History
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Explore some of the major milestones of Cogeco's one-of-a-kind journey
The story of Cogeco begins with the passion of a man: Henri Audet. Since its inception in 1957, Cogeco has had an amazing history and significant growth.
Cogeco's beginnings
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) grants Henri Audet a broadcast licence for television station CKTM-TV (Radio-Canada affiliate in Trois-Rivières, Québec).
Acquisition of La Belle Vision
Cogeco Cable makes its first cable acquisition with La Belle Vision, serving the cities of Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan.
Initial public offering for Cogeco
Cogeco becomes a publicly traded company.
Acquisition of CFGL-FM
The Company acquires CFGL-FM, its first Montréal-area Radio station, now known as Rythme FM.
Acquisition of Câblestrie and Télé-Câble BSL
Cogeco Cable acquires several regional cable companies (including Câblestrie and Télé-Câble BSL) in the province of Québec, tripling its customer base in the process.
First expansion outside Québec
Cogeco Cable acquires the Burlington and Oakville systems in Ontario of Cybermedix and CableNet Ltd., growing from a regional operator into a major national company and doubles its customer base.
Initial public offering for Cogeco Cable
Cogeco Cable becomes a publicly traded company.
High-speed Internet
Cogeco Cable becomes the first cable company in Canada to offer high-speed Internet service over its cable network.
Further expansion into Ontario
Cogeco Cable acquires 25 cable networks (totalling 300,000 subscribers) in Ontario.
1998 - 2001: Growing footprint in Québec and Ontario
Cogeco Cable acquires more than 19 cable systems.
First entrance in the Business ICT sector
Cogeco Cable enters the Business ICT sector with the acquisition of the Hydro Telecom fibre network in Ontario.
One of Québec’s largest broadcasters
Cogeco purchases the Québec radio stations of the Corus network, bringing the number of stations it operates to 13, and creates the Cogeco News agency.
Expansion into the U.S. market
Cogeco Cable enters the U.S. market by acquiring the cable system operator Atlantic Broadband, active in western Pennsylvania, Miami Beach in Florida, Maryland/Delaware, and Aiken in South Carolina.
Acquisition of Peer 1 Hosting
Cogeco Cable acquires Peer 1 Hosting, one of the world’s leading IT hosting services providers, specialized in managed hosting, dedicated servers, colocation and cloud computing services.
Revenue of more than $2 billion
Cogeco reaches a milestone, with more than $2 billion in annual revenue.
Launch of Cogeco TiVo Service in Canada
TiVo, the leader in advanced television services, is now available in Canada from Cogeco Cable.
Creation of Cogeco Peer 1 Hosting
Cogeco Cable builds on its position as a leader in the Business ICT sector, creating Cogeco Peer 1 by combining the forces of its Cogeco Data Services and Peer 1 Hosting subsidiaries.
Acquisition of MetroCast Connecticut
Cogeco Cable's U.S. subsidiary, Atlantic Broadband, acquires the Connecticut system owned by MetroCast Communications, expanding its presence in the United States.
Cogeco unveils new brand logos and name
The company and its subsidiaries head into 2016 as one strong and unified entity under a compelling and recognizable brand.
Cogeco celebrates 30 years on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
On November 29th, Louis Audet was joined by members of the Cogeco teams to open the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in celebration of 30 years of being traded on the market.
Acquisition of MetroCast
Cogeco Communications further expands its presence in the U.S. market by acquiring all of the MetroCast cable systems.
Leadership changes at Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc.
Philippe Jetté is appointed President and CEO of the two public companies. Louis Audet becomes Executive Chairman of both Boards of Directors.
Acquisition of 10 radio stations from RNC Média Inc.
Cogeco Inc. acquires ten regional radio stations, expanding its network to 22 stations in Québec and one station in Ontario.
Investment of more than $1 billion
Cogeco Communications announces an investment of more than $1 billion in the operation and expansion of its broadband network in Ontario and Québec
Acquisition of Thames Valley Communications
Atlantic Broadband expands its presence in southeastern Connecticut through acquisition of Thames Valley Communications
Acquisition of DERYtélécom
Cogeco expands its presence in Québec in more than 200 communities with the acquisition of DERYtélécom
Launch of EPICO
Cogeco officially launches EPICO, its new Internet TV service
Acquisition of the Ohio broadband systems of WideOpenWest
Cogeco expands its presence in the US, with broadband systems passing some 688,000 homes and businesses in Cleveland and Columbus
Mr. Louis Audet becomes Chair of the Board
Change of Role for Louis Audet: Former Cogeco President, Louis Audet, becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors after having been Executive Chairman for three years
Atlantic Broadband is renamed Breezeline
The name reflects the commitment to an easy and convenient customer experience, while better representing the business’s geographic reach.
Acquisition of oxio
Cogeco expands its presence in Quebec, Ontario and western provinces with the acquisition of oxio.
Leadership changes at Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc.
Frédéric Perron is appointed President and CEO of the two public companies.