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– Bell Media welcomes its first Francophone conventional TV network along with the Noovo.ca digital platform –

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MONTRÉAL, July 24, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Media today announced it has entered into an agreement with the shareholders of Groupe V Média to acquire conventional network V along with related digital assets including the ad-supported VOD service Noovo.ca. The transaction reinforces choice for French-language viewers, strengthens the Québec television ecosystem, and highlights Bell Media's commitment to providing engaging content in Québec on traditional and innovative platforms. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals; financial details were not disclosed.

"With today's announcement Bell Media welcomes French-language conventional TV to its portfolio, creating more opportunities for viewers, advertisers, and content creators in Québec," said Karine Moses, President, Bell Media Québec. "In a fast-changing ecosystem, we are excited to provide new opportunities for V with the guidance and expertise of our dedicated and experienced Montréal-based management, programming, and production teams. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the local Francophone production community in delivering highly engaging original programming on V. We salute Maxime Rémillard and his team for their work in bringing V to where it is now, and we thank them for trusting Bell Media to ensure the long-term legacy of the network."

"After 10 years of ensuring V's success as an independent conventional channel, I am proud to have found in Bell Media a partner to ensure the continuity of this success," said Maxime Rémillard, President and Founder, Groupe V Média. "The industry in which we are evolving is constantly, deeply and rapidly changing. This was true when we took over the reins of TQS and allowed the network to survive; it is all the more true today. As it is increasingly difficult to ensure the sustainability of a conventional channel within a non-integrated group, I have made the best decision for the future of V. Bell Media will certainly allow V to continue to evolve and reach out to the Québec public on a massive scale."

With popular original programs such as Occupation double, L'amour est dans le pré, and Un souper presque parfait, V Média owns and operates television stations in Montréal, Québec, Saguenay, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières, and has affiliate stations in Gatineau, Rivière-du-Loup and Val-d'Or. In addition to V and Noovo.ca, Groupe V Média currently operates specialty channels ELLE Fictions and MAX, which are not subject to the transaction.

About Groupe V Média
Groupe V Média, a Québec-based entertainment and content delivery company, is the largest independent media group in Canada. Groupe V Média owns conventional television network V, specialty channels ELLE Fictions and MAX, content and video-on-demand platform Noovo.ca and the 25Stanley sports news website. Its innovative content delivery strategies with strong, unifying, eye-catching themes enable its properties to reach a vast audience, anytime, on a multitude of platforms, adapting to evolving consumer and corporate trends. Learn more at groupevmedia.ca.

About Bell Media
Bell Media is a leading content creation company with premier assets in Québec in television, radio, digital media, out-of-home and more. Bell Media operates a number of French-language specialty and pay TV channels in Québec including Canal D, Canal Vie, Z, VRAK, Investigation, Super Écran, and Cinépop, and currently has four of the Top 5 most-watched shows on French Entertainment Specialty with key demos, including seven of the Top 10 original productions. Bell Media also operates RDS (Québec's #1 sports channel), CTV Montreal (the #1 English news outlet in Québec), and more than 40 websites and digital properties, including RDS Direct. Bell Media is Québec's leading radio broadcaster, with 25 stations in 14 communities, all part of the iHeartRadio Canada brand and streaming service. Bell Media owns Montréal-based Astral, an out-of-home advertising network of 50,000 faces in five provinces. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. Learn more at BellMedia.ca.

For more information:

Bell
Caroline Audet
514-391-9794
caroline.audet@bell.ca

Groupe V Média
Michaël Majeau
514-390-6100 #2249
mmajeau@groupevmedia.ca

Investor inquiries:
Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca

SOURCE Bell Canada