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Videotron Ltd. Prices Private Offering of $600 Million Series 1 Senior Notes due 2029 and $400 Million Series 2 Senior Notes due 2034

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MONTRÉAL, June 14, 2024 /CNW/ – Videotron Ltd. (“Videotron”) today announced the pricing of its $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.650% Series 1 Senior Notes due July 15, 2029 (the “Series 1 Notes”) and $400 million aggregate principal amount of 5.000% Series 2 Senior Notes due July 15, 2034 (the “Series 2 Notes” and, together with the Series 1 Notes, the “Notes”) (this offering, the “Offering”). The Series 1 Notes will be sold at $999.47 per $1,000 principal amount of Series 1 Notes and the Series 2 Notes will be sold at $996.75 per $1,000 principal amount of Series 2 Notes. Videotron intends to use the net proceeds of this Offering to repay existing indebtedness, which may include a portion of the revolving facility drawings under Videotron’s credit agreement and repayment of a portion of Videotron’s existing notes. The Offering is expected to close on or about June 21, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. 

“Shortly after obtaining an investment grade rating from S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Ratings, I am very proud to announce that Videotron has just priced its first issuance of investment grade notes”, said Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebecor. “The great success of this transaction demonstrates the financial markets’ trust in Videotron and marks a major step in reducing its borrowing costs,” he added.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The Notes are being offered in Canada on a private placement basis in reliance upon exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities legislation. The Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable securities laws in Canada and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the Notes in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws. The Notes and the related guarantees have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 or applicable state securities laws, and the Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration. The Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the Notes in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus and dealer registration requirements of such securities laws.

Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc. (www.quebecor.com), is an integrated communications company engaged in television, entertainment, Internet access, wireline telephone and mobile telephone services.

Forward‑Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of United States federal securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including statements regarding the prospects of our industry and our prospects, plans, financial position and business strategy, may constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industries in which we operate as well as beliefs and assumptions made by our management. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, prospects, financial position and business strategies. Words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “continue,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “foresee,” “believe,” or “seek,” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements, by their nature, involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements are also subject to assumptions concerning, among other things: our anticipated business strategies; anticipated trends in our business; anticipated reorganizations of any of our segments or businesses, and any related restructuring provisions or impairment charges; and our ability to continue to control costs. We can give no assurance that these estimates and expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual outcomes and results may, and often do, differ from what is expressed, implied or projected in such forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our ability to successfully continue developing our network and facilities-based mobile services; general economic, financial or market conditions and variations in our businesses; the intensity of competitive activity in the industries in which we operate; new technologies that might change consumer behaviour toward our product suite; unanticipated higher capital spending required to develop our network or to address the continued development of competitive alternative technologies, or the inability to obtain additional capital to continue the development of our business; our ability to implement successfully our business and operating strategies and manage our growth and expansion; risks relating to the acquisition of Freedom Mobile Inc. (“Freedom”), including our ability to successfully integrate Freedom’s operations and to realize synergies, and potential unknown liabilities or costs associated with the acquisition of Freedom; the anticipated benefits and effects of the acquisition of Freedom, which may not be realized in a timely manner or at all, and ongoing operating costs and capital expenditures, which could be different than anticipated, as well as unanticipated litigation or other regulatory proceedings associated with the acquisition of Freedom, which could result in changes to the parameters of the transaction; the impacts of the significant and recurring investments that will be required in our new Freedom, Videotron mobile virtual network operator and other markets for development and expansion and to compete effectively with the incumbent local exchange carriers and other current or potential competitors in these markets, including the fact that the post acquisition our business will continue to face the same risks that we currently face, but will also face increased risks relating to new geographies and markets; disruptions to the network through which we provide our digital television, Internet access, mobile and wireline telephony and over-the-top video services, and our ability to protect such services from piracy, unauthorized access or other security breaches; labour disputes or strikes; service interruptions resulting from equipment breakdown, network failure, the threat of natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics and other public health crises and political instability in some countries;  the impact of emergency measures implemented by various levels of government; changes in our ability to obtain services and equipment critical to our operations; changes in laws and regulations, or in their interpretations, which could result, among other things, in the loss (or reduction in value) of our licenses or markets or in an increase in competition, compliance costs or capital expenditures; our substantial indebtedness, the tightening of credit markets, and the restrictions on our business imposed by the terms of our debt; and interest rate fluctuations that affect a portion of our interest payment requirements on long-term debt. We caution you that the above list of cautionary statements is not exhaustive. These and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, and you are encouraged to read “Item 3. Key Information – Risk Factors” as well as statements located elsewhere in Videotron’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, and Videotron’s Quarterly Report under Form 6-K for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis and unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included therein for further details and descriptions of these and other factors. Each of these forward-looking statements speaks only as of the date of this press release. We will not update these statements unless applicable securities laws require us to do so.

SOURCE Videotron Ltd.

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Driving Certainty Through Uncertainty: eclicktech’s Engineering Approach to Agentic AI

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3 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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XI’AN, China, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As generative AI moves from experimentation to enterprise deployment, the industry focus is shifting from model capability to operational reliability. The challenge is no longer simply building smarter AI, but ensuring AI systems can operate safely and consistently inside complex production environments.

eclicktech recently shared its internal engineering practices around Agentic AI, highlighting how the company is applying context engineering, multi-cloud infrastructure, and layered security frameworks to support enterprise-scale AI deployment.

To support global operations across more than 230 countries and regions, eclicktech built its Cycor platform around a multi-cloud architecture integrating AWS, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud, and other providers. According to the company, this approach improves infrastructure flexibility, reduces vendor lock-in risk, and enables more efficient orchestration of large-scale Kubernetes clusters and AI workloads.

eclicktech stated that one of the key lessons from early Agent development was that prompt engineering alone was insufficient for enterprise deployment. The company therefore shifted toward context engineering — an approach focused on delivering the right information, at the right time, while optimizing limited token resources.

Its engineering framework includes six layers of context management covering active sessions, short-term memory, long-term semantic storage, knowledge graphs, operational experience, and reusable organizational skills. The system also supports proactive context injection, allowing relevant operational history and risk information to be surfaced automatically before sensitive actions are executed.

To improve inference efficiency, eclicktech introduced layered token governance and progressive tool-loading mechanisms, dynamically loading tools and information only when required. The company said this approach helped improve tool selection accuracy and reduce unnecessary token consumption during complex operational workflows.

Security remains a core requirement throughout the architecture. eclicktech’s governance framework includes namespace isolation, dry-run verification, human approval workflows, rule-based validation, and rollback mechanisms designed to reduce operational risks associated with AI-driven automation.

According to eclicktech, the next stage of enterprise AI competition will depend not only on model capability, but also on engineering reliability, infrastructure orchestration, context management, and organizational knowledge systems.

Note: Certain technical information referenced in this article is derived from eclicktech’s internal engineering practices and is provided for industry reference purposes only.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/driving-certainty-through-uncertainty-eclicktechs-engineering-approach-to-agentic-ai-302767441.html

SOURCE eclicktech

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How a Unified Monetization Solution Is Driving eCPM and Revenue Growth for Casual Games Worldwide

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4 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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SINGAPORE, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Casual, hyper-casual, and hybrid-casual games have become dominant categories in the global mobile market, making in-app advertising (IAA) a key driver of monetization success. However, many developers continue to face major challenges, including unstable fill rates, fluctuating eCPMs, difficulties balancing multiple regional markets, and the ongoing tradeoff between user experience and revenue growth.

To address these issues, zMaticoo has compiled a series of monetization case studies from leading game publishers and studios across China, Vietnam, Europe, and North America. These teams span hyper-casual, puzzle, board, card, and light-casual game categories, with DAUs ranging from millions to tens of millions. By adopting the same monetization framework, they achieved simultaneous growth in fill rate, eCPM, and ad revenue while maintaining stable user experience.

A common challenge among these teams was the shrinking monetization margin across global markets, creating an urgent need for sustainable revenue growth. At the same time, developers were cautious about over-monetization negatively impacting retention and player engagement.

To solve these challenges, zMaticoo introduced an AI-driven monetization system with full-funnel optimization capabilities. The platform connects developers directly to premium global advertiser budgets across both performance and brand advertising. AI models identify high-value traffic in real time based on region, audience, and usage scenarios, prioritizing high-eCPM demand sources. Separate bidding strategies are applied for mature and emerging markets to avoid revenue loss caused by one-size-fits-all pricing models.

The platform also provides refined ad format optimization:

Banner Ads: optimized display share and loading timing to improve SOV and stabilize eCPM;Interstitial Ads: precisely triggered during high-value moments such as level completion or pause screens, with especially strong premiums in emerging markets;Rewarded Video: deeply integrated into gameplay loops, delivering high user acceptance and conversion performance.

On the technical side, zMaticoo optimized SDK infrastructure to improve fill stability under weak network conditions. Ad loading time was reduced from five seconds to under two seconds through a rebuilt loading architecture. Progressive asset loading further minimized timeout-related drop-offs. AI-powered ad templates dynamically generated personalized creatives, improving both CTR and conversion performance.

The zMaticoo team also provides one-stop operational and analytics support. Developers can monitor fill rate, impressions, eCPM, and revenue through a unified dashboard, while dedicated optimization specialists provide 7×12 support for A/B testing, strategy iteration, and scaling guidance. The platform is deeply integrated with major mediation solutions, enabling one-time integration and multi-scenario deployment while reducing development and maintenance costs.

According to zMaticoo platform data:

In mature markets including the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea, banner eCPMs increased by 5%–10%, while interstitial premiums improved by over 5%;In emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico, and Southeast Asia, interstitial eCPMs increased by more than 10%.

The monetization framework has demonstrated effectiveness across hyper-casual, puzzle, board/card, and utility app categories, supporting both rapid scale-up and long-term monetization stability.

Partner feedback includes:

“We are highly satisfied with the revenue uplift after integration. Our core products’ banner performance now ranks among the top tier.””Revenue recovered significantly after A/B testing, and we are expanding testing across more products.””One solution now supports multiple global markets without requiring separate monetization strategies for each region.””Interstitial monetization performance has been especially strong, with SOV reaching 10%–20% for several partners.”

zMaticoo believes successful monetization today is not about stacking more ad platforms, but about leveraging AI, technology, and refined operations to unlock long-term traffic value. Whether for hyper-casual publishers, puzzle game studios, or global mobile app companies, this AI-powered monetization framework is designed to deliver sustainable revenue growth while preserving user experience.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-a-unified-monetization-solution-is-driving-ecpm-and-revenue-growth-for-casual-games-worldwide-302767432.html

SOURCE zMaticoo

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Fox ESS Celebrates Strong Momentum with Integrated Solar Storage & Charging Solutions at Smart Energy 2026

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5 hours ago

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May 9, 2026

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SYDNEY, May 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fox ESS, a global leader in renewable energy solutions, attended Smart Energy 2026 during 6-7 May as a platinum sponsor. At the event, Fox ESS showcased its next-generation approach to solar storage and EV charging solution, delivering a seamless, future-ready energy experience for homeowners and installers across Australia.

Integrated Solutions Tailored for Aussie Homes

At Smart Energy 2026, Fox ESS highlighted its storage-to-charging solution, designed to make everyday energy use more convenient for local residents. With performance-led products and proven market traction, Fox ESS is set to play its part in building a more resilient energy future for Australia.

Battery Systems

Fox ESS continues to build momentum in the battery market. Sunwiz, an Australian solar consultancy, recently reported that Fox ESS ranked No.1 in March for installation capacity. And the company also revealed it has installed more than 25,000 systems in April. During the exhibition, Sunwiz presented Fox ESS with an award, recognising the company as Top Solar Company for Fastest Growing Battery.

CQ7 V6+ High Voltage Battery (42kWh and above)
Building on Fox ESS’ proven strengths, compact design and high capacity, CQ7 V6+ is well suited to medium-sized households and ensure the free use of electricity and maximize the self-consumption.EQ4800 High Voltage Battery (28kWh)
A reliable choice for smaller households, designed for efficient day-to-day energy storage.

Alongside its battery range, Fox ESS showcased all-in-one systems, including Stackable AIO and EVO, designed to simplify installation while maintaining a high standard of design and presentation.

Inverters

Fox ESS offers a range of inverters to suit local requirements, supported by up to 200% PV oversizing and a 10-year product warranty.

Single-phase: H1‑G2 (3–6kW); KH series (7–10.5kW)Three-phase: H3 Smart (5–15kW); H3 Pro (15–29.9kW); H3 Plus (50–125kW)

EV Chargers

With EV adoption accelerating, Fox ESS also offers EV charging solutions with solar linkage, designed to work across its inverter portfolio. The chargers provide robust, smart energy management, including dynamic load balancing to help protect home circuits.

A Series (7.3kW / 11kW / 22kW): IP65 and IK08 protection, OCPP-compliant.L Series (7.3kW / 11kW): straightforward installation with multiple colour options.

Big Battery Still Takes Centre Stage

As the Cheaper Home Battery Program moves into a new phase under an updated rebate policy, interest in larger battery systems continues to grow, particularly as more households consider EV upgrades amid rising fuel costs. More EVs typically mean households need greater energy availability, making higher-capacity storage an increasingly attractive option.

Looking ahead, from 1 July 2026, the Australian Government’s Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) will provide eligible households with three hours of free daily electricity to align with peak solar generation. Households with larger batteries will be well placed to make the most of this opportunity.

Fox ESS is also working with local VPP partners, including Amber Electric and Origin Loop VPP, helping homeowners unlock maximum value while supporting greater grid stability.

Maimai Comes Alive at the Exhibition

Visitors to the Fox ESS stand experienced a full programme of brand activations across the event. Following the online announcement, Sydney served as Maimai’s first physical stop, bringing the community together for face-to-face engagement. Attendees queued to take photos with the brand’s friendly and recognisable mascot.

Long-Term Commitment to Australia

Fox ESS has opened two local offices in Melbourne and Sydney, with more than 30 dedicated specialists supporting local customer needs. The company is also looking to play a wider role in Australia’s energy transition.

Notably, Ian Thorpe made his first in-person appearance at Fox Night, where he presented partners with awards. At the event party, Fox ESS also hosted a battery installation challenge, featuring eight rounds of competition, with the final winners receiving a range of prizes.

“We’re delighted to see such a strong result following the rollout of local policy. With nearly 400,000 Australian households now installing batteries, Fox ESS has played a key role, but this is only the beginning. We’re committed to keeping momentum and helping make a smarter, more reliable energy future a reality for more homes.” said Brooks Richard Geng, APAC & Middle East Managing Director, Fox ESS.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/fox-ess-celebrates-strong-momentum-with-integrated-solar-storage–charging-solutions-at-smart-energy-2026-302767429.html

SOURCE Fox ESS

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