation of financial
statements;
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discussing with management major
risk assessment and risk management
policies;
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monitoring the independence of
the independent auditor;
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verifying the rotation of the
lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the
audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as
required by law;
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reviewing and approving all
related-party transactions;
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inquiring and discussing with
management compliance with applicable laws and
regulations;
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pre-approving all audit services
and permitted non-audit services to be performed by CNIH’s
independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be
performed;
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appointing or replacing the
independent auditor;
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determining the compensation and
oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of
disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding
financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit
report or related work; and
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establishing procedures for the
receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by CNIH regarding
accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material
issues regarding our financial statements or accounting
policies.
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Financial
Experts on Audit Committee
Under the
NYSE Amex listing standards, the audit committee is at all times be composed
exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined
under the NYSE Amex listing standards. The NYSE Amex listing standards define
“financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental
financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and
cash flow statement. Although we are not currently subject to the
NYSE Amex listing standards, we are in compliance with this
standard.
In
addition, NYSE Amex listing standards would require that we certify that
the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past
employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional
certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that
results in the individual’s financial sophistication. Ms. Huang satisfies
such definition and qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as
defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.
Our
Reporting Accountant
With
effect from August 15, 2009, we appointed UHY Vocation HK CPA Ltd (“UHY HK”) as
our reporting accountant for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009, replacing
UHY LLP, which we appointed as reporting accountant following consummation of
our merger with China Networks. UHY LLP had served as China Networks’
reporting accountant from its inception until the consummation of the
merger. The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to UHY
HK and UHY LLP for services rendered to China Networks for the last two fiscal
years.
Audit
Fees: $320,550
Audit-Related
Fees: $28,000
Tax
Fees: $1,000
All Other
Fees: Nil
Audit
Committee Approval
Since our
Audit Committee was not formed until June 2009, it did not pre-approve all of
the foregoing services. Services rendered prior to the formation of
the Audit Committee were approved by China Networks’ board of directors.
However, in accordance with Section 10A(i) of the Exchange Act, our Audit
Committee pre-approved UHY HK’s engagement as our independent accountant to
render audit or non-audit services on a going-forward basis.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee Information
We
established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of
directors, which consists of Mr. Quinby (Chairman) and Dr. J.P. Huang, each
of whom is an independent director under the NYSE Amex’s listing standards,
although such standards do not apply to us while we are not listed on the NYSE
Amex. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for
overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of
directors. The nominating and corporate governance committee considers persons
identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and
others.
Guidelines
for Selecting Director Nominees
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider a number of
qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and
integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership
on the board of directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may
require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting
experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not distinguish among
nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons and will consider persons
identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and
others. We do not have any restrictions on stockholder nominations
under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. The only
restrictions are those applicable generally under British Virgin Islands law and
the federal proxy rules, if applicable. Currently, the board will consider
suggestions from individual stockholders, subject to evaluation of the person’s
merits. Stockholders may communicate nominee suggestions directly to the board,
accompanied by biographical details and a statement of support for the nominees,
subject to certain timing restrictions in connection with our annual meetings.
The suggested nominee must also provide a statement of consent to being
considered for nomination. Although there are no formal criteria for nominees,
our board of directors believes that persons should be actively engaged in
business endeavors, have a financial background, and be familiar with
acquisition strategies and money management.
Compensation
Committee Information
We
established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists
of Mr. Kaufman (Chairman), Dr. J.P. Huang and Mr. Quinby, each of whom is an
independent director under the NYSE Amex’s listing standards, although such
standards do not apply to us while we are not listed on the NYSE Amex. Our
compensation committee is responsible for reviewing and approving corporate
goals and objectives relevant to the compensation for executive officers,
evaluating the performance of executive officers in light of those goals and
objectives, and determining and approving the compensation level of executive
officers based on this evaluation. In addition, our compensation
committee is responsible for administering our incentive-compensation plans and
equity-based plans, including our 2008 Omnibus Securities and Incentive Plan,
and for making recommendations to the board of directors with respect to the
adoption, amendment, termination or replacement of such plans.
Director
Compensation
We intend
to create policies to compensate our board of directors, which we expect will
include a per diem for each board meeting attended, an annual fee and
reimbursement of expenses incurred in attending meetings. The amounts of
compensation, numbers of shares subject to awards and other terms of director
compensation have not been determined at this time and our directors currently
do not receive and have not received any compensation for their
services.
Executive
Compensation
Our board
of directors intends to conduct reviews informally, and that compensation will
not be typically changed on a regimented time-frame. Our board of
directors intends to base the salaries of its executive officers on the amounts
similarly-situated companies pay their executive officers for similar
performance. In general, if an executive performs exceptionally well,
the performance and, if applicable, the increase in responsibilities would also
merit a salary increase.
Our chief executive officer is Mr. Li
Shuangqing. ANT has entered into a services agreement with Mr. Li
Shuangqing to provide consulting services to ANT and its affiliates. The service
agreement will be effective for an initial period of two years and may be
extended upon the mutual written consent of both parties. Under the terms of the
services agreement, ANT will pay Mr. Li a quarterly service fee equivalent to
US$15,000 during the term of this agreement, subject to certain adjustments and
exceptions. Mr. Li will also be entitled to reimbursement by ANT for certain
expenses in the course of provision of his services. Since June 2009,
Mr. Li has also received a monthly salary of RMB 20,000, approximately U.S.
$2,928.
Compensation
and Fees
No
compensation or other fees were paid to executive management employees of China
Networks in 2008. However, in January 2009, Ms. Wu was paid $1,826
for employment services rendered in 2008, together with $13,017 in consulting
fees. Mr. Li was paid $30,000 in January 2009 in consulting
fees.
2008
Omnibus Securities and Incentive Plan
We adopted the 2008 Omnibus Securities
and Incentive Plan (the “Share Incentive Plan”) in connection with the merger
with China Networks, which entitles directors, officers, employees and
consultants of CNIH or its affiliates to receive distribution equivalent rights,
incentive share options, non-qualified share options, performance share awards,
performance unit awards, restricted share awards, share appreciation rights,
tandem share appreciation rights and unrestricted share awards. The following
description of the Share Incentive Plan is a summary of the material terms of
the Share Incentive Plan.
The Share
Incentive Plan provides for the grant of distribution equivalent rights,
incentive share options, non-qualified share options, performance share awards,
performance unit awards, restricted share awards, share appreciation rights,
tandem share appreciation rights and unrestricted share awards for an aggregate
of not more than 2,500,000 shares of our ordinary shares, to directors,
officers, employees and consultants of CNIH or its affiliates. If any award
expires, is cancelled, or terminates unexercised or is forfeited, the number of
shares subject thereto, if any, is again available for grant under the Share
Incentive Plan. The number of ordinary shares with respect to which share
options or share appreciation rights may be granted to an employee under the
Share Incentive Plan in any calendar year cannot exceed 500,000.
The Share
Incentive Plan is administered by our compensation committee (the “Committee”).
Among other things, the Committee has complete discretion, subject to the
express limits of the Share Incentive Plan, to determine the employees,
directors and consultants to be granted awards, the types of awards to be
granted, the number of our ordinary shares to be subject to each award, if any,
the exercise price under each option, the base price of each share appreciation
right, the term of each award, the vesting schedule and/or performance goals for
each award that utilizes such a schedule or provides for performance goals,
whether to accelerate vesting, the value of the ordinary shares, and any
required withholdings. Either our board of directors or the Committee may amend,
modify or terminate any outstanding award, provided that the participant’s
consent to such action is required if the action would materially and adversely
affect the participant. The Committee is also authorized to construe the award
agreements and may prescribe rules relating to the operation of the Share
Incentive Plan.
The Share
Incentive Plan provides for the grant of share options, which may be either
“incentive share options” (ISOs), which are intended to meet the requirements
for special U.S. federal income tax treatment under the Code, or “nonqualified
share options” (NQSOs). Options may be granted on such terms and conditions as
the Committee may determine; provided, however, that the per share exercise
price under an option may not be less than the fair market value of an
underlying CNIH ordinary share on the date of grant, and the term of an ISO may
not exceed ten years (110% of such value and five years in the case of an ISO
granted to an employee who owns (or is deemed to own) more than 10% of the total
combined voting power of all classes of capital Share of CNIH or a parent or
subsidiary of CNIH). ISOs may only be granted to employees. In addition, the
aggregate fair market value of the ordinary shares underlying one or more ISOs
(determined at the time of grant) which are exercisable for the first time by
any one employee during any calendar year may not exceed $100,000.
A
restricted share award under the Share Incentive Plan is a grant or sale of our
ordinary shares to the participant, subject to such transfer, forfeiture and/or
other restrictions specified by the Committee in the award. Dividends,
if any, declared by us will be paid on the shares, even during the period
of restriction.
An
unrestricted share award under the Share Incentive Plan is a grant or sale of
our ordinary shares to the participant that is not subject to
transfer, forfeiture or other restrictions, in consideration for past
services rendered thereby to us or an affiliate or for other valid
consideration.
Performance
unit awards under the Share Incentive Plan entitle the participant to receive a
specified payment in cash upon the attainment of specified individual or company
performance goals.
Performance
share awards under the Share Incentive Plan entitle the participant to receive a
specified number of our ordinary shares upon the attainment of specified
individual or company performance goals.
A
distribution equivalent right award under the Share Incentive Plan entitles the
participant to receive bookkeeping credits, cash payments and/or our ordinary
share distributions equal in amount to the distributions that would have been
made to the participant had the participant held a specified number of our
ordinary shares during the period the participant held the distribution
equivalent right. A distribution equivalent right may be awarded under the Share
Incentive Plan as a component of another award, where, if so awarded, such
distribution equivalent right will expire, terminate or be forfeited by the
participant under the same conditions as under such other award.
The award
of an SAR under the Share Incentive Plan entitles the participant, upon
exercise, to receive an amount in cash, our ordinary shares or a combination
thereof, equal to the increase in the fair market value of the underlying CNIH
ordinary shares between the date of grant and the date of exercise. SARs may be
granted in tandem with, or independently of, options granted under the Share
Incentive Plan. An SAR granted in tandem with an option under the Share
Incentive Plan is granted at the same time as the related option and
is exercisable only at such times, and to the extent, that the related
option is exercisable and expires upon termination or exercise of the
related option. In addition, the related option may be exercised only
when the value of our ordinary shares subject to the option exceeds the exercise
price under the option. An SAR that is not granted in tandem with an option is
exercisable at such times as the Committee may specify.
The Share
Incentive Plan prohibits the issuance of an award with terms and conditions that
would cause the award to be considered nonqualified deferred compensation under
Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. Except as provided in the Share
Incentive Plan, awards granted under the Share Incentive Plan are not
transferable and may be exercised only by the participant or by the
participant’s guardian or legal representative. Each award agreement will
specify, among other things, the effect on an award of the disability, death,
retirement, authorized leave of absence or other termination of employment of
the participant. We may require a participant to pay us the amount of any
required withholding in connection with the grant, vesting, exercise or
disposition of an award. A participant is not considered a shareholder with
respect to the our ordinary shares underlying an award until the shares are
issued to the participant.
Our board
of directors may at any time terminate the Share Incentive Plan with respect to
any awards that have not theretofore been granted, provided that no such
termination may be effected if it would materially and adversely affect the
rights of a participant with respect to any award theretofore granted without
the participant’s consent. Our board of directors may at any time amend or alter
the Share Incentive Plan, provided that no change in any award theretofore
granted may be made which would materially and adversely impair the rights of a
participant with respect to such award without that participant’s
consent.
SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS
This prospectus is part of a
registration statement we filed with the SEC using the “shelf” registration
process. Under the shelf registration process, using this prospectus, together
with a prospectus supplement, if required, one or more selling shareholders may
sell from time to time our ordinary shares in one or more offerings. This
prospectus provides you with a general description of our ordinary shares that
may be offered. Each time selling shareholders sell our ordinary shares pursuant
to this prospectus, we may also be required to provide a prospectus supplement
that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The
prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in
this prospectus and, accordingly, to the extent inconsistent, the information in
this prospectus is superseded by the information in the prospectus supplement.
You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and the
additional information incorporated by reference in this prospectus described
under “Where You Can Find Additional Information” before making an investment in
our ordinary shares.
This prospectus covers the issuance
by us of 10,464,400 ordinary shares, of which:
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8,044,400
are issuable upon the exercise of the public warrants;
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1,820,000
are issuable upon the exercise of outstanding insider
warrants;
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300,000 are issuable upon
exercise of the units underlying the unit purchase option (the
“UPO”), issued by Alyst to the representatives of the underwriters in
Alyst’s initial public offering, each unit consisting of one ordinary
share and one warrant to purchase one ordinary share, at an exercise price
of $10.00 per unit; and
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300,000
are issuable upon exercise of the warrants included as part of the units
issuable on exercise of the
UPO.
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This prospectus also covers the resale
by selling security holders of:
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1,820,000
outstanding insider warrants;
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1,820,000
ordinary shares acquired upon exercise of the insider
warrants;
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2,983,488
ordinary shares acquired or received in connection with the consummation
of our Business Combination;
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300,000
warrants included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO;
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300,000
ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO; and
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300,000
ordinary shares underlying the warrants issued as part of the units
issuable on exercise of the UPO.
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We have agreed to register the issuance
by us, or the resale by the selling shareholders, of the ordinary shares covered
by this prospectus.
The following table sets forth
information about the beneficial ownership of each selling shareholder as
to:
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the
number of ordinary shares that are beneficially held by each selling
shareholder; and
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the
maximum number of ordinary shares that may be offered by each selling
shareholder in the prospectus.
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We cannot
estimate the number of ordinary shares that will be beneficially owned by the
selling shareholders after completion of this offering because the selling
shareholders may sell all, some or none of the ordinary shares beneficially
owned by them prior to this offering and may subsequently acquire beneficial
ownership of other shares. Our registration of these securities does not
necessarily mean that the selling shareholders will sell any or all of the
securities.
The
information provided in the table below and the footnotes thereto with respect
to each selling shareholder has been provided by that selling
shareholder. We believe that the selling shareholders have sole
voting and investment powers over their ordinary shares except as indicated
below.
Name
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Ordinary
Shares
Owned
Prior to the
Offering
|
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Percentage
of
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares(1)
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Ordinary
Shares
Offered
For Resale
Hereby
|
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|
Percentage
of
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares(1)
|
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|
Ordinary
Shares
Owned
After the
Offering
|
|
|
Percentage
of
Outstanding
Ordinary
Shares(1)
|
|
Michael
E. Weksel
|
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1,149,794 |
(2) |
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7.49 |
% |
|
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590,000 |
(3) |
|
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3.84 |
% |
|
|
559,794 |
|
|
|
3.65 |
% |
Robert
A. Schriesheim
|
|
|
590,000 |
(4) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
590,000 |
(4) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Dr.
William Weksel
|
|
|
590,000 |
(4) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
590,000 |
(4) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Robert
H. Davies
|
|
|
590,000 |
(5) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
590,000 |
(5) |
|
|
3.84 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Paul
Levy
|
|
|
317,500 |
(6) |
|
|
2.07 |
% |
|
|
317,500 |
(6) |
|
|
2.07 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Millennium
Trust Company, LLC Cust FBO Ira Hollenberg, Rollover IRA
|
|
|
287,500 |
(7) |
|
|
1.87 |
% |
|
|
287,500 |
(7) |
|
|
1.87 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Silverman
Realty Group, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan (LCPSP)
|
|
|
287,500 |
(7) |
|
|
1.87 |
% |
|
|
287,500 |
(7) |
|
|
1.87 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Norbert
W. Strauss
|
|
|
95,834 |
(8) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
95,834 |
(8) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
David
Strauss
|
|
|
95,833 |
(9) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
95,833 |
(9) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Jonathan
Strauss
|
|
|
95,833 |
(9) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
95,833 |
(9) |
|
|
0.62 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Matthew
Botwin
|
|
|
30,000 |
(10) |
|
|
0.20 |
% |
|
|
30,000 |
(10) |
|
|
0.20 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stephen
J. DeGroat
|
|
|
76,046 |
(11) |
|
|
0.50 |
% |
|
|
76,046 |
(11) |
|
|
0.50 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Maxim
Partners LLC
|
|
|
85,349 |
(12) |
|
|
0.56 |
% |
|
|
85,349 |
(12) |
|
|
0.56 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
RBC
Capital Markets Corporation
|
|
|
270,175 |
(13) |
|
|
1.76 |
% |
|
|
270,175 |
(13) |
|
|
1.76 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Scott
T. Bass
|
|
|
45,209 |
(14) |
|
|
0.29 |
% |
|
|
45,209 |
(14) |
|
|
0.29 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Richard
K. Prins
|
|
|
85,209 |
(15) |
|
|
0.56 |
% |
|
|
85,209 |
(15) |
|
|
0.56 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Craig
A. Ascari
|
|
|
10,000 |
(16) |
|
|
0.07 |
% |
|
|
10,000 |
(16) |
|
|
0.07 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Christopher
A. Freeman
|
|
|
11,500 |
(17) |
|
|
0.07 |
% |
|
|
11,500 |
(17) |
|
|
0.07 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Jesup
& Lamont Securities Corporation
|
|
|
270,000 |
(18) |
|
|
1.76 |
% |
|
|
270,000 |
(18) |
|
|
1.76 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
South
Ferry #2 LP
|
|
|
176,750 |
(19) |
|
|
1.15 |
% |
|
|
176,750 |
(19) |
|
|
1.15 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Moshe
Rosenfeld
|
|
|
3,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.02 |
% |
|
|
3,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.02 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Platinum
Partners Value Arbitrage, LP
|
|
|
175,000 |
(19) |
|
|
1.14 |
% |
|
|
175,000 |
(19) |
|
|
1.14 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Atlas
Master Fund Ltd
|
|
|
105,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.68 |
% |
|
|
105,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.68 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Leon
Meyers
|
|
|
105,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.68 |
% |
|
|
105,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.68 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Globis
Capital Partners, LP
|
|
|
52,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.34 |
% |
|
|
52,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.34 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Chardan
SPAC Asset Management LLC
|
|
|
52,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.34 |
% |
|
|
52,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.34 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
BDS
Capital Fund I, LLC
|
|
|
43,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.29 |
% |
|
|
43,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.29 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Alpha
Capital Anstalt
|
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
MLR
Capital Offshore Master Fund Ltd
|
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
KATA
Ltd
|
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
35,000 |
(19) |
|
|
0.23 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Beechwood
Capital Group LLC
|
|
|
26,250 |
(19) |
|
|
0.17 |
% |
|
|
26,250 |
(19) |
|
|
0.17 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Aaron
Wolfson
|
|
|
17,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.11 |
% |
|
|
17,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.11 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Globis
International Investments LLC
|
|
|
17,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.11 |
% |
|
|
17,500 |
(19) |
|
|
0.11 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Eliezer
Levitin
|
|
|
12,250 |
(19) |
|
|
0.08 |
% |
|
|
12,250 |
(19) |
|
|
0.08 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Globis
Overseas Fund, Ltd
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Nicole
Kubin
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
AME
Capital Group LLC
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Cam
Elm Company LLC
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
XEL
Inc.
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Brio
Capital L.P.
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Diamond
Street Equities LLC
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Ezra
Birnbaum
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
China
Private Equity Partners Co., Ltd
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Bantry
Bay Ventures, LLC
|
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
8,750 |
(19) |
|
|
0.06 |
% |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
(1)
|
Calculated
based on: (i) an aggregate of 12,927,888 ordinary shares issued and
outstanding as of December 28, 2009; (ii) the issuance of 1,820,000
ordinary shares upon the exercise of the insider warrants; (iii) the
issuance of 300,000 ordinary shares upon the exercise of the warrants
included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO: and (iv)
the 300,000 ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on
exercise of the UPO, but not including ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise, if any, of the public
warrants.
|
(2)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 350,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in
connection with Alyst’s IPO; (ii) 12,500 ordinary shares issued in a
private placement in connection with Alyst’s IPO and held by the Carina
Heart Weksel Irrevocable Trust, a trust established for the benefit of Mr.
Weksel’s daughter; (iii) 227,500 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider warrants; and (iv) 559,794 ordinary shares
issuable upon exercise of public warrants purchased in the open market and
subject to a Put-Call Agreement with CNIH (as successor in interest to
Alyst Acquisition Corp.) at an exercise price of
$0.0446.
|
(3)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 350,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in
connection with Alyst’s IPO; (ii) 12,500 ordinary shares issued in a
private placement in connection with Alyst’s IPO and held by the Carina
Heart Weksel Irrevocable Trust, a trust established for the benefit of Mr.
Weksel’s daughter; and (iii) 227,500 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(4)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 362,500 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in
connection with Alyst’s IPO; and (ii) 227,500 ordinary shares issuable
upon the exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(5)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 352,500 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in
connection with Alyst’s IPO; (ii) 10,000 ordinary shares issued in a
private placement in connection with Alyst’s IPO and held by the 2006
Robert H. Davies Delaware Trust f/b/o Alexander B. Davies, a trust
established for the benefit of Mr. Davies’ son; and (iii) 227,500 ordinary
shares issuable upon the exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(6)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 90,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in connection
with Alyst’s IPO; and (ii) 227,500 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(7)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 60,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in connection
with Alyst’s IPO; and (ii) 227,500 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(8)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 20,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in connection
with Alyst’s IPO; and (ii) 75,834 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(9)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 20,000 ordinary shares issued in a private placement in connection
with Alyst’s IPO; and (ii) 75,833 ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the insider
warrants.
|
(10)
|
Represents
ordinary shares issued in a private placement in connection with Alyst’s
IPO.
|
(11)
|
Represents
ordinary shares issued to the representatives of Alyst’s IPO underwriters
as deferred commission and non-accountable expense allowance
due from Alyst’s IPO.
|
(12)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 25,349 ordinary shares issued to the representatives of Alyst’s
IPO underwriters as deferred commission and non-accountable expense
allowance due from Alyst’s IPO, (ii) 30,000 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of the warrants included as part of the units issuable on
exercise of the UPO; and (iii) 30,000 ordinary shares included as part of
the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO.
|
(13)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 121,675 ordinary shares issued to the representatives of Alyst’s
IPO underwriters as deferred commission and non-accountable expense
allowance due from Alyst’s IPO, (ii) 74,250 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of the warrants included as part of the units issuable on
exercise of the UPO; and (iii) 74,250 ordinary shares included as part of
the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO.
|
(14)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 15,209 ordinary shares issued to the representatives of Alyst’s
IPO underwriters as deferred commission and non-accountable expense
allowance due from Alyst’s IPO, (ii) 15,000 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of the warrants included as part of the units issuable on
exercise of the UPO; and (iii) 15,000 ordinary shares included as part of
the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO.
|
(15)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 15,209 ordinary shares issued to the representatives of Alyst’s
IPO underwriters as deferred commission and non-accountable expense
allowance due from Alyst’s IPO, (ii) 35,000 ordinary shares issuable upon
exercise of the warrants included as part of the units issuable on
exercise of the UPO; and (iii) 35,000 ordinary shares included as part of
the units issuable on exercise of the
UPO.
|
(16)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 5,000 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO; and (ii)
5,000 ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise
of the UPO.
|
(17)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 5,750 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO; and (ii)
5,750 ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise
of the UPO.
|
(18)
|
Consisting
of: (i) 135,000 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
included as part of the units issuable on exercise of the UPO; and (ii)
135,000 ordinary shares included as part of the units issuable on exercise
of the UPO.
|
(19)
|
Represents
ordinary shares issued as merger consideration in connection with the
Business Combination.
|
DESCRIPTION
OF SECURITIES
The
following description of the material terms of our ordinary shares and warrants
includes a summary of specified provisions of our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association. This description is subject to the
relevant provisions of British Virgin Islands law and qualified by reference to
our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, copies of which
are incorporated herein by reference.
General. We are
authorized to issue 74,000,000 ordinary shares, par value $.0001, and 1,000,000
preferred shares, $.0001 par value.
Ordinary Shares. Holders
of our ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share on all matters
submitted to a vote of shareholders and do not have cumulative voting rights.
Subject to the preferences and rights, if any, applicable to preferred shares,
the holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends if and when
declared by our board of directors. Subject to the prior rights of the holders,
if any, of the preferred shares, the holders of our ordinary shares are entitled
to share ratably in any distribution of our assets upon liquidation, dissolution
or winding-up, after satisfaction of all debts and other
liabilities.
We have
outstanding approximately 12,927,888 ordinary shares. The remaining shares of
authorized and unissued ordinary shares are available for future issuance
without additional shareholder approval. While the additional shares are not
designed to deter or prevent a change of control, under some circumstances we
could use the additional shares to create voting impediments or to frustrate
persons seeking to effect a takeover or otherwise gain control by, for example,
issuing shares in private placements to purchasers who might side our board of
directors in opposing a hostile takeover bid.
Warrants. We have
9,841,632 warrants outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to
purchase one share of our ordinary shares at a price of $5.00 per share, subject
to adjustment as discussed below. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New
York City time on June 28, 2011. We may call the warrants for redemption
(including the insider warrants and any warrants issued upon exercise of the
UPO), with the prior consent of RBC Capital Markets Corporation (as successor in
interest to Ferris, Baker Watts) and Jesup & Lamont: (a) in whole and not in
part, (b) at a price of $.01 per warrant at any time after the warrants become
exercisable, (c) upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption
to each warrantholder and (d) if, and only if, the reported last sale price of
the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 per share, for any 20 trading days
within a 30 trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the
notice of redemption to warrantholders. Those warrants originally issued to
insiders of Alyst are identical to those held by the public warrant holders,
except they also contain a cashless exercise feature.
The
warrants have been issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between
CNIH (as successor in interest to Alyst) and Continental Stock Transfer &
Trust Company, as warrant agent.
Since we
may redeem the warrants only with the prior written consent of RBC Capital
Markets Corporation and Jesup & Lamont and RBC Capital Markets Corporation
and Jesup & Lamont may hold warrants subject to redemption, they may have a
conflict of interest in determining whether or not to consent to such
redemption. We cannot assure you that RBC Capital Markets Corporation and Jesup
& Lamont will consent to such redemption if it is not in RBC Capital Markets
Corporation’s and Jesup & Lamont’s best interest even if it is in our best
interest.
If we
call the warrants for redemption as described above, we have agreed to allow
Robert A. Schriesheim, Dr. William Weksel, Robert H. Davies,
Michael E. Weksel, Paul Levy, Ira Hollenberg IRA, Silverman Realty Group,
Inc. Profit Sharing Plan (LCPSP), Norbert W. Strauss, David Strauss and
Jonathan Strauss and their affiliates to exercise the insider warrants on a
“cashless basis.” If the holders take advantage of this option, they would pay
the exercise price by surrendering their insider warrants for that number of
shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the
product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the insider warrants,
multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the
“fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair
market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of our ordinary
shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date
on which the notice of redemption is sent to holders of warrants.
The
exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the
warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a
stock dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or
consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of
ordinary shares at a price below their respective exercise prices.
The
warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary
shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive
ordinary shares. After the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the
warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each ordinary share held
of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No
fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon
exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional
interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up or down to the nearest
whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant
holder.
The
warrants may be deprived of any value and the market for the warrants may be
limited if this prospectus relating to the ordinary shares issuable upon the
exercise of the warrants is not current or if the ordinary shares are not
qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders
of the warrants reside. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the
warrants. However, if a warrantholder exercises all warrants then owned of
record by him, her or it, we will pay to the warrantholder, in lieu of the
issuance of any fractional share which is otherwise issuable to the
warrantholder, an amount for such fractional share in cash based on the market
value of the ordinary shares on the last trading day prior to the exercise
date.
Listing
Our
ordinary shares and warrants are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the
symbols “CNWHF.OB”, and “CHNWF.OB”, respectively. On December 28, 2009,
the closing sale prices of the ordinary shares and warrants on the OTC Bulletin
Board were $1.26 per share and $0.03 per warrant. Our ordinary shares and
warrants traded on the NYSE Amex until July 17, 2009, when the trading of such
securities was suspended pending our ability to meet the Exchange’s listing
requirements following our business combination with China Networks. We
were delisted from the NYSE Amex in September 2009 for failure to meet such
listing requirements.
UPO
In
connection with Alyst’s IPO, an option to purchase up to a total of 300,000
units was issued to representatives of the underwriters, for $100. The
units issuable upon exercise of the option are identical to the units issued to
the public in the IPO, except that the exercise price of the underlying warrants
will be $7.50 per share. The fair value of the option at the date of
issuance was estimated by Alyst to be approximately $930,000 (or $3.10 per unit)
using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Alyst has no obligation to net
cash settle the exercise of the unit purchase option of the warrants underlying
such option. The representatives are not entitled to exercise the option
or the underlying warrants unless a registration statement covering the
securities underlying the option is effective or an exemption from registration
under the Securities Act is available. If the representatives are unable
to exercise the option or the underlying warrants, the securities will expire as
worthless.
Our
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Clause 5
of our Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association sets forth the objects and
powers of our company. Section 5.1 provides that, subject to certain
provisions set forth in our Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association, the
objects for which we are established are unrestricted and we shall have the full
power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Act or any
other law of the British Virgin Islands. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
Section 5.2 provides that we have no power to: (i) carry on banking or trust
business, unless licensed to do so under the Banks and Trust Companies Act,
1990; (ii) carry on business as an insurance or as a reinsurance company,
insurance agent or insurance broker, unless licensed or authorized to do so
under the Insurance Act, 1994; (iii) carry on the business of company management
unless licensed to do so under the Companies Management Act, 1990; (iv) carry on
the business of providing the registered office or the registered agent for
companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands unless licensed to do so
under the Banks and Trust Companies Act, 1990; and (v) carry on the business as
a mutual fund, mutual fund manager or mutual fund administrator unless licensed
to do so under the Mutual Funds Act, 1996.
Authorized
Shares
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum of
Association authorizes the issuance of a maximum of 75,000,000 shares, of which
74,000,000 are ordinary shares, with $.0001 par value per share, and 1,000,000
are preferred shares of $.0001 par value per share. Our board of directors
or shareholders may from time to time by Resolution of Directors or Resolution
of Shareholders increase the maximum number of shares we are authorized to
issue, by amendment to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of
Association in accordance with the provisions set forth in “—Amendment to our
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.” “Resolution
of Directors” requires the consent of the majority of our board of directors and
“Resolution of Shareholders” requires the consent of the majority of our
shareholders.
Rights
Conferred by Shares
Each share
confers on the holder: (i) the right to one vote on any Resolution of Members;
(ii) the right to an equal share in any dividend paid by us in accordance with
the Act; and (iii) the right to an equal share in the distribution of our
surplus assets. If at any time we are authorized to issue shares of more
than one class the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by
the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may, whether or not CNIH is
being wound up, be varied only with the consent in writing of the holders of not
less than three-fourths of the issued shares of that class and the holders of
not less than three-fourths of the issued shares of any other class of shares
which may be affected by such variation. The rights conferred upon the
holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall
not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of
that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares
ranking pari passu therewith. Our directors may, subject to the Act, by
amending our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association,
determine the designations, powers, preferences and relative, participation,
optional and other rights, if any, and the qualifications, limitations and
restrictions thereof, if any, including, without limitation, dividend rights,
conversion rights, redemption privileges, voting powers and liquidation
preferences that any preferred share issued by CNIH confers on the
holder.
Our Amended
and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association do not contain any limits on
the right to own securities, including the rights of non-resident or foreign
shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on the securities imposed by
foreign law or by our charter or our other constituent documents.
Directors
Number of Directors and Filling
Vacancies on the Board of Directors. BVI law requires that the board of
directors of a company consist of one or more members and that the number of
directors shall be fixed by the company’s Articles of Association. Our Amended
and Restated Articles of Association provide for no maximum number of directors,
subject to any subsequent amendment to change the number of directors. The power
to determine the number of directors is vested in the board of directors and the
shareholders. The power to fill vacancies, whether occurring by reason of an
increase in the number of directors or by resignation, is vested in the board of
directors in the interim period between annual or special meetings of members
called for the election of directors and/or the removal of one or more directors
and the filling of any vacancy in that connection. Directors may be removed by
the members for cause or without cause on a vote of a majority of the
shareholders passed at a meeting called for the purpose of removing the director
or by written resolution or with cause by a resolution of directors passed at a
meeting or by written resolution.
Election of Directors.
Under BVI law, there is no cumulative voting by shareholders for the
election of the directors. The absence of cumulative voting rights effectively
means that the holders of a majority of the shares voted at a shareholders
meeting may, if they so choose, elect all of our directors, thus precluding a
small group of shareholders from controlling the election of one or more
representatives to the board of directors.
Duties
of Directors and Conflicts of Interests
Our Amended and Restated Articles of
Association provide that a director who is interested in a transaction entered
into or to be entered into by us may: (i) vote on a matter relating to the
transaction; attend a meeting of directors at which a matter relating to the
transaction arises and be included among the directors present at the meeting
for the purposes of a quorum; and (iii) sign a document on behalf of CNIH, or do
any other thing in his capacity as a director, that relates to the
transaction. Additionally, our Amended and Restated Articles of
Association provide that no director shall be disqualified by his office from
contracting with CNIH either as a buyer, seller or otherwise, nor shall any such
contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of CNIH in which any
director shall be in any way interested be voided, nor shall any director so
contracting or being so interested be liable to account to CNIH for any profit
realized by any such contract or arrangement, by reason of such director holding
that office or by reason of the fiduciary relationship thereby established,
provided such director shall, immediately after becoming aware of the fact that
he is interested in a transaction entered into or to be entered into by CNIH,
disclose such interest to our board of directors. For the purposes of the
Articles of Association:
(a) A director is not required to make
such a disclosure if: (i) the transaction or proposed transaction is between the
director and CNIH, and (ii) the transaction or proposed transaction is or is to
be entered into in the ordinary course of our business and on usual terms and
conditions.
(b) A disclosure to our board of
directors to the effect that a director is a member, director, officer or
trustee of another named company or other person and is to be regarded as
interested in any transaction which may, after the date of the entry or
disclosure, be entered into with that company or person, is a sufficient
disclosure of interest in relation to that transaction. Such a disclosure
is not made to our board of directors unless it is made or brought to the
attention of every director on the board.
(c) Subject to Section 125(1) of the
Act, the failure by a director to comply with this Article does not affect the
validity of a transaction entered into by the director or the
Company.
Pursuant to our Amended and Restated
Articles of Association, a director shall not require a share qualification, but
nevertheless shall be entitled to attend and speak at any meeting of the
directors and meeting of the members and at any separate meeting of the holders
of any class of our shares. In addition, the remuneration of directors
(whether by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise) in
respect of services rendered or to be rendered in any capacity to CNIH
(including to any company in which we may be interested) shall be fixed by
Resolution of Directors or Resolution of Members. The directors may also
be paid such travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in
attending and returning from meetings of the directors, or any committee of the
directors or meetings of the members, or in connection with our business as
shall be approved by Resolution of Directors or Resolution of
Members.
Indemnification
of Officers and Directors
A
director of a company formed under the laws of the British Virgin Islands is
obligated to act honestly and in good faith in the best interests of the company
of which he is a director and exercise the care, diligence and skill that a
reasonable director would exercise in the same circumstances, taking into
account the factual circumstances. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association do not relieve directors from personal liability arising
from the management of the business of the company. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Section 132 of the Act provides that we may indemnify directors
against all expenses, including legal fees and judgments, fines and settlements,
in respect of actions related to their employment. There are no agreements that
relieve directors from personal liability. There are no provisions under the Act
or our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association which provide
for the indemnification of any persons other than directors. We are permitted to
obtain, and have obtained, director and officer insurance.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in
the opinion of the SEC and such indemnification is against public policy, as
expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and is, therefore,
unenforceable.
Defenses
Against Hostile Takeovers
While the
following discussion summarizes the reasons for, and the operation and effects
of, the principal provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association that management has identified as potentially having an
anti-takeover effect, it is not intended to be a complete description of all
potential anti-takeover effects, and it is qualified in its entirety by
reference to the full texts of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association incorporated herein by reference.
In
general, the anti-takeover provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association are designed to minimize susceptibility to sudden
acquisitions of control that have not been negotiated with and approved by our
board of directors. As a result, these provisions may tend to make it more
difficult to remove the incumbent members of our board of directors. The
provisions would not prohibit an acquisition of control of CNIH or a tender
offer for all of our shares. The provisions are designed to discourage any
tender offer or other attempt to gain control of CNIH in a transaction that is
not approved by the board of directors, by making it more difficult for a person
or group to obtain control of CNIH in a short time and then impose its will on
the remaining shareholders. However, to the extent these provisions successfully
discourage the acquisition of control of CNIH or tender offers for all or part
of our shares without approval of the board of directors, they may have the
effect of preventing an acquisition or tender offer which might be viewed by
shareholders to be in their best interests.
Tender
offers or other non-open market acquisitions of shares will generally be made at
prices above the prevailing market price of our shares. In addition,
acquisitions of shares by persons attempting to acquire control through market
purchases may cause the market price of the shares to reach levels that are
higher than would otherwise be the case. Anti-takeover provisions may discourage
such purchases, particularly those of less than all of our shares, and may
thereby deprive shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a
temporarily higher price. These provisions may therefore decrease the likelihood
that a tender offer will be made, and, if made, will be successful. As a result,
the provisions may adversely affect those shareholders who would desire to
participate in a tender offer. These provisions may also serve to insulate
incumbent management from change and to discourage not only sudden or hostile
takeover attempts, but also any attempts to acquire control that are not
approved by the board of directors, whether or not shareholders deem such
transactions to be in their best interest.
Shareholder
Meetings
BVI law
provides that shareholder meetings shall be convened by the board of directors
upon the written request of shareholders holding at least 30% of the votes of
the outstanding voting shares of the company. Our Amended and Restated Articles
of Association provide that shareholder meetings may be called by the directors
or by shareholders holding more than 30% of the votes of the outstanding voting
shares of the company.
Rights
of Minority Shareholders
Under the
law of the British Virgin Islands, there is statutory protection of minority
shareholders under the Act. The principal protection under the Act is that
shareholders may bring an action to enforce the memorandum and articles of
association of the company. The Act sets forth the procedure to bring such an
action. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted
in accordance with the general law and the company’s memorandum and articles of
association. CNIH is obliged to hold an annual general meeting under its
memorandum and articles of association and provide for the election of
directors. Companies may appoint an independent auditor and shareholders may
receive the audited financial statements of the company, but are not entitled to
do so under the Act.
The Act
has introduced a series of remedies available to members. Where a company
incorporated under the Act conducts some activity which breaches the Act or the
company’s memorandum and articles of association, the court can issue a
restraining or compliance order. Members can now also bring derivative, personal
and representative actions under certain circumstances. The traditional English
basis for members’ remedies have also been incorporated into the Act – where a
member of a company considers that the affairs of the company have been, are
being or are likely to be conducted in a manner likely to be oppressive,
unfairly discriminating or unfairly prejudicial to him, he may now apply to the
court for an order on such conduct.
Any
member of a company may apply to court for the appointment of a liquidator of
the company and the court may appoint a liquidator of the company if it is of
the opinion that it is just and equitable to do so.
The Act
provides that any member of a company is entitled to payment of the fair value
of his shares upon dissenting from any of the following: (a) a merger; (b) a
consolidation; (c) any sale, transfer, lease, exchange or other disposition of
more than 50% in value of the assets or business of the company if not made in
the usual or regular course of the business carried on by the company but not
including (i) a disposition pursuant to an order of the court having
jurisdiction in the matter, (ii) a disposition for money on terms requiring all
or substantially all net proceeds to be distributed to the members in accordance
with their respective interest within one year after the date of disposition, or
(iii) a transfer pursuant to the power of the directors to transfer assets for
the protection thereof; (d) a redemption of 10%, or fewer of the issued shares
of the company required by the holders of 90%, or more of the shares of the
company pursuant to the terms of the Act; and (e) an arrangement, if permitted
by the court.
Generally
any other claims against a company by its shareholders must be based on the
general laws of contract or tort applicable in the British Virgin Islands or
their individual rights as shareholders as established by the company’s
memorandum and articles of association.
There are
common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked,
largely dependent on English common law, since the common law of the British
Virgin Islands for BVI business companies is limited. Under the general rule
pursuant to English company law, known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court
will generally refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the
insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express dissatisfaction with
the conduct of the company’s affairs by the majority or the board of directors.
However, every shareholder is entitled to have the affairs of the company
conducted properly according to law and the constituent documents of the
corporation. As such, if those who control the company have persistently
disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of the company’s
memorandum and articles of association, then the courts may grant relief.
Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are the following: (i)
an act complained of which is outside the scope of the authorized business or is
illegal or not capable of ratification by the majority, (ii) acts that
constitute fraud on the minority where the wrongdoers control the company, (iii)
acts that infringe on the rights of the shareholders, such as the right to vote,
and (iv) where the company has not complied with provisions requiring approval
of a special or extraordinary majority of shareholders.
Transfer
of our Securities Upon Death of Holder
Because
we are a BVI company, the transfer of our securities, including the ordinary
shares and warrants, for estate administration purposes will be governed by BVI
law. This may require that the estate of a deceased security holder of CNIH seek
to obtain a grant of probate or letters of administration from a BVI court in
order to transfer the shares upon the shareholder’s death. We have attempted to
modify this requirement by inserting in our Amended and Restated Articles of
Association a provision that permits the board of directors to decide whether or
not to permit transfers based on estate documentation from non-BVI
jurisdictions, more in accordance with U.S. practice, without any action having
to be taken in the British Virgin Islands. The board of directors intends to
follow this procedure. There is no assurance that this will result in an
enforceable transfer. The board of directors will be fully indemnified for its
actions in this regard pursuant to the Amended and Restated Articles of
Association.
Amendment
to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Subject to
the provisions of the Act, the directors or shareholders may from time to time
amend our Amended and Restated Memorandum or Articles of Association by
Resolution of Directors or Resolution of Shareholders. The directors shall
give notice of such resolution to our registered agent, for the registered agent
to file with the Registrar a notice of the amendment to our Amended and Restated
Memorandum or Articles of Association, or a restated memorandum and articles of
association incorporating the amendment(s) made, and any such amendment to our
Amended and Restated Memorandum or Articles of Association will take effect from
the date of the registration by the Registrar of the notice of amendment or
restated memorandum and articles of association incorporating the amendment(s)
made.
Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the directors shall not have the power to amend our Amended and
Restated Memorandum or Articles of Association (i) to restrict the rights or
powers of the shareholders to amend the same, (ii) to change the percentage of
shareholders required to pass a resolution to amend the same, or (iii) in
circumstances where the our Amended and Restated Memorandum or Articles of
Association cannot be amended by the shareholders. A change of registered
office or registered agent shall not constitute an amendment of our Amended and
Restated Memorandum or Articles of Association. In addition, amendment to the
Memorandum or Articles which would have the effect of varying the rights of the
holders of a class of shares may only be made in accordance with the provisions
of the Memorandum and Articles relating to the variation of class
rights.
Registered
Agent
Our
registered agent is Maples Corporate Services (BVI) Limited of Kingston
Chambers, P.O. Box 173, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
MATERIAL
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
General
The
following summary describes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations
relating to an investment in the ordinary shares and warrants of CNIH which are
the subject of this registration statement.
The
discussion below of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to ‘‘U.S.
Holders’’ will apply to a beneficial owner that is for U.S. federal income tax
purposes:
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an
individual citizen or resident of the United
States;
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a
corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation) that is created or
organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the
United States, any state thereof or the District of
Columbia;
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an
estate whose income is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income
tax purposes regardless of its source;
or
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a
trust if (i) a U.S. court can exercise primary supervision over the
trust’s administration and one or more U.S. persons are authorized to
control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (ii) it has a valid
election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be
treated as a U.S. person.
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If a beneficial owner of the ordinary
shares and warrants of CNIH is not described as a U.S. Holder and is not an
entity treated as a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, such owner will be considered a ‘‘Non-U.S. Holder.’’ The
U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to Non-U.S. Holders of owning
ordinary shares and warrants in CNIH are described at the end of this
discussion.
This discussion is for general
information purposes only. It is based on the Code, its legislative history,
Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, published rulings and court
decisions, all as currently in effect. These authorities are subject to change
or differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive
basis.
This
discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may
be relevant to a particular holder of ordinary shares and warrants of CNIH based
on such holder’s individual circumstances. In particular, this discussion
addresses holders only insofar as such holders acquire their ordinary shares and
warrants of CNIH pursuant to this registration statement and own and hold such
ordinary shares or warrants as capital assets within the meaning of Code Section
1221. In addition, this discussion does not address the potential application of
the alternative minimum tax or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to
holders that are subject to special rules, including:
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financial
institutions or ‘‘financial services
entities;’’
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taxpayers
who have elected mark-to-market
accounting;
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governments
or agencies or instrumentalities
thereof;
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regulated
investment companies;
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real
estate investment trusts;
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certain
expatriates or former long-term residents of the United
States;
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persons
that actually or constructively own 5% or more of our voting
shares;
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persons
that hold CNIH ordinary shares as part of a straddle, constructive sale,
hedging, conversion or other integrated transaction;
or
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persons
whose functional currency is not the U.S.
dollar.
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This discussion does not address any
aspect of U.S. federal non-income tax laws, such as gift or estate tax laws, or
state, local or non-U.S. tax laws. Additionally, the discussion does not
consider the tax treatment of partnerships or other pass-through entities or
persons who hold the ordinary shares and warrants of CNIH through such
entities.