After welcoming the proposal presented by the CRTC’s mediation service this afternoon, Quebecor is disappointed that no agreement could be reached in negotiations between the parties, despite its strong desire to arrive at a solution that reflects the comparable stature of RDS and TVA Sports. Under the circumstances, Quebecor unfortunately has no alternative but to proceed with the withdrawal of TVA Sports’ signal from Bell subscribers at 7 p.m. tonight. Quebecor regrets having to take this action, but given the current obsolete regulatory framework, the survival of specialty channels is at stake.

Quebecor remains ready and willing to engage with all stakeholders in order to come to a fair and reasonable agreement and restore the TVA Sports signal.