Cogeco
Canadian telecommunications and media company serving customers in Canada and the United States.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Cogeco is a Canadian telecommunications and media group headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Its roots are in broadcasting: Henri Audet left the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1957, obtained authorization for a television station in Trois-Rivières, and developed the business that eventually became Cogeco. The name is derived from Compagnie Générale de Communication, or General Communications Company. The group is organized around three principal activities. Cogeco Connexion operates cable and telecommunications services in Ontario and Quebec, including broadband internet, television, telephone and related digital services. Breezeline, formerly Atlantic Broadband, operates cable and broadband networks in the United States, serving communities across states on the eastern seaboard and in the Midwest. Cogeco Media owns radio assets, primarily in Quebec, and has historically operated television and other media businesses. Cogeco expanded beyond its original Quebec broadcasting base through acquisitions. It entered Ontario cable markets in 1989 by purchasing systems in Burlington and Oakville, then expanded substantially in 1996 through the acquisition of 25 systems from Rogers Communications. Additional acquisitions between 1998 and 2001 strengthened its Canadian cable footprint. The company later exited most of its traditional over-the-air television holdings while retaining and developing radio and telecommunications activities. International expansion became more important during the 2010s. Cogeco sold its Portuguese cable operation, Cabovisão, in 2012, but entered the United States in the same year through the purchase of Atlantic Broadband. That U.S. business expanded through the acquisition of Harron Communications' MetroCast systems in 2018. Atlantic Broadband was renamed Breezeline in 2022 after further expansion, including systems acquired in Ohio. Cogeco has also pursued adjacent technology businesses. Its acquisition of Peer 1 Hosting in 2012 and combination of that business with Cogeco Data Services created Cogeco Peer 1, which was sold to Digital Colony in 2019 and subsequently renamed Aptum Technologies. In Canada, Cogeco Communications acquired DERYTelecom in 2020 and the telecommunications operations of Oxio in 2023, reinforcing its position in Quebec. Cogeco Inc. is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under CGO. The company controls Cogeco Communications Inc., another publicly traded entity that owns the principal Canadian and U.S. cable and telecommunications operations. Multiple-voting shares held through Gestion Audem give the Audet family effective voting control of Cogeco Inc. Cogeco therefore combines public-market ownership with concentrated family control, a structure that became especially visible during the unsuccessful 2020 takeover proposal from Altice USA and Rogers Communications.
History
Cogeco originated in Quebec broadcasting. In June 1957, Henri Audet left the CBC and became president and managing director of Télévision St. Maurice Inc. After receiving authorization to operate a television station in Trois-Rivières, the company launched CKTM-TV as an affiliate of the CBC's French-language network. Télévision St. Maurice was later renamed Cogéco Radio-Télévision and became part of the broader Cogeco organization. Audet also led La Belle Vision, which became Cogeco's first acquisition in 1972. He served as Cogeco's chairman and chief executive from 1976 to 1993 and was later named president emeritus. The company gradually moved from a primarily broadcasting-oriented business toward cable telecommunications. It divested its over-the-air television assets over time and entered Ontario in 1989 by acquiring cable systems in Burlington and Oakville. In 1996 it purchased 25 additional Ontario systems from Rogers Communications for approximately C$350 million, adding about 303,000 customers. Further acquisitions in Quebec and Ontario between 1998 and 2001 increased the scale of its cable operations. Rogers later acquired substantial investment positions in Cogeco and Cogeco Cable in 2009 and 2010, contributing to speculation about the relationship between the two companies. Cogeco continued to maintain a media presence through radio. In 2011 it acquired Corus Québec, adding radio stations in Quebec. It bought additional stations from RNC Média in 2018, while also acquiring Métromédia and subsequently selling that business to Bell Media. Cogeco sold its Portuguese cable operator, Cabovisão, to Altice in February 2012, simplifying its international portfolio even as it expanded elsewhere. The company entered the U.S. market in July 2012 by acquiring Atlantic Broadband. It also purchased Peer 1 Hosting in December 2012 and combined it with Cogeco Data Services in 2015 to form Cogeco Peer 1. That technology-services subsidiary was sold to Digital Colony in 2019 and later operated as Aptum Technologies. U.S. cable expansion accelerated in 2018, when Atlantic Broadband completed the acquisition of Harron Communications' MetroCast systems. The transaction made Cogeco one of the larger hybrid fiber-coaxial operators in North America. In early 2022, following additional system acquisitions including operations in Ohio, Atlantic Broadband adopted the Breezeline name. Cogeco also modernized its network and service platform. Its Canadian cable operations were early large-scale adopters of DOCSIS-based infrastructure for internet and voice-over-IP services, with IP services deployed from 2002. In 2018 the company announced plans to migrate cable systems toward IPTV technology using MediaKind platforms. Cogeco Communications expanded its Quebec customer base through the acquisition of DERYTelecom, announced in October 2020 and completed in December of that year. In 2023 Cogeco announced the purchase of Oxio's telecommunications operations. These transactions complemented the group's established Cogeco Connexion business. The most consequential recent ownership event was the 2020 approach by Altice USA and Rogers. The proposal contemplated Altice acquiring both Cogeco companies, Rogers acquiring the Canadian assets, and Altice retaining the U.S. operations. The Audet family, which controls Cogeco through multiple-voting shares, opposed the transaction, as did the companies' boards. Quebec political opposition also emerged. Altice increased its proposal to approximately C$11.1 billion in October, but the revised offer was rejected and expired in November. Rogers later sold its remaining stakes in Cogeco and Cogeco Communications to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in December 2023. Cogeco remains a publicly traded, Audet-family-controlled group with Canadian and U.S. telecommunications operations and a Canadian media business.
- 2023
Oxio telecommunications acquisition
[1]Cogeco announces the acquisition of Oxio's telecommunications operation.
- 2022
Atlantic Broadband rebranded as Breezeline
[1]Cogeco introduces the Breezeline name for its U.S. telecommunications operations.
- 2020
DERYTelecom acquisition agreement
[1]Cogeco Communications agrees to acquire DERYTelecom, with closing later that year.
- 2020
Unsuccessful Altice-Rogers takeover proposal
[1]Cogeco's controlling shareholders and boards reject successive proposals to acquire the group.
- 2019
Cogeco Peer 1 divestiture
[1]Cogeco sells Cogeco Peer 1 to Digital Colony.
- 2018
MetroCast acquisition and IPTV migration plan
[1]Atlantic Broadband completes the MetroCast systems acquisition, while Cogeco announces a move toward IPTV in its cable networks.
- 2012
U.S. expansion and hosting acquisition
[1]Cogeco acquires Atlantic Broadband and Peer 1 Hosting.
- 2011
Expansion of Quebec radio assets
[1]Cogeco acquires Corus Québec's radio operations.
- 2002
DOCSIS-based IP services
[1]Cogeco deploys cable infrastructure compliant with DOCSIS for internet and VoIP services.
- 1996
Major Rogers cable-system acquisition
[1]Cogeco purchases 25 Ontario systems from Rogers, adding approximately 303,000 customers.
Products and positioning
A regionally focused, acquisition-driven telecommunications and media group with strong Quebec roots, Canadian cable operations, and a growing U.S. broadband presence.
Canadian telecommunications
Cogeco Connexion
Cogeco Connexion is the group's Canadian cable and telecommunications business in Ontario and Quebec. Its portfolio includes broadband internet, digital television, telephone and voice-over-IP services, as well as connectivity products for business customers. The unit operates the Canadian network infrastructure that forms the core of Cogeco Communications.
United States telecommunications · 2012
Breezeline
Breezeline is Cogeco's U.S. broadband and cable operating brand. Formerly known as Atlantic Broadband, it serves residential and business customers through cable and hybrid fiber-coaxial networks in multiple U.S. states. Its offerings include high-speed internet, television, voice and related connectivity services.
Radio broadcasting
Cogeco Media
Cogeco Media is Cogeco's wholly owned media subsidiary. It operates radio assets concentrated in Quebec, with a portfolio built through acquisitions including Corus Québec and stations obtained from RNC Média. The group previously had broader television and outdoor-media interests but divested those activities.
Hosting and data services · 2015
Cogeco Peer 1
Cogeco Peer 1 combined Peer 1 Hosting with Cogeco Data Services after Cogeco's 2012 acquisition of Peer 1. It provided hosting, managed infrastructure and data services until its sale to Digital Colony in 2019. The business subsequently adopted the Aptum Technologies name.
Brand decisions
2020
Reject Altice USA and Rogers takeover proposalsM&ABackground
Altice USA proposed acquiring Cogeco and Cogeco Communications, with Rogers acquiring the Canadian assets and Altice retaining the U.S. operations.
Action taken
The Audet family and the boards rejected the initial proposal and a later offer valued at approximately C$11.1 billion in cash.
Aftermath
The revised offer expired in November 2020, and Cogeco remained independent.
Revised takeover proposal. Approximately C$11.1 billion (October 2020)
- Rogers Communications — Rogers participated in the proposed transaction and later sold its remaining Cogeco interests to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in 2023.
2019
Sell Cogeco Peer 1M&ABackground
Cogeco reassessed its portfolio of telecommunications and technology-adjacent assets.
Action taken
Cogeco sold Cogeco Peer 1 to Digital Colony for approximately C$720 million.
Aftermath
The divested business later operated under the Aptum Technologies name.
Sale price. C$720 million (2019 transaction announcement)
2018
Migrate cable systems toward IPTVStrategyBackground
Cogeco aimed to modernize television delivery across its Canadian cable infrastructure.
Action taken
The company announced a plan to convert cable systems to IPTV using MediaKind platforms.
2012
Acquire Atlantic BroadbandM&ABackground
Cogeco sought a substantial operating presence in the U.S. cable and broadband market.
Action taken
Cogeco acquired Atlantic Broadband and made it the platform for its U.S. telecommunications business.
Aftermath
The platform later expanded through MetroCast and other system acquisitions and was renamed Breezeline.
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