Fiscal 2006 was a record year for Astral Media’s Television group. Our pay and specialty network audience, revenue and earnings growth were driven by a combination of top-quality programming, broadcast innovation and bold new business initiatives.

With two main divisions, and 16 licensed properties, Astral Media’s Television group employs some 800 highly creative and dedicated women and men in our Toronto and Montréal offices.

The technology and programming initiatives launched by our pay and specialty networks this year resulted in ever-increasing returns and set the stage for further growth through innovation and investment in the future. New on-demand and high-definition services, as well as merchandising and audience-building loyalty and web initiatives, drove subscriber and advertising revenues to $428.2 million, an increase of 8% over last year.

PAY TELEVISION

Strong and loyal viewership for the Company’s pay and pay-per-view networks – The Movie Network, Super Écran, Mpix, Viewer's Choice Canada, Canal Indigo and the newly launched, cinépop – enabled the networks to maintain top positions in their respective markets among their core audiences, despite increased competitive pressures.

The Movie Network, along with its French-language counterpart Super Écran, are Eastern Canada’s exclusive providers of first-run, commercial-free hit movies from Canada, the U.S. and around the world. With a combined subscriber base of more than 1.6 million households, The Movie Network and Super Écran continue to reinforce Astral Media’s position as Canada’s largest broadcaster of pay-television services.

This position is bolstered by the long-standing commitment and unprecedented contribution that Astral Media’s pay-television services have made to supporting Canadian film and television. This year alone, that annual investment surpassed the $50 million mark.

Subscriber levels for Astral Media’s pay-TV networks grew year-over-year by 6% or 86,000 subscribers. The Movie Network again ranked number two for audiences aged 25 to 54, directly behind TSN, and held that position against all other pay and specialty services available in Eastern Canada. For its part, Super Écran again ranked number one among 25 to 54 year olds, with a 5.2% audience share, the largest of all French-language pay and specialty services.