Bell Media Invests in Canadian Digital Startup Hubub

- As core part of digital strategy, Bell Media commits to broad marketing campaign and obtains exclusive monetization rights in Canada for innovative new platform -

hub•ub  [huhb-uhb]

noun

1. a personal interest channel: the hubub on Orphan Black is like a real-time, multimedia fan magazine.
2. a community around a particular topic: my CFL hubub has 346 likes.

Join the hubub for this announcement: hubub.com/bellmedia

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Bell Media announced today an investment in Toronto-based digital startup Hubub, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Bell Media has invested $5 million in cash and committed millions more to market Hubub.com and the Hubub mobile app, a new digital platform for exploring and discussing interests, across its leading media properties. In addition to acquiring an equity stake in the company, Bell Media has obtained the exclusive rights to monetize Hubub in Canada.

Bell Media is committing significant marketing resources to grow Hubub in Canada - creating hububs for its brands, leveraging its TV and radio talent, and integrating Hubub technology into its digital media properties. In an innovative partnership agreement, Bell Media will earn additional equity in the company based on the resulting scale of Hubub's Canadian audience.

"Hubub is a core part of our strategy to grow our digital reach in Canada," said Kevin Crull, President, Bell Media. "We see Hubub at the intersection of social and search, the two digital categories that continue to see significant growth. It's also the perfect social complement to our media properties and talent, leveraging the significant conversation around news, sports, and entertainment that originate with our brands."

"We are honoured to partner with Bell Media, Canada's gold standard in news, sports, and entertainment," said Peter L. Corsell, Hubub founder and CEO. "Our team has pioneered the concept of personal interest channels to provide a deeper level of engagement and collaboration around interests, and we are thrilled that Bell Media will greatly increase Hubub's exposure in Canada."

A "hubub" is a personal interest channel. Users can join existing hububs on subjects ranging from municipal politics and entertainment to the Toronto Maple Leafs, or start their own hububs on any topic. Hububs display a mosaic of videos, articles, blogs, and polls, as well as innovative features like one-on-one debates. Some hububs host conversations among thousands of people from all over the world, while others serve as a continuous, visual search feed for individual users.

Bell Media brands such as CTV, CTV News, TSN/RDS, The Movie Network/HBO Canada, Space, Super Écran, and Canal Vie, among others, will create and promote hububs, where consumers, content, and brands can come together around topics of mutual interest. Bell Media will also integrate proprietary Hubub technology into its digital properties to enhance search and engagement capabilities.

The desktop version, hubub.com, is currently in beta, and the Hubub mobile app will be released in October. A commercial launch, extensively supported by Bell Media, is scheduled for the fall. Inclusive of the Bell Media investment, Hubub has raised $14 million to date.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites, delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO, holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub, and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

About Hubub
Hubub is the best digital platform for exploring and discussing interests. Each personal interest channel, called a hubub, provides a multimedia stream on a dedicated topic, including videos, articles, blogs and polls, as well as innovative features like one-on-one debates. Users can join an existing hubub, create their own public or private hubub, or simply use Hubub to follow the topics that matter most to them. Hubub.com is currently in beta and the mobile app will launch in October 2014. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
@BellMediaPr
@Hububs
Facebook.com/Hububs
Pinterest.com/Hububs

SOURCE Bell Media