Quebecor previewed its 2022-2023 season during Upfronts under the banner “Multi2022” with good reason.
Quebecor is not just a broadcaster of linear, specialty, and connected TV. It has all the media bases covered with its print, website, digital audio, and OOH properties that enable the company to offer advertisers sponsorship, integration and multiplatform options.
But of course, its full slate of ever-popular French-language programming is the big draw.
“The strength of Quebec TV is to have a lot of original programming,” says Patricia Heckmann, general manager of agency and client solutions at Quebecor Expertise Media. “The loss of viewership in linear TV in Quebec is a lot less aggressive than in English Canada. Our reach in Quebec on linear TV is still strong with reach levels that were lost in English Canada about five years ago.”
Heckmann says Quebecor likes to work with customized ad solutions instead of a one size fits all approach when it comes to integration, content marketing, sponsorship, targeting, retargeting and segmentation.
This year, she says, Quebecor has invested heavily in its content and programming, but also in technology that makes it easier for advertisers to perfect their audience selection.
The technology includes the QUB Profile, a digital platform available on mobile and laptop where all of Quebecor’s websites are housed. Users create their personalized profile in QUB to enjoy content and this anonymized data is how the company is continuing to build its database. Through this database, Quebecor can now provide advertisers with over 650 pre-determined or custom-made audiences.
In addition, its Duo audience analysis platform is now available to advertisers as a self-serve platform.
On the programming front, TVA has 28 original productions and five new shows launching this fall. The new scripted series include Anna et Arnaud (pictured above), a story adapted from a novel about a mother and her son who has a drug problem and lives on the street. The new series roster continues with Hotel, which takes place in a posh hotel in Montreal, and Ma Mere, the second chapter in a series that deals with mental health issues.
One program that everyone is waiting for is new show called Indefendable. That will be on Monday to Thursday in the 7 p.m. slot, immersing viewers in the world of defense attorneys and letting them experience two sides of the story.
Highly anticipated returning shows include popular dance competition Revolution, back for its fourth season. Also returning is season two of Masked Singer adaptation Chanteurs Masques. Both shows managed to out-perform the top English programs in the Numeris ratings last fall, with Chanteurs Masques reaching an AMA of 1.978 million viewers.
Also noteworthy is season three of La Tour, airing in the early evening Monday to Thursday. The host of the show welcomes viewers into his apartment in the high rise building along his guests and neighbours that happen to pop in to join the conversation.
In addition to TVA+, the broadcaster’s connected TV service, Quebecor’s speciality channels are building momentum with several original productions. These include Espaces, a show that looks at interesting living spaces with Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, cooking show Trois fois par jour et vous with Marilou, and documentary program J’t’aime gros with Mélissa Bédard and Christine Morency. There are also new tasty offerings for foodies, including the cooking competition Le restaurant, premiering on Zeste, a competition show that awards the winner $50,000 to help them start their own restaurant.
