Koninklijke Brill NV

Earnings Release • Apr 15, 2016

PRESS RELEASE Trading Update

Brill reports continued growth of digital and subscription based products

Revenues developed as expected in the first quarter of 2016, ending up just over 2015. We continue to see healthy growth in the digital and subscription based formats - especially eBooks and reference works - and we benefited from good sales of digital primary source products. Revenue from print books decreased from the first quarter of 2015, partly due to timing differences in the publishing schedule. Journal subscription income shows growth in line with expectations.

Earlier this year our representative office in Singapore was turned into a limited company to help us grow our business in Asia. The new set up for printing, fulfillment and distribution in North America was completed in the first quarter and the changes are starting to contribute to results. Other measures were implemented to improve the profitability of our publishing programs such as differential pricing, pruning of underperforming book series and more efficient content management. The translation of the stronger dollar will add to these measures in 2016.

In line with company policy, Brill does not issue a concrete outlook for the year end.

Over 2015 an all cash dividend of € 1.24 will be proposed to shareholders. The AGM will take place on Thursday, May 19 th (2.00 PM) at the premises of the Company in Leiden, The Netherlands.

Leiden, April 14, 2016, Herman Pabbruwe, Chief Executive pabbruwe@brill.com - +31 (0)6 20421134

About Brill

Founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands, Brill is a leading international academic publisher in 20 main subject areas, including Middle East and Islamic Studies, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, History, Biblical and Religious Studies, Language & Linguistics, Biology, and International Law. With offices in Leiden, Boston and Singapore, Brill today publishes 265 journals and close to 1000 new books and reference works each year, available in both print and electronic form. Brill also markets a large number of primary source research collections and databases. The company's key customers are academic and research institutions, libraries, and scholars. Brill is a publicly traded company and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam NV. For further information please visit www.brill.com.