Stingray Digital Group Announces Strategic Relationship With Multi Channels Asia

Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY. A; RAY. B), a leading business-to-business multiplatform music provider, today announced that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Multi Channels Asia (MCA), a Singapore-based media company, which owns, represents and distributes a number of thematic Pay-TV networks serving Asia and the Pacific. Under the terms of the agreement, Stingray will provide MCA with growth capital over a multi-year term and in exchange obtain an expanded foothold in the Asian region.

“We are proud to partner with Multi Channels Asia,” said Eric Boyko, President, co-founder and CEO of Stingray. “We have had the pleasure of working with them over the past year and the experience has confirmed that MCA is at the top of its field with a comprehensive product portfolio and expert knowledge of regional and local television ecosystems. We believe that MCA is a perfect fit for our expansion plans in Asia. This alliance opens up exciting opportunities for Stingray to rapidly reach new markets.”

Gregg Creevey, Managing Director, Multi Channels Asia said, “We are delighted to partner with Stingray Digital. They are a great partner for us since their exciting digital music portfolio has massive appeal and complements our existing line-up of channels and digital properties. Thanks to the terrific technology underpinning their products, their relationships within the industry and their digital know-how, we are looking to quickly expand MCA’s digital-first initiatives region-wide.”

Stingray Music Rewards Three Up-And-Coming Ontario Songwriters at Folk Music Ontario

Stingray, a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider, is thrilled to announce the names of the three grand winners of two Songs from the Heart: Stingray Rising Star awards at Folk Music Ontario. Stingray is proud to support Ontario’s up-and-coming music talent by rewarding local artists with one $1,000 prize for English song and one for French song.

Allison Lupton (English-language winner), Mélanie Brulée and Anique Granger (French-language winners) were selected for the quality of their songwriting. Stingray thereby reaffirms its commitment to support Canadian music talents and to contribute to increasing their national and international profiles.

Launched in 1998, the Stingray Rising Star (previously known as Galaxie Rising Star) program sets out to discover, encourage, promote and champion new up-and-coming Canadian artists. Stingray Rising Star awards have been given out at Folk Music Ontario since 2002. Previous winners include Dan Kershaw, Miranda Stone, Yann Vollé, Tucker Finn, Jean-Marc Lalonde and Ian Tamblyn among others.

For more information about the Stingray Rising Star program: http://music.stingray.com/en_CA/risingStar

Stingray Music increasingly popular with younger audiences

The number of listeners aged 18 to 34 who tune in to Stingray Music channels on TV has experienced significant growth this year announced Stingray (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B), a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider.

According to the study on Canadian listenership conducted by Vision Critical1, between May and September 2015 the percentage of Stingray Music listeners aged 18-34 increased from 32% to 36%. The study also shows the rapid adoption rate of the Stingray Music mobile app. Launched in October 2014, the mobile app is already being used by 8% of listeners who listen to Stingray Music on TV (a penetration rate comparable to that of Spotify and Songza2).

The data collected also reveals that almost 40% of Canadian Pay-TV subscribers had listened to a Stingray Music channel on TV in the past month, with an average of 5 hours per week. Since the previous survey published in December 2014, there has been a 5% increase in monthly listenership.

«We are extremely proud of the significant increase in the number of Stingray Music listeners aged 18-34 that we have observed in the past year,” said Mathieu Péloquin, Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications of Stingray. “This result is the fruit of our constant efforts to provide all our clients with diverse, quality content on multiple platforms. We are convinced that new services adapted to the mobile lifestyle, such as the Stingray Music mobile app, will allow us to continue increasing our market share among younger audiences.”

The free Stingray Music mobile app gives users access to the same lineup offered by their TV providers, in addition to 1,000 Vibes channels in more than 100 genres. This product, which will be available for tablets in 2016, especially caters to the needs of younger users who expect to listen to their music anywhere and anytime they want.

The most popular French-language Stingray Music channels during this period were: Franco Pop, Franco retro and Franco Attitude. The most popular English-language and international channels were: Hit List, Hot Country, Country Classics, Easy Listening, Urban Beat and The SPA. For more information about Stingray Music channels: http://music.stingray.com/en_CA/channelsAbout Stingray

1. VisionCritical Quaterly Tracking Study 2015: September 2015
2. Nielsen Music 360: CA 2015 Edition

Stingray to Release its Financial Results for the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2016

Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) will release its financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2015, on Thursday, November 12, 2015 before the market opens.  Management will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results the same day a 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Details of the Conference Call

Via telephone: (877) 223-4471 or (647) 788-4922

Via the internet at: www.stingray.com

Conference Call Rebroadcast

A rebroadcast of the conference call will be available until midnight, December 9, 2015, by dialing (800) 585-8367 or (416) 621-4642 and entering passcode 62223620.

The replay of the webcast will remain available on the website until midnight, December 9, 2015.

Brava Acquires Flemish Television Channel Cultuur 7

Brava, a Netherlands-based pan-European cultural television channel, today announced that is has acquired Flemish television channel Cultuur 7. The transaction includes all of Cultuur 7’s content and existing contracts with TV distributors.

With the acquisition of Cultuur 7, Brava – a subsidiary of Stingray Digital Group Inc. – is now positioned in Belgium as a provider of quality classical music content with particular attention given to local content. Brava’s acquisition of Cultuur 7 ensures the preservation of an important Flemish cultural heritage.

Cultuur 7 is available in Flanders and Brussels through Telenet and Proximus. The channel has established partnerships with several prestigious ensembles and organisations such as the Brussels Philharmonic, the Davidsfonds, deFilharmonie, deBuren, the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera of Belgium, and Cultuurnet Vlaanderen.

“Cultuur 7 founder Gabriël Fehervari has created a significant platform for Flemish classical music, comparable to what we’ve done in the Netherlands with Brava”, said Rob Overman, creative director of Stingray Europe. “Not only are all of Cultuur 7’s productions maintained for viewers in Flanders and Brussels, but now, thanks to the reach of our international channel Brava HD, these contents are also available to music lovers in twelve other European countries. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring first-rate Flemish classical music to a wider audience.”

Channel details

Cultuur 7 was launched in 2006 as the only Flemish culture channel, initially under the name EXQI Culture. The name was changed to Cultuur 7 in October 2013. The channel broadcasts on Telenet channel 50 (Flanders) and channel 135 (Brussels), as well as on Proximus channel 110 (Music & Culture package). Cultuur 7 offers classical music concerts, operas, and other forms of cultural content in four-hour blocks, 24 hours a day. The channel’s mission is to provide accessible, high-quality cultural content, including top national and international productions, to new and established audiences. Cultuur 7 aims to secure partnerships with several players in the cultural milieu with whom to promote culture. For more information about the channel, please visit cultuur7.be.

About Brava

24 hours a day, Brava broadcasts the finest operas, operettas, ballets, and concerts in Full Native HD and Dolby Digital Audio. All productions were recorded at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and theatres, including London’s Royal Opera House, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and Milan’s La Scala. Brava is available 24 hours a day, offering its viewers a front-row seat in top productions that feature the world’s greatest musicians and actors. Brava is available in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Turkey, Portugal, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Monaco, Lebanon and a number of African countries. For more information, please visit bravahd.com.

About Stingray

Stingray (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B) is a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider operating on a global scale, reaching an estimated 135 million Pay-TV subscribers (or households) in 127 countries. Geared towards individuals and businesses alike, Stingray’s products include the following leading digital music and video services: Stingray Music, Stingray Concerts, Stingray Brava, Stingray Djazz, Stingray Music Videos, Stingray Lite TV, Stingray Ambiance and Stingray Karaoke. Stingray also offers various business solutions, including music and digital display-based solutions through its Stingray Business division. Stingray is headquartered in Montreal and currently has over 235 employees across the world, including in Toronto, Miami, London, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. Stingray was recognized in 2013 and 2014 as a finalist in the Top 50 of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50TM list, and figures amongst PROFIT magazine’s fastest-growing Canadian companies. For more information, please visit www.stingray.com.

Stingray Music Supports Local Talent at the 2015 ADISQ Gala

Stingray, a leading business-to-business multi-platform music and in-store media solutions provider, today announced that it will be granting a $5,000 Stingray Rising Star award to the winner of the Album of the Year – Hip-Hop category during the Autre Gala de l’ADISQ on October 27th.  Stingray thereby reaffirms its commitment to support Quebec music talents and to contribute to increasing their national and international profiles.

“Each year, it is with enormous enthusiasm that we renew our commitment to up-and-coming Quebec talents by offering a Stingray Rising Star award during the ADISQ Gala,” said Mathieu Péloquin, senior vice-president, marketing and communications of Stingray. « Contributing to advancing the careers of local musicians is fundamental for Stingray. We are impatient to discover this year’s winner and wish the best of luck to all nominees.”

Launched in 1998, the Stingray Rising Star program sets out to discover, encourage, promote and champion new up-and-coming Canadian artists. For more information about this program: http://music.stingray.com/en_CA/risingStar

The ADISQ Happy Hour

Local music aficionado? Between October 27th and November 8th, tune in to the Franco Pop Stingray Music channel between 5 pm and 7 pm to hear tracks by this year’s ADISQ gala nominees in all categories. On November 12th, following the gala, Franco Pop will feature all ADISQ winners.

ADISQ Vibes Channel

In addition, Stingray Music will create a Vibes channel that will only broadcast tracks by nominated artists (available on the Stingray Music mobile app starting October 15th.) To find the ADISQ Vibes channel, enter “ADISQ” in the mobile app’s search bar.

Stingray Launches The First Linear 4K Ultra-HD Channel in North-America

Stingray (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B), a leading business-to-business multi-platform music provider, announced today that its Stingray Ambiance channel is now available to Videotron subscribers in dazzling 4K UHD, a North-American first, by tuning in to channel 953. This launch places Stingray at the forefront of Ultra HD development.

“We have seen a significant increase in worldwide demand for engaging Ultra HD content and we are proud to be the first in North-American to launch a channel that offers 4K UHD content 24/7,” said Mathieu Péloquin, Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications of Stingray. “Ultra HD technology will become the new standard in the linear channel industry. Stingray is a company known for its innovations; as such we are thrilled to offer the highest picture quality available on the market to Videotron subscribers with a 4K Ultra-HD illico terminal and a UHD television.”

Stingray Ambiance is a channel that transforms any home into a soothing and relaxing oasis, thanks to its unique combination of rich, beautiful scenery with custom soundtracks. With this launch in Ultra HD, a technology that offers four times the resolution of standard HD, Stingray is taking the multi-sensorial experience offered by Stingray Ambiance to a whole new level of colour, contrast and brightness. Subscribers without UHD screens will continue to enjoy Stingray Ambiance’s beautiful sceneries from around the world in stunning high resolution on channel 553.

Stingray Ambiance’s programming is curated to accompany viewers every moment of the day. With Stingray Ambiance, the day can begin with a sunrise over a Hawaiian beach, slow down mid-afternoon on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, and end while the sun paints vivid colours in the desert sky. Every image is especially captured for Stingray by a team of experienced nature videographers.

For more information about Stingray Ambiance: http://www.stingray.com/entertainment/ambiance

Montana’s beautiful hot springs and desert landscape featured on Stingray Ambiance in 4K UHD.

The dawn of a new day on Hawaii’s Pa’ako beach featured on Stingray Ambiance in 4K UHD.

Stingray Music Introduces the Next Big Thing in Music Broadcasting: Vibes Channels

Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B), a leading business-to-business multi-platform music provider, today introduced an exciting new feature into its popular Stingray Music service: Vibes channels.  In addition to the Stingray Music channel line-up offered by their TV providers, music fans can now explore and stream 1,000 channels in close to 100 genres curated for every activity, mood and occasion. Vibes channels, which are first being deployed in Canada,  are available on the FREE Stingray Music mobile app* and on the Stingray Music TV app of certain Pay-TV providers.

Vibes channels are carefully curated by 90 of the best music programmers from around the globe and offer crowd-pleasing and niche content selected to suit all tastes. Each Vibes channel features a minimum of 150 tracks (up to 2000), streams an average of 10 to 12 hours of music, and offers the best possible listening experience for all situations; whether you need energetic pop songs to motivate a workout, elegant jazz tracks to entertain friends or a chill indie mix to relax on a weekend morning.

“We are beyond thrilled to introduce 1,000 free Vibes channels to our listeners,” said Mathieu Péloquin, Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Communications of Stingray. “Our objective when developing Vibes channels was to give users the chance to dive into an infinite world of music where the perfect soundtrack for all of life’s occasions is always right at their fingertips. We are confident that Vibes channels will quickly become essential to all music lovers.”

Vibes channels allow subscribers to easily find the music they love, and discover new musical horizons, bycombining up to three filters in activity, mood, theme, era and genre categories. Each combination returns a tailored selection of corresponding channels to choose from, as well as additional suggestions that the user may also like.

Additional Vibes channels will be added weekly. Stingray plans on also launching Vibes channels in Latin-America, Europe and the U.S.

“Much like elves in Santa’s workshop, our international team of music experts has worked tirelessly to create a unique and in-depth experience that covers the wish list of music fans everywhere; no matter their tastes or mood,” stated Jason Thomas, Senior Director of Content at Stingray. “We are exceedingly proud to be presenting Vibes channels to the Canadian public. For us, the Vibes channels project is above all a labour of love, and we hope everyone has as much fun listening to them as we had creating them!”

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE STINGRAY MUSIC MOBILE APP WITH VIBES CHANNELS

• Authenticate quickly with audio signal recognition
• Simple interface and intuitive navigation
• Combine filters in activity, mood, theme, era and genre categories.
• Get Recommendations based on your listening history and preferences.
• Search by artist, channel, keyword, etc.
• Share the music you love on Facebook.
• Add to favourites.
• Consult the list of the channel’s top tracks and those streamed in the past 24 hours.
• Discover what’s most popular and what’s new.
• Find songs on iTunes/Google Play.

For additional information about Vibes channels and to download press material, please visitstingray.com/vibes/press

*The Stingray Music mobile app is available FREE with a subscription to a TV provider that offers the Stingray Music service and is available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store.

Stingray Digital Group Obtains a Five-Year Renewal of its Broadcasting Licence by the CRTC

Stingray Digital Group Inc. (TSX: RAY. A; RAY B.), a leading business-to-business multiplatform music provider, today announced  that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued a decision renewing until August 31st, 2020 the broadcasting licence  of its national pay audio service, Stingray Music.

Stingray Music is currently distributed to an estimated 10.5 million Canadian households through Pay-TV operators such as Shaw, Bell, Videotron, Cogeco, Rogers, and Telus. At least 35% of the music selections of Stingray’s Canadian-produced channels consist of Canadian talent. Every month, more than 40% of Canadian cable subscribers* listen to at least one Stingray Music channel.

Under the terms of the renewal, Stingray will contribute each year a minimum of 4% of the annual gross revenues earned by its pay audio programming undertaking to eligible third parties associated with Canadian content development allocated as follows:

• 25% to FACTOR;
• 25% to MUSICACTION,
• 5% to Community Radio Fund of Canada and;
• 45% to Stingray Music Rising Star to discover, encourage and promote new Canadian artists.

“We are pleased by with the CRTC’s decision to renew our broadcast licence. Notwithstanding our international growth of the past years, Canada remains our home base and one of our major markets.  In an industry that is in constant flux and evolution, our Pay-TV partners and their subscribers across the country can continue to count on Stingray to always provide the highest quality music products and services with an emphasis on local content. We wish to thank our partners in the music industry for their support throughout the renewal process,” said Eric Boyko, President, CEO and Founder of Stingray.

*Quarterly Vision Critical surveys, Canadian population 18+