TVA Group announces launch of TVA Sports

Montréal, May 31, 2011 - The day sports fans have long been anticipating will soon be here: TVA Group's new specialty channel, TVA Sports, starts broadcasting at the beginning of the fall 2011 season. TVA Sports will offer fresh and diverse programming, including sportscasts worthy of TVA Group's reputation for news programming, comprehensive sports coverage, nononsense opinions, and sportscasters fans can relate to, a mix that promises to make the channel an instant favourite with Quebecers and Francophones across Canada. Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor and Quebecor Media, and Pierre Dion, President and CEO of TVA Group, announced the launch this morning, surrounded by sports executives, athletes and some of the channel's future personalities.

Already a roster of leading events
TVA Sports has already signed long-term agreements with a good number of leading sports organizations for broadcasting rights to some of the most popular sporting events in the land:

OTTAWA SENATORS: NHL fans will be pleased to know that under its long-term agreement with the Ottawa Senators, TVA Sports will broadcast 25 Senators games starting in the 2011-2012 season.

GROUP INTERBOX: TVA Sports has signed an agreement with Interbox under which it will broadcast some live fights as well as replays of classic match-ups that thrilled boxing fans. Audiences will also get exclusive content, interviews, backstage visits and training reports on boxers such as Lucian Bute.

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP (UFC): Under an exclusive multi-year agreement with UFC, which has been boosted in Quebec by the popularity of Quebec's own Georges St-Pierre, TVA Sports will carry live fights, the undercard at pay-per-view events, and the popular reality television series The Ultimate Fighter.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS: TVA Sports will be the official broadcaster of the Toronto Blue Jays. As amateur baseball continues to gain popularity in Quebec, TVA Sports will carry more than 60 games involving Canada's only major league team, starting in 2012.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: TVA Sports has an exclusive agreement to broadcast Champions League games between some of the most famous soccer teams in the world. Starting in the 2011-2012 season, soccer fans will be able to enjoy the intense action between clubs such as Manchester United and FC Barcelona from August through May.

CHAMPIONS TOUR MONTREAL: TVA Sports has signed a long-term agreement with Synchro Sports to carry the Champions Tour Montreal, the most prestigious pro golf event in Quebec, which draws the top players on the senior tour every year. Since last year, the tournament has been held at the Club de golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville. Quebecers Daniel Talbot and Yvan Beauchemin played in the tournament last year.

VELIRIUM OF QUEBEC: In partnership with Videotron, TVA Sports will present one of the world's largest mountain bike competitions, which attracts more than 50,000 spectators to Mont-Sainte-Anne.

QUEBEC VOLLEYBALL OPEN: TVA Sports will broadcast the Quebec Volleyball Open, another international competition featuring the world's best players, including Marie-Andrée Lessard and Annie Martin.

Other agreements will be announced in the days and weeks to come.

Quebec catches up
"All major cities in North America and elsewhere have at least two sports channels," said Pierre Karl Péladeau. "But until now, that has not been the case in Quebec. This is a bright day for sports fans, who are the big winners in today's announcement."

Drawing on Quebecor Media's resources
TVA Sports intends to draw on the force of Quebecor Media wherever possible: "Our well-known convergence strategy is an effective and attractive way to offer television viewers the best content," said Pierre Karl Péladeau. "TVA Sports will be able to count not only on the resources of TVA and LCN, but also Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, all our dailies and community newspapers across the country, and the QMI Agency."

At the cutting edge
TVA Sports will offer leading edge sports coverage with modern visuals and a different, attention-grabbing look.

In terms of editorial content, TVA Sports will be a channel where hosts, columnists and analysts can be unafraid to express feisty opinions and strong points of view. TVA Sports will feature onair talent that is close to the fans and on the same wavelength as audiences, qualities that have
always been the trademark of TVA Network and LCN. The TVA Sports team will include Dave Morissette, the star host of Le Match, and a number of long-time sports reporters with TVA, LCN and the QMI Agency. Other names will be announced in the near future.

Focus on sports news
In addition to major sporting events, TVA Sports also plans to offer the best sportscasts on Quebec television as of its first year. The TVA Sports news teams, supported by TVA, LCN and the QMI Agency, will work to deliver sports news and commentary that can be expected to define the TVA Group and TVA Sports brand in the years to come.

"Our closeness to the audience, our ability to bring people together, our unflinching opinions and our commitment to being first with the news will set TVA Sports apart," said Pierre Dion. "I am confident that our sports news team, managed by Serge Fortin, director of TVA News and the QMI Agency will captivate sports fans on all delivery channels: television, Internet, mobiles and tablets."

A not-to-be-missed invitation
Finally, speaking directly to sports fans at the launch announcement, Pierre Dion extended this invitation: "We have designed TVA Sports for you, the true connoisseurs. TVA Sports' programming will combine diversity and quality, offering a fresh and different look and straighttalking commentary. This is a day I have long been waiting for and I invite you to join me in watching TVA Sports starting this fall."

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For more info:

TVA Group
Media Relations
514.598.6335