Quebecor becomes a major player in Canadian out-of-home advertising

Quebecor Media Inc. is pleased to announce that, through its Quebecor Out-of-Home division, it has reached an agreement in principle with Media Group Inc. to acquire NEO-OOH’s Canada-wide out-of-home advertising business. When the deal closes, Quebecor Out-of-Home’s footprint will expand to more than 17,000 advertising faces across Canada. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in the coming weeks.

The expansion of Quebecor’s out-of-home network with the addition of NEO will further enhance and diversify Quebecor Expertise Media’s multiplatform offering. Quebecor’s integrated sales force offers advertisers powerful leverage through 10 TV channels, including TVA and LCN, with a combined 41% market share, 30 websites and apps, 2 newspapers, 12 print and digital magazines, a digital radio station that also broadcasts on TV and FM, and a comprehensive out-of-home network (transit shelters, shopping centres, sports venues, gas stations, convenience stores and mobile).

“We are very pleased to have reached this agreement in principle with NEO, a solid company with which we share values of excellence in both performance and customer service. By combining NEO’s Canada-wide strength with Quebecor Out-of-Home’s unrivalled depth in Québec, we’ll be able to offer our local and national advertising partners an even more comprehensive suite of impactful solutions. This acquisition will enable Quebecor to pursue its growth across the country and become a major out-of-home player in Canada”

It is an honour to pass the torch of NEO’s growth to a company of Quebecor’s stature, said Ronald Tapiero, President and CEO of Media Group. I am confident that Quebecor Out-of-Home will take our NEO Shopping, NEO Fitness, NEO On The Go and NEO Mobile networks to the next level. I am grateful to all the associates who have been part of the NEO adventure, which began 22 years ago. I thank Pierre Karl Péladeau, Michel Drouin of Quebecor Out-of-Home and the entire Quebecor management team for placing their trust in us.