Quebecor Media Moves Into Outdoor Advertising

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

We have a feeling the Montreal will soon become very much a digital city, not only with the recently announced Astral digital column network, but likely in the transit shelter area following an announcement yesterday that Quebecor Media Inc. was chosen, to manage the installation, maintenance and advertising operations of the Société de transport de Montréal’s network of bus shelters for the next 20 years.

Quebecor won the contract following a call for proposals by invitation. This marks a breakthrough for Quebecor Media in a sector that is currently undergoing important technological change.

“With the creativity of its resources, the strength of its sales teams, the extraordinary attraction power of its media and its expertise in mobile communications, there is no doubt that Quebecor Media is the perfect choice to help the STM’s bus shelters reach their full potential,” says Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor Inc., Quebecor Media Inc. and Sun Media Corporation.

Any technological advance likely to bring added value to the bus shelters will be considered, including digital advertising and wireless communication systems, so as to transform the client experience of shelter users and increase the advertising potential of the shelters. To that end, Quebecor Media has retained the advisory services of Clear Channel Outdoor Canada, subsidiary of Clear Channel Outdoor.

“A bus shelter network that makes use of digital technology will help advertisers interact in real time, and in their own environment, with increasingly mobile and connected consumers,” says Péladeau. “Such a vision is clearly in line with our wireless offering and with the multiplatform and convergent offering we propose to advertisers.

“The success of the distribution of the 24 Heures free daily newspaper inside metro stations is a testimony to just how well Quebecor Media and the STM can collaborate to promote and foster collective transit. Just as we did with 24 Heures, our objective, as part of this new collaboration, will be to help the STM position its brand, promote the quality and accessibility of its services and bring highest quality information and entertainment to its users.”

Quebecor Media Inc. is a subsidiary of Quebecor Inc., one of Canada’s most important holding companies operating in the telecommunications and media businesses. Quebecor Media Inc., through its subsidiary Videotron Ltd., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephone services and mobile telephone services. Through Sun Media Corporation, it is one of the largest publisher of newspapers in Canada. It also operates Canoe.ca and its network of English and French language Internet properties in Canada.

In the broadcasting sector, Quebecor Media Inc. operates, through TVA Group Inc., the number one French language general interest television network in Québec, a number of specialty channels and the SUN News English language channel. Its Nurun Inc. is a major interactive technologies and communications agency with offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

Quebecor Media Inc. is also active in magazine publishing (TVA Publishing Inc.), book publishing and distribution (Sogides Group Inc. and CEC Publishing Inc.), the production, distribution and retailing of cultural products (Archambault Group Inc. and TVA Films), video game development (BlooBuzz Studios, L.P.), DVD, Blu-ray disc and videogame rental and retailing (Le SuperClub Vidéotron Ltd), the printing and distribution of regional newspapers and flyers (Quebecor Media Printing Inc. and Quebecor Media Network Inc.), news content production and distribution (QMI Agency), multiplatform advertising solutions (QMI Sales) and the publishing of printed and online directories, through Quebecor MediaPages.


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