ASTRAL ACQUIRES ASTRAL MEDIA OUTDOOR
By Adnews Staff
Astral Media has acquired full ownership of its outdoor advertising subsidiary. Previously an 8% interest in Astral Media Outdoor was held by Caisse de Placement and a 6% interest was held by Desjardins. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Astral Media Outdoor manages about 3,400 advertising faces in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Ohio. Ian Greenberg, president and chief executive officer of Astral Media, said the company was delighted to be the sole owner of Astral Media Outdoor and is committed to its expansion. He said Astral looks forward to strengthening its position as "one of Canada's foremost outdoor advertising companies." In addition to its outdoor advertising subsidiary, Astral Media also operates English and French specialty, pay and pay-per-view television channels, owns 11 FM and three AM radio stations, owns 50% of Radiomédia, possesses 18 Web sites and holds a majority interest in Artech Digital Entertainments, which develops games and software.