Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Media Inc., today announced its intent to acquire Métro14 Montréal (CJNT), enabling Citytv to expand its footprint in the key Quebec market and provide its premium programming to new audiences.
The deal reinforces Citytv’s commitment to expand its national reach and deliver its world-class content on a national scale. With the acquisition of Métro14 Montréal, which reaches 1.1 million Canadian households, Citytv is now available in 9 million homes throughout the country.
The agreement is currently pending regulatory approval with a decision expected in fall 2012. In the interim, Citytv and Métro14 Montréal today also signed an affiliate agreement in which Citytv programming will air on the station, beginning June 4 through closing, with Citytv selling the inventory.
Today’s announcement follows the previous Rogers Media agreement to acquire Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) in January 2012, as Citytv continues to target national reach and compete more effectively with other national broadcasters.
“Breaking into this market with the acquisition of Métro14 Montréal is a key ingredient of our overall strategy to deliver our content to a national audience. It is our goal to become a full national network in the near future, and this is without question, an aggressive and essential step in the right direction,” said Scott Moore, President, Broadcast, Rogers Media. “Having a direct presence in Quebec offers a more consistent and reliable viewing experience with local and acquired programming not available on any other network.”
The programming lineup will feature marquee original and acquired Citytv programming, such as CityLine, key prime-time hits New Girl, Hell’s Kitchen, 2 Broke Girls, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and Revenge, the highly-anticipated The Bachelor Canada which launches this fall, daytime favourites, original documentaries, movies and specials.
“Initially, the thought of selling Métro14 at a time when we were seeing solid audience and revenue growth on the station didn’t seem to be the right course of action. However, after much consideration, we saw the sale of Métro14 to Rogers Media as a win-win,” said Cal Millar, President and COO, Channel Zero Inc. “This transaction represents an excellent opportunity for Channel Zero to put itself in a position to take advantage of more immediate-term growth opportunities.”
