Quebecor Acquires Gestev

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - May 24, 2013) - Quebecor is pleased to announce the acquisition of Gestev, a dynamic sporting and cultural event management company that enjoys a high profile throughout the Québec City area. Patrice Drouin and Chantal Lachance, cofounders of Gestev, and their entire team will bring their expertise to Quebecor; they will support Quebecor's drive to maintain its status as Québec's entertainment leader and work with its partners to help make the new Québec City Amphitheater a hub of entertainment, sport and culture. Gestev has been responsible for many high-calibre events, including the well-known Red Bull Crashed Ice extreme race, the International Mountain Bike Festival and World Cup (known as the Vélirium), the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, Sprint Québec (FIS Cross-Country World Cup), which is the only urban world cup course in the Americas, and the latest Snowboard Jamboree, which included the FIS Snowboard World Championships. Since Gestev was founded in 1992, its events and festivals have helped catapult the Québec City region on to the international stage.

"Quebecor is very happy to join forces with experts of this calibre," said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Quebecor. "They are among Québec's most talented event managers and their know-how is recognized world-wide. Patrice Drouin and Chantal Lachance are brilliant, astute visionaries, champions in their field, who are passionate and totally invested in their work. We definitely share the same values. By teaming up with the best local talent, we are confirming the commitment we have made to Quebecers: to make the Québec City Amphitheatre a temple of entertainment that provides spectators with the best possible experience. It will offer a varied, compelling program of events, designed specifically for Québec City residents and all Quebecers. That is our mission at Quebecor."

"My partner Chantal Lachance and I are exceedingly pleased with this strategic alliance with Quebecor," said Patrice Drouin, president of Gestev. "We are confident that joining the Quebecor family will enable us to build on our 22 years of experience to go farther, to add to our past accomplishments and push the creative envelope. The future looks promising indeed! The new Québec City Amphitheatre will also open the door to new types of events. It will serve as a gathering place for Quebecers and Gestev intends to help develop and produce entertaining events there that are accessible to all."

"Becoming part of Quebecor is very motivational for our entire team," said Chantal Lachance, vice president and operations manager of Gestev. "It will help us take our productions to another level and enable us to increase economic, social and tourism benefits for the entire community. We are all very proud to be joining the Quebecor family and we believe strongly in the potential of this new alliance."

Putting Québec in the international limelight

Established in 1992, Gestev develops and organizes distinctive events that stand out in Québec and internationally. Over the years, Gestev has set new standards in event organization and production, adding a festive dimension to high level sporting events by introducing music and entertainment, and by making the competitions accessible to all. Gestev has produced a hundred major events over the past 22 years, including Red Bull Crashed Ice, Vélirium, Transat Québec Saint-Malo, Sprint Québec and Snowboard Jamboree. Together, they have generated economic spinoffs estimated at more than $400 million for Québec.

Gestev has also been a leader in showcasing the spectacular beauty of the Québec City area, from its architectural and urban attractions to the natural splendour of the surrounding region. The team has produced hundreds of hours of video that have been viewed around the world, providing incomparable publicity and promotion for the Québec City area. As well, Gestev engages in experiential and event marketing for various companies, designing and producing promotional events directly on the ground. It is also engaged in managing sponsorships and developing partnerships, and since 2008 it has been the manager of the Baie de Beauport resort. Gestev has approximately 40 employees. All its offices are located in the Québec City area.

About Quebecor

Quebecor Inc. (TSX:QBR.A)(TSX:QBR.B) is a holding company with a 75.4% interest in Quebecor Media Inc., one of Canada's largest media groups, with more than 16,000 employees. Quebecor Media Inc., through its subsidiary Videotron Ltd., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephony and mobile telephony. Through Sun Media Corporation, Quebecor Media Inc. is the largest publisher of newspapers in Canada. It also operates Canoe.ca and its network of English- and French-language Internet properties in Canada. In the broadcasting segment, Quebecor Media Inc. operates, through TVA Group Inc., the number one French language conventional television network in Québec, a number of specialty channels and, through Sun Media Corporation, the English-language SUN News channel. Another subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., Nurun Inc., is a major interactive technologies and communications agency with offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. Quebecor Media Inc. is also active in magazine publishing (Publications TVA Inc.), book publishing and distribution (Sogides Group Inc., CEC Publishing Inc.), the production, distribution and retailing of cultural products (Archambault Group Inc., TVA Films), video game development (BlooBuzz Inc.), DVD, Blu-ray disc and videogame rental and retailing (Le SuperClub Vidéotron ltée), the printing and distribution of community newspapers and flyers (Quebecor Media Printing Inc., Quebecor Media Network Inc.), outdoor advertising (Quebecor Media Out of Home), news content production and distribution (QMI Agency), and multiplatform advertising solutions (Quebecor Media Sales).

Patrice Drouin and Chantal Lachance will be available for interviews.