Videotron reported strong numbers for the first quarter of 2008, growing its
customer base for all four products: cable television, Internet access, cable
telephone and wireless telephone service. The figures as of March 31, 2008
confirm Videotron's position as a leading player in the Canadian
telecommunications market.


"We were very pleased by the record results for 2007, and we are delighted to
see the trend holding in 2008," said Robert Depatie, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Videotron. "I am confident that if we continue to focus all
our targets and all our strategies on fully satisfying every customer, we will
be very strongly positioned to maintain this exceptional growth, because our 1.6
million existing customers and potential customers alike will see that they are
our priority."


illico tide continues to rise

As of March 31, 2008, Videotron had a total customer base for cable television
of 1,652,200 across its service area, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 34,600,
compared with a 29,200 increase in the same quarter of 2007. In the first three
months of 2008, Videotron posted a net increase of 34,600 subscribers to its
illico Digital TV service, bringing the total to 802,800. Videotron offers
subscribers to illico Digital TV the largest selection of French-language
high-definition channels in its service area.


Videotron Internet access service gets bigger and faster

Videotron grew the subscriber base for its cable Internet service by 32,300 in
the first quarter of 2008, bringing the total to 965,300, a 3.0%
quarter-over-quarter increase. The customer satisfaction rate with the service
is 96% according to a Leger Marketing survey conducted in December 2007.


Videotron launched two new Internet access services during the quarter, pushing
back the limits of the Internet once again and delivering some of the fastest
file transfer speeds in North America. Ultimate Speed Internet 30 and Ultimate
Speed Internet 50 support speeds of 30 megabits per second and 50 megabits per
second respectively in order to meet the needs of today's connected family, in
which several family members typically share a single Internet connection.


The two new very high-speed services make Videotron the first cable operator in
North America to offer service of this speed on a cable network. Roll-out is
starting in the Laval area, reaching a potential market of 112,000 households,
and will gradually be extended to the rest of Quebec.


Cable telephone service continues to spread

Since gradual region-by-region roll-out began in 2005, Videotron cable telephone
service has registered steady growth. In the first quarter ended March 31, 2008,
the customer base for the service increased by 55,300, bringing the total to
691,600.


"Videotron's reliable alternative to conventional telephone service continues to
expand its position in the telephone market," said Robert Depatie. "The
competition generated by this product creates clear advantages for consumers,
providing significantly lower prices and the opportunity to choose one's
telephone provider. We are pleased to note that the customer satisfaction rate
with Videotron cable telephone service is 95%, according to the same Leger
Marketing survey carried out in December 2007."


Videotron wireless also progresses

Videotron's wireless telephone service, launched in mid-2006, continued to grow
with a 5,500 quarterly increase in the number of activated phones, bringing the
total to 50,600 as of March 31, 2008.


With the addition of wireless telephone service to Videotron's product packages,
Videotron can now provide each customer with four telecom products: Internet
access, cable television (with illico), cable telephone and wireless telephone
service. Videotron's multi-product bundles have continued to prove attractive in
2008, with over 50% of Videotron customers now subscribed to two or more
services.


Quebecor Media's application accepted

In March 2008, Quebecor Media Inc. filed an application to bid as a new market
entrant in the Advanced Wireless Services spectrum auction. On March 31, 2008,
Industry Canada confirmed that the application had been accepted. The spectrum
auction could enable Videotron to build its own wireless network to serve the
Quebec market. Videotron would then be equipped to increase competition in a
market where Canada lags behind other countries in technology, penetration rate
and consumer pricing.


Videotron Ltd. (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media
Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television,
interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephony
and wireless telephone service. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with
its illico interactive television system and its broadband network, which
supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television,
and other services. As of March 31, 2008, Videotron was serving 1,652,200 cable
television customers in Quebec, including 802,800 illico Digital TV subscribers.
Videotron is the Quebec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 965,300
subscribers to its cable modem service. As of March 31, 2008, Videotron had
activated 50,600 phones on its wireless telephone service and was providing
cable telephone service to nearly 691,600 Quebec households and organizations.


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