Astral-Bell Merger Leads to Executive Changes

MONTREAL/TORONTO: Astral Media and Bell Media have officially been merged together, with a new senior leadership team in place.

The new leadership structure includes Jacques Parisien as the president of national specialty and pay TV, radio and out-of-home, and Charles Benoît as the president of television and radio for Quebec. Rick Brace is the president of specialty channels and CTV production. Chris Gordon is the president of Bell Media radio and local TV.

Luc Quétel serves as the president of out-of-home for Astral, while Luc Sabbatini is the president of Bell Media Sales. Phil King is the president of CTV programming and sports. Bart Yabsley is the executive VP of content sales and distribution. Wendy Freeman serves as the president of CTV News. Adam Ashton is the senior VP of business operations.

As previously announced, Ian Greenberg, the president and CEO of Astral, joins Bell’s board of directors.

“Our union with Astral is full of opportunity for our audiences, our industry, and our team members,” said Kevin Crull, the president of Bell Media. “Our objective is to create content and build brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. We will deliver on our commitment to provide world-class content to our listeners and viewers, as we make significant investments in the Canadian broadcasting system.”