CBC, Rogers Media and Shaw Media form Canadian Premium Audience Exchange delivering private real-time bidding to Canadian advertisers

TORONTO, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - In their ongoing efforts to deliver targeted, best-in-class offerings to advertisers and users, CBC/Radio-Canada, Rogers Media and Shaw Media have partnered to create the Canadian Premium Audience Exchange (CPAX) - a private real-time bidding exchange that provides valuable digital inventory from three of Canada's leading media companies.

Scheduled to launch May 16, CPAX provides buyers a central gateway to premium Canadian digital advertising inventory across more than 100 top domains in both English and French, reaching a valuable audience of more than 15 million Canadians. CPAX allows advertisers one-stop shopping to align their brands with a wide-ranging - and targeted - audience, while users will receive advertisements that are most relevant and of interest to them.

With CPAX, CBC/Radio-Canada, Rogers Media and Shaw Media will maintain their unique, direct sales operations with a portion of their inventory flowing directly into CPAX for bidding by private access buyers. Inventory will be pooled amongst the three companies' digital assets enabling bids to be made against channels, providing efficiency for advertising agencies not yet seen in the Canadian market.  Agency partners will have first access to bid on the inventory.

"Together with our partners, Shaw Media and Rogers Media, we are excited to RTB-enable our premium Canadian digital inventory," said Alan Dark, Executive Director, CBC Revenue Group.  "Through this innovative initiative, we're providing increased scale and efficiency for our key advertising partners, and by working together with the agency community."

"CPAX provides a brand safe environment that offers advertisers accurate targeting, transparency, cost efficiency, and massive reach," said Jason Tafler, Chief Digital Officer, Rogers Media. "With one bid, advertisers can access three distinct organizations' premium inventory at large scale for best value."

"This founding partnership of like-minded content providers establishes CPAX as a 'must-buy' right out of the gate," said Paul Burns, Vice President, Digital Media, Shaw.  "It's a turnkey advertising solution that the buying community can trust, and an unprecedented invitation to access premium Canadian audiences online in a more efficient way."

CPAX is powered by technology developed by AppNexus, the world-leader in real-time advertising technology that serves the largest and most innovative buyers and sellers of online advertising.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences.

About Rogers Media Inc.
Rogers Media Inc., a division of Rogers Communications (TSX: RCI; NYSE: RCI), is a diversified leading Canadian media company that engages in television and radio broadcasting, publishing, digital, and sports entertainment.  Rogers Broadcasting has 55 AM and FM radio stations across Canada; television properties include five Citytv stations, five OMNI multicultural television stations, Sportsnet (consisting of four regional channels and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World), and The Shopping Channel, a televised and internet shopping service.  Rogers Publishing produces many well-known consumer and online magazines, such as Maclean's, Chatelaine, L'actualité, Canadian Business, and is the leading publisher of a number of industry, medical and financial publications.  Rogers Media's suite of digital assets reaches 17 million unique visitors per month through more than 1,000 premium owned + exclusive and extended network sites.  Rogers Media Inc. owns Rogers Centre stadium, a year-round sports and entertainment facility, and the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club.

About Shaw Communications Inc.
Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

Media Contacts:
CBC/Radio-Canada - Chuck Thompson, [email protected], 416-205-3747
Rogers Media - Andrea Goldstein, [email protected], 416-935-5962
Shaw Media - Dervla Kelly, [email protected], 416-934-7121