Montréal, August 20, 2013 – Videotron welcomes the CRTc's decision to dismiss the complaint filed by Astral (now Bell Media) alleging that illico Club Unlimited, launched in February 2013, violates the regulatory framework and certain conditions of Videotron's video on demand licence.
We are gratified that we were able to show the Commission that the catalogue we are offering illico Club Unlimited subscribers does not breach any of the conditions of our video on demand licence, said Manon Brouillette, President and Chief Operating Officer of Videotron. At the same time, we were able to demonstrate that Astral's motive in filing this complaint was to prevent any competition in order to safeguard and even expand its historic pay-TV monopoly. The decision also recognizes Videotron's leadership in entertainment and its benefits for consumers.
illico Club Unlimited: innovating to meet customers' expectations
Videotron created illico Club Unlimited in response to its customers' clearly expressed desire for a product of this type: a subscription video on demand service that allows unlimited access to an extensive, constantly updated catalogue of French-language movies, television series, children's programs, documentaries, comedy shows and concerts.
Already more than 50,000 subscribers
illico Club Unlimited is a service tailored to the needs of the Québec market that competes directly with a foreign global player, Netflix. Today, it is delivering a wide selection of content from the world's largest studios as well as local producers and distributors to more than 50,000 households across Québec and in Ontario. illico Club Unlimited is becoming a new distribution vehicle for Québec product and an additional showcase for local talent.
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 illico interactive television service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of June 30, 2013, Videotron was serving 1,832,400 cable television customers, including 1,502,000 subscribers Digital TV. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,395,400 subscribers to its cable service as of June 30, 2013. As of the same date, Videotron had 451,100 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,274,700 Québec households and organizations. For the eighth consecutive year, Videotron was ranked as Québec's most respected telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a Léger Marketing survey.
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