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Created largely as a response to CanWest Global Communications 's purchase of the Southam newspaper chain as well as the trend of Media Convergence , Bell Globemedia was masterminded by former BCE chief executive Jean Monty . He believed that, to survive in a changing technological landscape, and in particular to drive subscriptions to Satellite Television provider Bell ExpressVu and Internet Service Provider Bell Sympatico , BCE had to have control over content. In early 2000 , under Monty, BCE acquired the previously widely-held CTV Inc., owner of the CTV Television Network and various Canadian Specialty Service s. CTV had itself only recently acquired NetStar Communications, parent of the highly-rated sports service TSN . Soon after, Monty arranged to have Thomson Corp. transfer control of '' The Globe And Mail '', the Toronto -based national newspaper, to BCE in exchange for a significant interest in the company that would become Globemedia. The Thomson family itself later bought Thomson Corp.'s interests. Initially, Bell Globemedia consisted of CTV, ''The Globe and Mail'', and the Internet portal then known as Sympatico -Lycos. After Monty resigned and was replaced by Michael Sabia in 2002 , it became clear that Monty's vision was not producing anything near the desired results, notwithstanding the good results for the individual units, particularly the CTV network. Bell Globemedia also acquired a partial ownership share in the Quebec television network TQS in 2002. There have been a few cosmetic changes in the assets owned since then; the Sympatico portal was sold back to Bell Canada, while a further investment from the Thomsons funded the acquisition of 15% of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment . However, since Globemedia was first termed a non-core asset by BCE management in 2003 , much attention has been given to its likely sale, and possibly a breakup into several different pieces. After months of speculation, on December 2 , 2005 , BCE announced it would sell an 8.5% interest in Globemedia to Woodbridge - which will own 40% in total - as well as 20% interests to both Torstar and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan . BCE will retain 20% of the group - a condition that prior media reports suggested it would insist on to ensure that ExpressVu, Sympatico, and other Bell units continued to have access to Globemedia content - but as a result, the group will likely drop "Bell" from its name, if not change it entirely. Torstar's interest may raise further media concentration concerns, although that firm insists it is committed to maintaining the editorial independence of the ''Globe'' and its own '' Toronto Star ''. The transaction awaits CRTC and other regulatory approvals. In the meanwhile, Globemedia has apparently become the major Canadian partner of numerous American firms, including Discovery Communications ( Discovery Channel Canada ), Disney (TSN), Viacom ( MTV Canada ), and Comcast ( OLN Canada ). RELATED LINKS
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