Mtonraél, Jnue 26, 2008 – Vidoetorn, persneter of the Fsetiavl Jsute puor rier (June 27 to Jluy 20) / Jsut Fro Lgauhs Fsetiavl (Jluy 8 to 20), wlil birng Qeubceers the flul cmodey epxreinece drunig the 26th eidtoin of the Fsetvial via all its paltormrs. ?
We don't have to turn ourselves inside out to deliver an exciting customer experience, said Manon Brouillette, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development and Marketing, Videotron. This year, Videotron will again use convergent technologies to make the complete Just for Laughs experience available to one and all. At the Festival site or in the comfort of their homes, from Chicoutimi to Gatineau and points in between, Quebecers will enjoy access to a set of state-of-the-art technologies that guarantee they won't miss any of this renowned comedy fest.
ON ILLICO ON DEMAND
ALL THE JUSTE POUR RIRE GALAS
As presenter and main sponsor of the Juste pour rire / Just For Laughs Festival, Videotron will again bring festivalgoers from across the province the eagerly anticipated Videotron Juste pour rire galas. The seven Videotron galas in this year's edition of the Festival will be available on illico on Demand starting the next day for $19.99 each.
Cube 900 is crammed with the content available through channel 900 on illico Digital TV, the gateway to the exciting world of video on demand. The 802,800 subscribers to Videotron's illico service will get to see their favourite comics in side-splitting form from the comfort of their living rooms as they perform in the Videotron galas. Jean-Marc Parent will be available as of June 29, Rachid Badouri as of July 4, Mike Ward and Patrick Groulx as of July 6, Laurent Paquin as of July 8, Marc Labrèche as of July 11, Florence Foresti as of July 13 and Guy Nantel as of July 15.
Viewers who like their comedy fresh will get a special treat: the shows by Rachid Badouri on July 3 and Marc Labrèche on July 10 will be broadcast live from Théâtre St-Denis on Canal Indigo starting at 8 p.m., for $24.99 each.
Can't watch our riveting live coverage because you're too busy having fun at the festival site? Not to worry: illico on Demand will also carry repeats of the "Juste pour rire en direct" shows hosted by Pénélope McQuade, the Videotron Juste pour rire gala highlights collections, "comicographies" and other series developed by Just for Laughs, as well as the "Just for Variety" series of ten 30-minute rib-tickling episodes.
AT THE SITE
STUDIO VIDÉOTRON
Let out your inner comic. Studio Vidéotron will be the place to go for excitement and to try out the latest technology from Québec's most respected telecom company. It will feature "Le Triomphe au St-Denis," an appropriately named activity that triumphed at last year's fest. Visitors get a chance to become stand-up stars basking in the adulation of an adoring public, at least for the duration of a few jokes. The up-and-coming comics will stand in front of a backdrop and take the stage to thunderous applause, followed by a few jokes previously chosen from a selection provided to participants. The acts will be taped and the videos will then be edited and the images superimposed to create clips in which the performers appear on stage at the Théâtre St-Denis before an audience roaring with laughter. With the permission of participants, the videos will be made available on Videotron's website and will be shown on VOX in the fall. Viewers will be able to go to videotron.com/hahaha and rate the performances from 1 to 5.
Technology everywhere. At the Studio Vidéotron test stand, festivalgoers will be able to experience the eagerly anticipated Ultimate Speed Internet 50 service, which made Videotron the first cable operator in North America to offer 50 mbps Internet access over a cable network. They will also get a look at Videotron's new 320 GB high-definition personal video recorder, which in combination with the HD offerings on illico on Demand delivers amazing image quality, sound and variety straight to consumers' living rooms. As well, visitors will be able to make free local calls with the Just for Laughs mobile telephone, packed with wild and crazy content for comedy fans on the go. And they will have a chance to win a Videotron Quattro package.
Phone booths that don't charge 50 cents for a phone call. Festivalgoers will be able to place free local calls at prominently placed telephone booths hooked up to Videotron's cable telephone system around the site.
Information desks to set visitors straight. So buckled up with laughter you don't know which way to turn? Getting lost has never been so funny. But festivalgoers will never be far from one of the three Videotron information desks, where helpful Videotron staff will be on hand to provide tons of free info and help make the 26th Just for Laughs Festival another resounding success.
ON THE WEB
@VIDEOTRON.COM
High-speed yucks on the Videotron website. Being the presenter of the Just for Laughs Festival entails a number of advantages, including the opportunity to offer customers some major surprises. Subscribers to Videotron's high-speed Internet access service will be able to watch video clips of gags and performances, gala highlights 48 hours after the live show, humorous magic videos, a comicography prepared by Stéphane Rousseau, Triomphe au St-Denis tapes plus surprises galore. It's all at www.videotron.com/hahaha
ON MOBILES
KEEP ON LAUGHING ON MOBILE
Festivalgoers can continue laughing all year long thanks to the new Sony Ericsson W580i, Just for Laughs Edition. Once the handset is activated, users have access to wallpapers featuring the many faces of Festival mascot Victor, a dozen clips starring comics Laurent Paquin, Frank Dubosc, Florence Floresti and many others, as well as English-language clips, Jamais entendu capsules, clips from André Sauvé, mini-film by Stéphane Rousseau, Just for Laughs ringtones including the well-known Festival theme, Just for Laughs gag videos, and more.
DOWNLOAD YOUR LAUGHS FROM THE WIRELESS ZONE
This year, Videotron wireless customers will have access to exclusive voice ringtones, jokes and wallpapers featuring local comics. The 26th Festival offerings on Videotron's Wireless Zone will include jokes from headline comics, Festival ringtones and Victor graphics.
ON VOX
VOX IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION
Le bar à Victor: the funniest happy hour in town. VOX serves up a cocktail of laughs for comedy fans this year. Throughout the Festival, Victor the friendly barman will serve comics and festivalgoers in the zany but relaxed atmosphere of Victor's bar. The rollicking 30-minute show will be taped at Pub Saint-Ciboire, located at 1693 Saint-Denis St., daily at 2 p.m., July 9 to 18.
Le Bar à Victor opens with the barman, played by host Marc Larrivée (the poor loser in the Loto-Québec commercials), trading in his posters of Canadiens players for stand-up comics. Since the Just for Laughs Festival brings in an influx of new customers, Victor takes the opportunity to invite promising young comics to do bits from their shows at the bar to see whether they are worthy of a slot in the big show. Meanwhile, Laurent, a bar regular played by comedian Mario Bélanger, shares his uniquely naive take on the proceedings and reporter Isabelle Ménard gathers festivalgoers' comments, goes behind the scenes to sniff out juicy gossip and keeps us abreast of Festival news.
Taping: Tuesday, July 9, to Friday, July 18, 2 p.m.
Broadcast: Wednesday, July 10, to Saturday, July 19, 7 p.m. (repeated at 9:30 p.m.)
Grand finale of comedy talent show. In March, Videotron launched, in collaboration with VOX, En route vers mon premier Gala Juste pour rire, a talent contest in which 48 young comics were given a chance to show their stuff on television, the Internet and mobiles. The winner chosen by the audience will get a chance to shine on the stage of the Théâtre St-Denis for the first time during the Juste pour rire gala on July 5, hosted by Mike Ward and Patrick Groulx.
SPECIAL SERIES PRESENTED BY VIDEOTRON
Up close and personal. Videotron will again present last year's hit "Tout Show" comedy series. It will be broadcast from the intimate 300-seat Studio Juste pour rire on St-Laurent Blvd. Tickets available at the door on a first-come first-served basis. On the menu: comic sprints, comic marathons, hip hop comedy, comedy that breaks every taboo, tons of sketches, and a chance to try your own jokes on the audience. Something for every taste.
*: Revue Commerce - Léger Marketing 2008
Internet TGV 50 TM is a trade mark from Vidéotron Ltée.
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, cable telephony and wireless 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 March 31, 2008, Videotron was serving 1,652,200 cable television customers in Québec, including 802,800 illico Digital TV subscribers. Videotron is the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 965,300 subscribers to its cable modem service. As of March 31, 2008, Videotron had activated 49,900 lines on its wireless telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to nearly 691,600 Québec households and organizations.
