E-readers were supposed to kill printed books. Instead, they’re booming (cbc.ca)

Unit sales of print books fell 4% in 2017 compared to 2016 in Canada, while dollar sales dropped 3%, according to figures compiled by BookNet Canada’s sales tracking service. BookNet reported that the Canadian book industry sold approximately 51.5 million copies in 2017, for just over C$1 billion. Figures are based on a group of retailers that provide sales data to BookNet annually and account for about 85% of print sales. Click Read More below for additional information.

The commitment letter provides for a new senior secured credit facility with funds managed by affiliates of Apollo of up to $900 million, to be comprised of an initial term loan facility of approximately $675 million, to be funded at the time of closing, and a delayed draw term loan facility of approximately $225 million, which will be available at the Company’s discretion at closing and during the six months following closing, subject to certain customary funding conditions. Net proceeds from the Term Loan Facility will be used to repay in full the outstanding principal of the Company’s five-year senior secured term loan facility maturing October 15, 2026, to purchase or redeem the 6.0% first lien notes due November 1, 2026 and to repurchase for cash up to 50% of the outstanding 2027 Notes. The Term Loan Facility will mature five years after the closing date and will bear interest at an annual rate equal to SOFR plus a margin of 5.0% with a floor of 150 basis points.

Transcontinental Inc.'s Media Sector, TC Media, announces the sale of 21 of its publications and their related web properties, as well as its InMemoriam.ca site to Icimédias Inc., a company led by its President Renel Bouchard, with Marc-Noël Ouellette as Managing Director. In total, 140 employees of these various publications and 28 employees from TC Media's Production team are transferred to Icimédias. TC Transcontinental also concluded a multi-year agreement for the printing and distribution of all of these publications. This represents the largest transaction to date in the process for the sale of TC Media's local and regional newspapers in Québec and Ontario. With the completion of this transaction, close to 50% of the titles included in this process are now in the hands of local owners. The publications sold to Icimédias are: L'Avenir de l'Érable, La Nouvelle union – Wednesday edition and La Nouvelle union – Sunday edition, in Centre-du-Québec; Beauce Média, L'Éclaireur Progrès, Hebdo Régional, La Voix du Sud and Courrier Frontenac, in Chaudière-Appalaches; Le Progrès de Coaticook and Le Reflet du Lac, in Estrie; Le Courrier Sud, L'Écho La Tuque/Haut-St-Maurice, L'Écho de Maskinongé, L'Hebdo du St-Maurice and L'Hebdo Journal, in Mauricie; L'Avenir et des Rivières, Granby Express, Journal Le Guide, Le Canada Français, Le Richelieu and Coup d'œil, in Montérégie. Click Read More below for additional information.