Plus, spectrum set asides are a bad idea
TORONTO – Customer service at Rogers had better improve because on Tuesday, CEO Joe Natale put a target in front of himself and his company at which to aim.
While speaking at the BMO Capital Markets Media and Telecom Conference, Natale revealed how removing customer service friction points which he has noted during his five months at Rogers makes him believe “we can get anywhere from 100 to 200 basis points of margin improvement in the next 12 to 18 months,” by tackling various issues, he said.
“To date Rogers has done a good…
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MONTREAL – TVA Sports has inked a multi-year agreement with WWE to air a weekly, one-hour edition of WWE's flagship program Raw, in French, beginning October 18 at 10:00 PM.
The Quebecor-owned broadcaster said Thursday that Patric Laprade will call the action, joined by social media star Kevin Raphael.
"We're delighted to meet the demand for WWE by offering in-ring programming every week on TVA Sports," said TVA Sports’ programming director Veronique Dubois, in the news release. "Quebec has produced its share of great WWE Superstars over the years, and we hope that a new generation of Superstars will follow in…
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MONTREAL – Just in time for the 41st annual Montreal Film Festival, Quebecor has struck a strategic partnership with the non-profit organization that owns the Imperial Theatre in order to preserve the historic building and develop it as a cultural venue.
Built in 1913 and classified as an historic site by the Quebec government in 2012, the Renaissance-style "super palace" is considered one of the Montreal's most beautiful theatres.
Quebecor said Tuesday that it has acquired the landmark’s substantial mortgage debt, stopping the repossession proceedings that were under way and allowing the non-profit to remain the theatre’s owner. In return, Quebecor…
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MONTREAL — Quebecor announced Friday the appointment of Martin Tremblay as the new chief operating officer of the company’s Sports and Entertainment Group. Previously vice-president of public affairs for Quebecor, Tremblay now becomes a member of the company’s executive committee with this appointment.
Tremblay will be based in Quebec City to ensure the development of Quebecor’s Sports and Entertainment Group and the optimal coordination of its operations, the company said in a press release. As part of his role, Tremblay will be responsible for all of the activities of the Gestev event management division, the Videotron Center, and…
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MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc. reported Thursday consolidated revenue of $1.03 billion in the second quarter of 2017 and its largest quarterly year-over-year increase in adjusted operating income in almost five years.
The company’s adjusted operating income was $395.3 million for the second quarter of 2017, up 9.7% from the $360.3 million in adjusted operating income it reported in Q2 2016.
Quebecor’s net income attributable to shareholders was $132.4 million ($1.09 per basic share) in Q2 2017, compared with $9.8 million ($0.08 per basic share) in the same period of 2016. This increase of $122.6 million ($1.01 per basic share) was primarily…
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MONTREAL — Despite improved revenues in its broadcasting and film production segments, Québecor Media’s TVA Group subsidiary reported a net loss attributable to shareholders of $1.9 million or $0.04 per share in the second quarter of 2017, which is actually an improvement over its net loss attributable to shareholders of $5.7 million or $0.13 per share in the same quarter of 2016.
TVA Group reported its consolidated adjusted operating income as $11.07 million in the second quarter, which is a favourable variance of almost $8.65 million from Q2 2016. The company’s broadcasting and production segment posted an adjusted operating income…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications has completed the sale of its wholly owned ViaWest subsidiary to GI Partners portfolio company Peak 10 Holding Corporation for US$1.675 billion, the company announced on Aug. 1.
ViaWest provides hybrid IT solutions, including colocation, cloud computing and security and compliance for North American enterprises.
Proceeds from the transaction were used for the repayment of ViaWest level indebtedness, repayment of Shaw credit facility borrowings associated with the original ViaWest investment in 2014 and subsequent INetU acquisition in 2015, as well as the previously announced closing of the spectrum purchase from Quebecor on July 24, 2017, payment of…
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MONTREAL and CALGARY – Quebecor said Monday that it has finalized the sale of seven wireless spectrum licences outside of Quebec to Shaw after receiving regulatory approval from both the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
The $430 million cash deal, first announced in June, includes three 700 MHz licences covering southern Ontario and the entirety of Alberta and British Columbia, and four 2500 MHz licences covering Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, all originally held by Quebecor-owned Videotron.
The proceeds will enable Videotron to continue investing in the development of its network in Quebec and Eastern Ontario,…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor has spent $38 million to further reduce the share of Quebecor Media (QMI) held by provincial pension fund manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (Caisse).
The company said Thursday that it purchased and cancelled 541,899 common shares from the Caisse. Following this transaction, the Caisse holds 17,628,911 common shares of Quebecor Media, or an 18.47% interest.
As per a September 2015 agreement between the two entities, the deadline to repurchase Caisse’s remaining stake is January 1, 2019. After that date, Caisse can exercise its exit rights, which includes forcing an IPO of QMI or selling its…
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MONTREAL – Videotron has promoted Antoinette Noviello to vice-president, corporate comptroller.
After two years as director general, corporate comptroller and over 10 years as part of the Quebecor family, Noviello will now take charge of all aspects of Videotron's financial and accounting operations, including credit-risk management and collections as well as the company’s Evolution and Continuous Improvement initiatives. Reporting to the CFO, she will also oversee its governance, compliance and regulatory standards.
According to Thursday’s announcement, Noviello is known for her energy and her skill in transforming every challenge into an opportunity, and brings extensive experience in business plus a vast store of…
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