Quebecor Media jumps into directory business in a big way

Quebecor Media, the publishing division of media and printing giant Quebecor Corp., is taking the plunge into the estimated $1.4 billion print and online directory market. It is starting a new Montreal-based subsidiary, Quebecor MediaPages that it expects to expand quickly to have 100 employees over the next year or so.

The company told the Canadian Press that it will start off with 30 new print directories in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta to be published under the MediaPages name, and an online directory will be created under the name canoe411.ca at the beginning of next year.

"Print and online directories account for 18 per cent of total local advertising spending and people are increasingly turning to the Web to find businesses near their homes," said Yves Sicard, the new president of Quebecor MediaPages.

"We therefore plan to leverage media convergence among Quebecor Media's properties - Canoe, local and regional newspapers, magazines, Videotron, and so forth - to offer customers a distinctive, high value-added directory product at competitive rates."

Quebecor said print directories were a $1.3 billion market in Canada last year and online directories about $100 million and expected to grow close to 40 per cent over the next five years.

"Quebecor is entering the directory market with a running start thanks to its strong position in communities across Canada, particularly its newspapers and Canoe, Canada's largest portal," said Benoit Parent, chief operating officer of MediaPages.

"We are confident we will achieve sustained growth in this booming market."

Quebecor Media's TVA Publishing Inc. is the largest magazine publisher in Quebec (with 45 titles). It also owns cable TV operator Videotron Ltd., Sun Media, the largest newspaper chain in Canada, French-language broadcaster TVA Group Inc., Internet portal Canoe Inc., communications technology company Nurun Inc. as well as other businesses.

Last June, CanWest MediaWorks also jumped into directory publishing in a big way, using its strength (in a way similar to what Quebecor Media is proposing)to promote the directories through its daily newspapers, online properties (including Canada.com) and local broadcast stations.