Bell Media has signed an exclusive music publishing and administration deal with independent rights management company ole that encompasses the telecom giant's extensive in-house music library.
With former Universal Music Canada president and CEO Randy Lennox now at the helm of Bell Media, this is another unique step in a series of music-focused moves for the company that has included bringing iHeartRadio to Canada and partnering with Michael Cohl's Iconic Entertainment Studios for their first theatre production, Bat Out of Hell: The Musical.
"With our extensive music catalog, this is a great opportunity for us to grow its use internationally and capture new revenue streams," said Bell's head of artist and music industry relations Tyson Parker, in a statement.
Parker, who was instrumental in this ole deal, worked with Lennox for many years at Universal as vp, communications and artist relations, and was hired by Lennox in the newly created role when he accepted the Bell position in 2015.
The multi-year ole deal will increase revenue generated from Bell Media's audio-visual collection of more than 12,000 tracks, including iconic television music such as "The Hockey Theme," CTV news themes, and compositions from its original programs.
"Ole is very pleased to be working with Bell Media and its world-class content production teams," added ole chairman and CEO Robert Ott. "I look forward to adding value to what this talented team is creating."
Bell Media is a multimedia corporation with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. It owns 30 local television stations, led by CTV, Canada's highest-rated television network; 30 specialty channels; and is the country's largest radio broadcaster, with 215 music channels including 105 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across the country, all part of the iHeartRadio brand and streaming service.
