Sylvie Langlois
Quebecor Content is a full-fledged business unit that creates, develops, exports, and acquires television programs and films for the TVA Group’s channels, as well as for the illico+ and TVA+ platforms. Señal News spoke exclusively with Sylvie Langlois, Senior Director of Format Acquisitions & Head of International Development. Langlois plays two key roles at the company: she is responsible for acquiring top-performing formats for the group and distributing Quebecor Content’s key titles internationally. “Quebecor Content acquires, develops, creates, and exports content around the world,” Langlois explained.
At the recent “Coming Next from Quebec” showcase during Series Mania 2025, Quebecor Content presented two standout series: “Repo” and “The Last Monster.” The Canadian drama “Repo” (8x43'), created by Ludovic Huot and Charles-Étienne Brassard and directed by PODZ, follows Kevin, an elite debt collector who decides to leave the world of organized crime after learning his girlfriend Julie is pregnant. This decision does not sit well with his boss and mentor, Santa. As Kevin prepares for fatherhood and attempts to escape his criminal past, he’s forced to confront the traumas of his youth that shaped him.“‘Repo’ is one of our biggest titles right now, and it performed extremely well on our SVOD platform,” Langlois said.
The police drama “The Last Monster” (6x43'), created by Maxime Landry and directed by Adam Kosh, begins with the brutal slaying of three young lawyers in Montreal, their bodies marked with cryptic religious symbols. To solve the case, Sergeant Detective David Savard teams up with an unlikely ally: Thomas Germain-Leclerc, a theologian whose awkwardness is matched only by his brilliance. Together with Detective Maya Merida, Thomas delves into the mystery—unaware that the truth will shake his very existence. “Mediawan pre-bought ‘The Last Monster’,” Langlois noted.
EXPANDING THE SLATE
As Quebecor Content oversees Incendo’s catalog, the company is also promoting one of its top-performing series, “Détective Surprenant.” The show investigates the murder of a teenage girl in the Magdalen Islands. While trying to solve the case, the titular detective faces resistance from a Quebec-based investigator and must uncover the islanders’ dark secrets. “We launched it last year at Series Mania and sold it to Channel 4 Walter Present in the UK, and to several other territories. We just announced a second season,” said Langlois.
Another priority title is the sci-fi thriller “Distinct Society,” which follows Marc, a ufologist who has spent 15 years searching for his missing brother Gabriel. Along with his mother Micheline, Marc believes Gabriel was abducted by aliens. As new evidence surfaces, a mysterious woman enters the picture and turns everything Marc believed upside down. “We sold it in Portugal, and now a French producer has optioned it,” Langlois revealed.
Quebecor’s IPs are also generating interest internationally. Titles like “Run Away” have been adapted in the past, and now the company is collaborating with ITV on “Dance Revolution.” “Armoza had the rights first, and now we’re working with ITV,” Langlois explained. “Banijay also picked up our unscripted show ‘Wild Cooks.’ We’ve got a lot going on—with Banijay, ITV, Mediawan, Bavaria—we work with everyone.”
Quebecor Content has agents in the UK and Germany, along with dedicated teams for Latin America and Toronto.“We really function like a global team, managing different territories,” Langlois said.
On another note, Incendo Films produced the Roku original Christmas movie “Jingle Bell Love,” released last November. “It had a great cast—Delia Chambers, Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block, and Heartland’s Michelle Morgan,” said Langlois. “Now we’re about to announce another Christmas movie for Roku, which will be something like a sequel. We’re doing very well right now with rom-coms and thrillers. Even though times are tough, we feel the market is improving.”
Langlois also discussed challenges and possibilities around co-productions.“We don’t do a lot of co-productions. It’s more common with our TV movies, but with our series, it’s more difficult for many reasons,” she acknowledged. “However, we’re actively exploring opportunities with France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.We’re working on one IP with France right now. I don’t know what the next step will be, but it’s promising. We’ll see what happens,” she concluded.