Montréal, February 9, 2006 – For the first time in Videotron's history, subscribers to illico Digital TV will have access to Olympic coverage from Radio-Canada, the French-language network of the CBC, via Video on Demand. Under an historic agreement between illico on Demand and Radio-Canada, over 160 hours of programming will be available completely free of charge and without commercial interruption on Video on Demand throughout the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, starting February 11.
Illico customers will be able to go to channel 900 to watch the competitions and the opening and closing ceremonies 24 hours after they are broadcast on Radio-Canada. Videotron will be the only multimedia service provider in Québec to give its customers access to Radio-Canada's Olympic programming on Video on Demand.
"We are pleased to give illico Digital TV's 475,000 customers the best possible Olympic experience by offering them the chance to see events they have missed or to watch the best performances over again," said Robert Dépatie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Videotron. "Thanks to the functionalities of Video on Demand, they will be able to watch what they want when they want, just 24 hours after Radio-Canada's broadcast, and won't miss out on any of the highlights of Radio-Canada's Olympic coverage."
This is the first time illico on Demand is carrying Radio-Canada programming on Video on Demand.
"Making Radio-Canada's Olympic coverage available on Video on Demand will provide an additional showcase for our athletes and bring the events to a wider audience, including viewers who might not watch them otherwise," said Claude Sauvé, Vice President, Programming, Video on Demand and Canal Vox, Videotron.
Radio-Canada's Olympic programming will be available on illico until March 28.
illico Digital TV
Digital television is growing fast across North America. Videotron now has more than 475,000 subscribers to its illico Digital TV service. All have access to the Video on Demand service and can choose from a catalogue of more than 1,000 titles.
The illico on Demand service lets users pause, rewind or fast forward a program or film. It is possible to stop the program and continue watching it at any time within a 24-hour period.
Videotron customers can order the service simply by going to channel 900 and following the on-screen instructions.
Videotron Ltd. (www.videotron.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services and residential telephone service. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television system and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of December 31, 2005, Videotron was serving 1,506,000 cable television customers in Québec; including 475,000 illico subscribers. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 656,000 subscribers to its cable modem and dial-up services. In addition, Videotron provides residential telephone service to more than 163,000 customers in Montréal, Québec City, Laval and Montréal South Shore.
