MONTREAL — Following the recently approved acquisition of Groupe V Média’s V television network and Noovo.ca by Bell, specialty channels Elle Fictions and MAX (which were not included in the Bell-Groupe-V-Média deal) are now part of a new corporate entity called Remstar Media Group.
Remstar Media is majority-owned by Maxime Rémillard’s Remcorp Inc. (formerly Remstar Group), and partly owned by Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec, Investissement Québec and the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec (FTQ).
Remstar Media is the 100% owner of MusiquePlus, which is the current licensee of Elle Fictions and MAX.
“My shareholders and I are confident that these two brands, which are already well established in Quebec’s television landscape, have a great potential for growth in terms of audience and revenues,” said Maxime Rémillard, who remains president of the new entity.
Isabelle Legris has been appointed general manager and will lead an experienced team in charge of ensuring operations for Remstar Media Group, including Lucie Fernandes (finances), Marie-Sylvie Lefebvre (content and programming) and Marie-Hélène Potvin (communications and marketing). Until recently, Legris, who has more than 25 years of experience in the media industry, was acting as senior director of sales strategy at Groupe V Média.
Dimitri Gourdin and Éric Marceau are executive vice-presidents and remain with the new entity for the time being. Their contribution will ensure an efficient transition and start-up, while providing strategic support to the president, says the news release.
(For those who have found it difficult to follow the ownership structure and changes related to the Bell-Groupe-V-Média deal, there is a useful Remstar ownership chart published in April on the CRTC’s website here. w
