Montréal, October 16, 2007 - Videotron will be adding two new English-language high-definition (HD) channels to its illico Digital TV service tomorrow: A&E HD (channel 666) and National Geographic HD (channel 754).
A&E's schedule includes the award-winning series Biography, riveting documentaries, movies, adaptations of literary works and mysteries. In the tradition of the magazine of the same name, the National Geographic Channel carries compelling programming that takes viewers on an exotic journey into the heart of nature, 24 hours a day.
"With the addition of these two new HD channels, Videotron's illico Digital TV service is again enriching its high-definition channel line-up in order to offer customers the best of television," said Manon Brouillette, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Content and Product Development of Videotron. "We are pleased to be able to enhance the illico Digital TV customer experience by offering these two new popular English-language services."
The two new channels are available as of October 17 in the Montréal, Québec City and central Québec areas, and will be rolled out in the rest of Videotron's service area by the end of the year.
illico Digital TV now offers customers who are equipped with an HD set-top box and an HD television set, and who subscribe to the digital versions of the channels available in HD and pay the $2.99 monthly HD access fee, an extensive selection of 27 HD channels, including 11 French-language services.
illico Digital TV customers can choose the ready-made or customized package that best matches their interests from a broad selection of packages drawn from Videotron's line-up of more than 370 fully digital channels. Videotron is the only cable provider that also lets customers assemble their own selection of 20 or 30 channels. In addition, illico Digital TV subscribers have access to a wide variety of programming through illico on Demand, which offers a menu of more than 1,500 movies, television shows and concerts that can be ordered directly from an illico set-top box.
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 September 24, 2007, Videotron was serving 1,614,000 cable television customers in Québec, including 717,000 illico subscribers. Videotron is the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 896,000 subscribers to its cable modem and dial-up services. As of September 24, 2007, Videotron had activated 38,000 phones on its wireless telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to more than 570,000 Québec households and organizations.
