OAKVILLE, ONT – Pelmorex Media Inc., parent company of The Weather Network and MétéoMédia is moving beyond weather predictions and adding real-time traffic reporting with the purchase of Beat The Traffic.
The Santa Clara, California based company provides vehicle traffic reporting for broadcast media and consumers. The purchase paves the wave for Pelmorex to launch its Travelers Network in late October, an app and website based trip advisory service. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
“It’s an exciting day for Pelmorex Media as we launch our traveler information service and add key resources to our Travelers Network team,” said Pierre Morrissette, Chairman and CEO of Pelmorex Media Inc. “The expansion of our services demonstrates our continued commitment to providing consumers with detailed, real-time information that they’ve come to expect from us over the past 23 years and reinforces our position as a leading multi-platform media service.”
Pelmorex says Beat The Traffic, a service utilized by media clients in North America and abroad, provides it with access to technology and patents that will enhance the services provided by Travelers Network. “We are anxious to add to this significant international customer base as we invest further in product and market development initiatives,” added Morrissette.
“[Pelmorex’s] vision of helping consumers’ plan for anything aligns perfectly with the tools and technology that Beat The Traffic consumers depend on,” said Andre Gueziec, founder of Beat The Traffic. “Personally, I am very excited to be joining Travelers Network in the new position of Director, Research and Development, and to work together to enhance existing services and develop innovative solutions for the travelers market.”
Pelmorex says Travelers Network will continue to invest in and grow the existing Beat The Traffic technology and consumer base while establishing its Canadian service which will initially launch as travelersnetwork.com and iPhone application providing real-time traffic and routing information for all Canadians in both official languages. The network will have a dedicated team of travel experts for the Greater Toronto Area reviewing, validating and updating all traffic and travel data in real time, providing the most up to date information. Pelmorex then plans to roll out dedicated traffic desks to more cities across North America over time. Additional smartphone and tablet applications will also be introduced to provide broad market access.
Travelers Network will be established as its own division, but will also work in tandem with The Weather Network and MétéoMédia to provide updated travel-related information for all of their platforms.
