illico TV New Generation delivers a host of innovations, setting a new standards for TV entertainment
Québec City and Montréal, March 27, 2012 – Building on 50 years of expertise in cable television, Videotron is introducing illico TV new generation, a service that propels viewers into a new interactive universe. illico TV new generation delivers a faster, simpler, customizable high-definition television viewing experience that gives customers user-friendly access to an unparalleled selection of content and entertainment offerings, with a single click. It is supported by a technologically advanced, evolutionary platform.
With the advent of illico TV new generation, our vision of offering our customers the most advanced television experience has become a reality, said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Videotron. We developed it in-house. More than 500 Videotron employees worked to create a powerful platform tailored to the needs of Quebecers and featuring navigation functionalities that stand apart from everything else on the market by virtue of their simplicity and intuitiveness.
Region-by-region roll-out across Québec
The technology is ready to be launched throughout Videotron's service area. illico TV new generation will be available in the Québec City area, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and Rivière-du-Loup as of April 4, and in the Greater Montréal area at the end of summer. For full details on the roll-out and set-top box migration, visit videotron.com/newgeneration
New generation, new experience
In addition to giving users a new interface with entirely redesigned ergonomics for fluid, intuitive navigation, illico TV new generation features innovative new functions to meet Quebecers' needs:
New visuals – The illico on-demand film catalogue (channel 900) can now be viewed as a series of movie posters for easier browsing. Users can choose their preferred display configuration, such as carousel or grid. The new interface has been harmonized with the illico web and illico mobile environments.
One-click recording – The most user-friendly HD recorder on the market; supports automatic recording of TV series and simple management of disk space and of any recording conflicts.
Customizable program guide – The new program guide displays network logos to make it easy for customers to find their favourite programs. A filter option has also been added for greater convenience; users can choose to display only the channels included in their package or the ones they are interested in (sports, family, etc.).
Powerful search tool – Users can choose to sort all the content available on illico by title, director, actor or keyword.
Widgets – Interactive apps have been added for easy access to weather, free previews and new releases.
Simple parental control options – A PIN is created during initialization, streamlining the process.
Still the best selection of content in Canada
The new service is powered by Videotron's vast array of content. As the uncontested content leader, Videotron has been able to make illico TV New Generation an exceptional showcase for entertainment offerings that provides easy access to an on-demand catalogue of more than 30,000 titles per year and the largest selection of French-language HD channels and movies in Canada. It also offers exclusives such as webcam feeds and interactive features, plus enriched video content adapted for different screens. Examples include programming from Lib tv, Canada's first mobile channel.
illico TV new generation highlights the synergies among Videotron's platforms, which deliver content to customers on four screens (TV, computer, tablet and mobile). Videotron is the only operator that lets customers pause and resume play on a different screen or remotely program their personal video recorder (PVR).
The arrival of illico TV New Generation again confirms our single-minded focus on anticipating our customers' needs by developing distinctive, cutting-edge products, said Manon Brouillette, President, Consumer Services. Choosing evolutionary technology opens up a wealth of possibilities and enables us to optimize customer experience in step with changing viewing habits.
Technology by Quebecers, for Quebecers
In a Canadian first, Videotron harnessed the expertise and talents of its own people to develop this state-of-the art platform for Quebecers. The colossal hi-tech project was launched three years ago by an all-Québec team of visionaries. In all, more than 500 people worked on it: programmers, marketing experts, product development specialists. They also had the benefit of being able to build on a set-top box developed by industry-leading partners such as Cisco and Samsung.
Reliable, robust, province-wide network with huge development potential
The creation of illico TV New Generation was made possible by the smart technological choices that Videotron has made in recent years. Videotron's powerful network is the only one that combines fibre optics, coax cable and wireless technology. The network architecture is unique in North America, delivering exceptional performance, reliability and evolutionary capacity. Today, thanks to Videotron's robust, leading-edge network, its customers can enjoy the most advanced, yet simple, television experience on the market.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, and Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its interactive Digital TV service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of December 31, 2011, Videotron was serving 1,861,500 cable television customers, including 1,400,800 subscribers to its digital service. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,332,500 subscribers to its cable service as of December 31, 2011. As of the same date, Videotron had 290,600 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,205,300 Québec households and organizations. For the seventh consecutive year, Videotron was named Québec's most respected telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a Léger Marketing survey.
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