Blue Ant Media, controlled by former Alliance Atlantis executive chairman Michael MacMillan, has just entered a strategic partnership with multimedia company Quarto Communications.
This marks Blue Ant’s first deal involving a print-related company, although Blue Ant’s big focus will be helping get Quarto’s brands deeper into TV and digital media.
Toronto-based Blue Ant will initially purchase 15% of Quarto’s shares. It has the option to boost its portion of ownership to 24.5% within a year.
Quarto publishes books and several custom and consumer magazines, including Cottage Life, Explore and Outdoor Canada. It also produces websites and social media apps. It’s also got its hand in television production; it produced 13 season of Cottage Life Television. On the events side, Quarto puts on the Cottage Life Show, the Great Outdoors and DIY Weekend.
“Quarto has been adept at identifying a niche and capturing it from A to Z,” said Robb Chase, chief operating officer of Blue Ant Media. He pointed to Cottage Life in particular, its associated consumer trade show and website extensions. “They want to own the whole cottage experience and that has real appeal to advertisers.”
Blue Ant wants to move the Cottage Life brand further into TV and its new relationship with integrated media company GlassBOX Television will help.
Blue Ant recently reached an agreement, conditional on CRTC approval, to buy a controlling interest in GlassBOX, which owns and operates specialty networks Bite TV, Aux TV and the Travel & Escape Channel.
The skill and brand expertise GlassBOX has in the lifestyle area, thanks to its ownership of Travel & Escape Channel, is most relevant to moving Cottage Life further into TV, said Chase. “There’s a great adjacency there,” he said.
GlassBOX, added Chase, also has a lot of online experience building online communities for Bite TV and Aux TV.
Chase declined to elaborate on plans to build a stronger digital presence for Quarto’s brands, but said they will include digital advertising opportunities.
Commenting on integrated packages available to its advertisers, Quarto CEO and president Al Zikovitz noted the brands’ print, online, TV and consumer show options.
“For each media option there is a touch point that directs consumers to further their experience with out brands to our other complementary media options,” Zikovitz said. “For marketers, it provides a 360-degree media opportunity that very few media outlets can provide.”
