CF Cable TV

CF Cable TV was a Canadian cable television company associated with Montreal businessman Jean Pouliot. It operated during the 1980s and 1990s, serving communities in and around Montreal as well as a number of markets acquired during a major expansion in 1993. Its original service territory included parts of Montreal, Laval, and the western suburbs of the Island of Montreal. The company was established in 1982 after Pouliot acquired Cable TV Inc. from Starlaw Investments for a reported purchase price of $11.4 million. The acquisition placed the cable business within the wider CFCF corporate sphere, whose holdings also included CFCF-TV and the TQS television network. CF Cable TV therefore formed part of a broader Montreal-centered broadcasting and communications portfolio rather than operating as an isolated local utility. CF Cable TV expanded substantially in 1993. It acquired Télécâble Laurentien, which served the Outaouais region of Quebec and the Ottawa suburb of Clarence-Rockland in Ontario, and it also acquired Northern Cable in Northern Ontario. These transactions made the company the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada at the time. The acquired businesses were not immediately consolidated under the CF Cable TV name: Laurentien and Northern continued to operate as separate divisions, preserving distinct operating identities within the enlarged company. The company’s corporate history changed in 1997 when Jean Pouliot sold CFCF Inc., CF Cable TV’s parent company, to Vidéotron. Vidéotron subsequently sold the Northern Cable division to Regional Cablesystems in 1998, while retaining the Montreal and Outaouais divisions. CF Cable TV consequently ceased to exist as an independent operating group, and its former assets became part of later cable-television ownership structures. The brand is now historical rather than an active Canadian consumer brand.

CF Cable TV was a Canadian cable television operator whose principal historical base was the Montreal area. It was established in 1982 after Jean Pouliot, a Montreal businessman with interests in broadcasting and television, acquired Cable TV Inc. from Starlaw Investments. The reported purchase price was $11.4 million. The transaction brought the cable business into Pouliot’s wider CFCF corporate group, which also included CFCF-TV and the TQS television network. In its initial form, CF Cable TV served parts of Montreal, Laval, and the western suburbs of the Island of Montreal. Its business consisted of operating cable television distribution systems and providing multichannel television access to residential customers in its licensed service areas. The company was part of the generation of regional Canadian cable operators that developed local systems before subsequent consolidation reshaped the industry. The most important expansion occurred in 1993. CF Cable TV acquired Télécâble Laurentien, extending its operations into the Outaouais region of Quebec and Clarence-Rockland, an Ontario suburb of Ottawa. During the same period, it acquired Northern Cable, which operated in Northern Ontario. These transactions significantly increased the company’s geographic reach and scale. Following the acquisitions, CF Cable TV became the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada. The acquired operations were retained as separate divisions rather than being fully absorbed into the CF Cable TV brand. Télécâble Laurentien continued to operate as a distinct division in the Outaouais and Clarence-Rockland markets, while Northern Cable retained its own divisional identity in Northern Ontario. This structure allowed the parent group to manage a broader portfolio of regional systems without immediately replacing their established local names. CF Cable TV’s independent corporate existence ended after Pouliot sold CFCF Inc. to Vidéotron in 1997. The transaction transferred control of the parent company and its cable assets to Vidéotron. In 1998, Vidéotron sold the Northern Cable division to Regional Cablesystems but retained the Montreal and Outaouais divisions. These ownership changes fragmented the former CF Cable TV operating group and ended the brand’s role as an independent cable operator. There is no indication in the supplied reference material that CF Cable TV remains an active standalone brand.

1. 1998Northern Cable division divested

   Vidéotron sold the Northern Cable division to Regional Cablesystems and retained the Montreal and Outaouais divisions.

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2. 1997CFCF Inc. sold to Vidéotron

   Jean Pouliot sold CF Cable TV’s parent company, CFCF Inc., to Vidéotron.

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3. 1993Major regional expansion

   CF Cable TV acquired Télécâble Laurentien and Northern Cable, expanding into the Outaouais region, Clarence-Rockland, and Northern Ontario.

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4. 1993Becomes Canada’s fifth-largest cable operator

   The 1993 transactions made CF Cable TV the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada.

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5. 1982Cable TV Inc. acquired by Jean Pouliot

   Jean Pouliot acquired Cable TV Inc. from Starlaw Investments for a reported $11.4 million, establishing the business that operated as CF Cable TV.

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A regional Canadian cable television operator that grew from a Montreal-area business into a multi-region cable group through acquisitions.

• Cable television serviceCable television1982

  CF Cable TV operated cable distribution systems that delivered multichannel television programming to customers in its regional service territories. Its original network covered parts of Montreal, Laval, and the western suburbs of the Island of Montreal. Following the 1993 expansion, related divisions also served the Outaouais region, Clarence-Rockland, and Northern Ontario.

• Télécâble Laurentien divisionCable television operations1993

  Acquired in 1993, Télécâble Laurentien represented CF Cable TV’s cable operations in the Outaouais region of Quebec and Clarence-Rockland in Ontario. It continued to operate as a separate division rather than being fully rebranded under the CF Cable TV name.

• Northern Cable divisionCable television operations1993

  Northern Cable was acquired in 1993 and gave CF Cable TV a presence in Northern Ontario. It retained a separate divisional identity and was later sold by Vidéotron to Regional Cablesystems in 1998.

• 1998Divestiture of Northern CableStrategy

  After acquiring CFCF Inc., Vidéotron reorganized the former CF Cable TV portfolio.

  What changed. Vidéotron sold the Northern Cable division to Regional Cablesystems while retaining the Montreal and Outaouais divisions.

  Aftermath. The divestiture further separated the former CF Cable TV operations and contributed to the end of the brand as an independent cable group.

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• 1997Sale of CFCF Inc. to VidéotronM&A

  Jean Pouliot sold the parent company that controlled CF Cable TV.

  What changed. CFCF Inc. was sold to Vidéotron.

  Aftermath. Vidéotron took control of the Montreal, Outaouais, and Northern-related cable operations, later divesting Northern Cable.

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• 1993Expansion through Télécâble Laurentien and Northern CableM&A

  CF Cable TV pursued geographic expansion beyond its Montreal-area base.

  What changed. The company acquired Télécâble Laurentien in the Outaouais region and Clarence-Rockland, and Northern Cable in Northern Ontario.

  Aftermath. The transactions made CF Cable TV the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada, while both acquired businesses continued as separate divisions.

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• 1982Acquisition of Cable TV Inc.M&A

  Jean Pouliot sought to establish a cable television business within his broader CFCF communications holdings.

  What changed. Pouliot acquired Cable TV Inc. from Starlaw Investments for a reported $11.4 million.

  Aftermath. The acquired operation became the foundation of CF Cable TV and served Montreal-area communities.

  Purchase price. $11.4 million (1982 acquisition)

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• 1998Northern Cable division sold to Regional Cablesystems

  Vidéotron sold CF Cable TV’s Northern Cable division to Regional Cablesystems while retaining the Montreal and Outaouais divisions.

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• 1997Vidéotron acquires CFCF Inc.

  Jean Pouliot sold CFCF Inc., the parent company of CF Cable TV, to Vidéotron, changing the ownership of the cable operations.

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• 1993CF Cable TV expands through acquisitions in Quebec and Ontario

  The company acquired Télécâble Laurentien and Northern Cable, becoming the fifth-largest cable operator in Canada. The acquired businesses continued as separate divisions.

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• 1982Jean Pouliot acquires Cable TV Inc. and establishes CF Cable TV

  Jean Pouliot acquired Cable TV Inc. from Starlaw Investments for $11.4 million, creating the company that became CF Cable TV.

  M&AOther
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1. CF Cable TV