Bell Media to Acquire Séries+, Historia

Bell Media has entered into an agreement with Corus Entertainment to acquire the French-language specialty channels Séries+ and Historia.

Séries+ is Québec’s most-watched fiction channel, offering popular locally produced drama as well as international series. Historia broadcasts a range of locally produced original content, ranging from award-winning documentaries and reality series to dramas.

Bell Media currently operates ten French-language TV channels in Québec.

The transaction is subject to approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and the Competition Bureau, and is expected to close in mid-2018.

“The addition of Séries+ and Historia perfectly complements our broad slate of French-language channels, further enhancing our competitiveness in the vibrant Québec media landscape,” said Randy Lennox, the president of Bell Media. “We look forward to taking Séries+ and Historia further than ever before, reinforcing our commitment to invest and grow in Québec, and deliver even more opportunities for francophone viewers, producers, and advertisers.”

“Bell Media has had a proven track record of investing in original French-language production, commissioning over 530 original productions from more than 70 francophone producers, and representing nearly 2,700 hours of new programming,” said Gerry Frappier, Bell Media’s president of French-language TV and RDS. “Now with the addition of Séries+ and Historia, we look forward to bolstering our commitment to both francophone viewers and the Québec television production community even more.”