MONTREAL, April 18, 2018 - As Club illico and Quebecor celebrate 5 years of programming excellence, they chose the 2018 conference of the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (APQM) to reiterate their commitment to producing top-quality original Quebec programming. Manon Brouillette, Videotron President and CEO, and France Lauzière, President and CEO of TVA Group and Chief Content Officer of Quebecor Content, also announced major new investments in original productions.
Two major investments announced
In the past five years, Quebecor and its subsidiaries have invested over $2.5 billion in Canadian content.
At the conference, Quebecor Content and Club illico announced their expansion into a new niche with investments in film production. To kick things off, at least three feature films are slated for development this year. The goal is to swiftly make this new content available to Quebecers on all Quebecor platforms, starting with Club illico premieres.
Feature films are very popular in Quebec, France Lauzière noted. That's why weve chosen to invest in film and reconfigure the current funding, convergence and marketing model so we can bring our viewers even more great Quebec films, premiering on Club illico.
Manon Brouillette also confirmed that Club illico would boost investment in original content this year with a new Club illico exclusive series. A Zone 3 production, Appelle-moi si tu meurs stars Claude Legault, who also co-wrote the show with Pierre-Yves Bernard.
Were thrilled to welcome the highly sought-after creation team of Claude Legault and Pierre-Yves Bernard to Club illico, Manon Brouillette added. The new series promises to be great entertainment, and is but one example of our commitment to original made-in-Quebec programming.
Manon Brouillette also shared Club illico's plan to develop new niches for original productions. One great strength of Club illico is our close relationship with viewers and clear sense of what they want to watch. This special relationship means we can offer viewers, on the platform of their choice, customized content that meets their needs and truly connects, bringing Quebecers together with programming they can relate to.
Club illico, Canada's first subscription video-on-demand service, has become one of the most powerful drivers of content production in the Quebec media ecosystem. With over 400,000 subscribers, the platform has logged over 300 million views since 2013, including more than 100 million in 2017 alone.
Market leaders
Over the past five years, Quebecor Content and Club illico have emerged as strong market leaders supporting industry growth.
In addition to partnerships with producers, several agreements with major international players have helped generate buzz around Quebec content. It's very exciting for us to be building win–win partnerships at every level of content development, in Quebec and around the world, France Lauzière told APQM conference attendees, adding that this extraordinary success has been instrumental in positioning Quebecor Content and Club illico to face the future with confidence. Were passionate about Quebec content and original Quebec productions, and our commitment is very strong.
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