MONTREAL — TQS has an official savior in Remstar Corp., which on Monday won approval from a Quebec judge to buy the troubled black sheep of Quebec TV.

Remstar, the upstart producer-distributor founded a decade ago by brothers Maxime and Julien Remillard, was one of four companies vying to buy the network, also including Toronto-based private investment firm Catalyst.

‘The decision to go with Remstar was a unanimous one. They simply put forward the best offer, ‘ TQS president René Guimond tells Playback Daily.

Guimond would not reveal the amount of Remstar’s bid or whether any of the network’s roughly 650 employees will lose their jobs. Forty people were let go last October. ‘Our first step is to sit down with Remstar and figure out what their vision is,’ he says.

Guimond believes the new owner’s biggest challenge will be to make TQS profitable in the Internet age. ‘We need to look at how we can exploit other platforms to maximize our potential revenue,’ he says. Remstar’s experience as a content producer is therefore a ‘bonus.’

TQS, which is majority owned by Montreal-based Cogeco — CTVglobemedia owns the remaining 40% — was placed under bankruptcy protection last December. The change of ownership is subject to CRTC approval, which Guimond expects sometime in June.

Creditors are expected to vote on the Remstar proposal in April. TQS, a youth-oriented network famous for regularly broadcasting softcore porn, has had three owners in the past 20 years.

One question is the future of news host Jean-Luc Mongrain, who presides over one of the province’s most popular nightly news programs. Mongrain’s contract is up this spring, which some observers speculate could spark a bidding war. ‘He’s very important for us. He’s our big vedette [star],’ admits Guimond.

Remstar isn’t yet speaking to the media about the deal. The Remillard brothers, then in their twenties, made their presence known on the film scene in 1998 when they outbid major film outfits like Alliance and Behaviour for the Canadian distribution rights to Grey Owl.