Blue Ant Media Aligns Global Rights and Streaming Businesses to Accelerate Growth and Content Monetization

Mark Bishop Appointed Chief Monetization Officer, Blue Ant Rights & Streaming; Matt Hornburg Appointed Chief Content Officer, Blue Ant Studios 

TORONTO, June 15, 2026 /CNW/ - Blue Ant Media Corporation (TSX: BAMI) ("Blue Ant Media," "Blue Ant," or "the Company") today announced a realignment of its Global Channels & Streaming and Rights businesses, bringing the operations together into a single monetization unit, Blue Ant Rights & Streaming, to drive growth and maximize the value of its expanding content portfolio. The move will enable Blue Ant Media to take a more strategic and coordinated approach to content distribution, windowing, partnership development and monetization of its owned and partner IP across global markets. 

"As our content portfolio, customer relationships, and distribution footprint have grown significantly, it became clear that a more unified approach to content monetization would enable us to better capitalize on opportunities across platforms and markets," said Michael MacMillan, CEO, Blue Ant Media. "This structure gives us greater visibility across the content lifecycle, enabling us to better serve our partners, unlock greater value from our content across platforms and territories, and capitalize on opportunities in a rapidly evolving media landscape." 

With these changes, Blue Ant Media's operations will be organized around three core business segments: 

• Rights & Streaming, led by Mark Bishop, Chief Monetization Officer, Blue Ant Rights & Streaming, responsible for global content distribution, rights strategy, streaming platforms, audience growth and monetization.
• Studios, led by Matt Hornburg, Chief Content Officer, Blue Ant Studios, responsible for content strategy, development, and our production business, including both owned IP and service work.
• Canadian Media, led by Mitch Dent, President, Canadian Media, responsible for Blue Ant Media's Canadian broadcasting, consumer shows, and Cottage Life publishing.

The Rights & Streaming and Studios teams will continue to work closely together to identify and develop new content opportunities, enabling Blue Ant to respond more quickly to market demand and maximize the value of its content across global partner and owned platforms.

With this business segment reorganization, the Company intends to update its reporting segments to reflect the changes outlined above.

With these changes, Carlyn Staudt, President of Global Channels & Streaming will be departing Blue Ant Media at the end of the summer following a period of transition support. During her tenure, Staudt played a key role in building Blue Ant's global channels and streaming business beyond Canada, expanding the international reach of the company's content across pay television, FAST platforms, subscription streaming, and YouTube, as well as helping establish Love Nature as a leading global wildlife and nature brand. She also contributed to a number of strategic initiatives that strengthened Blue Ant's international media business, including the recent acquisition of MagellanTV.

"Carlyn has made significant contributions to Blue Ant Media's growth and success over the years," added MacMillan. "We are grateful for her leadership, commitment and partnership, and we wish her every success in the future."

As part of this broader organizational realignment, and to support the company's global growth strategy, Blue Ant has also aligned its international sales operations under regional leadership reporting to Bishop. Jon Penn will continue to lead the Asia-Pacific region, Bryan Gabourie will lead the Americas region, and a search is underway for a senior executive to oversee the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Further strengthening the leadership team, Craig Junner has been promoted to Executive Vice President & General Manager, Global Channels & Streaming. Reporting to Bishop, Junner will oversee Blue Ant Media's global channels and streaming businesses, including its pay television, subscription streaming and FAST services.

The realignment positions Blue Ant for its next phase of global growth, enhancing its ability to maximize the value of its growing portfolio of owned and partner IP across platforms and international markets. 

About Blue Ant Media 

Blue Ant Media (TSX: BAMI) is an international streamer, production studio, and rights-management business. The company operates a diverse portfolio of free streaming and pay TV channels internationally, including Love Nature, Cottage Life, Smithsonian Channel Canada, BBC Earth Canada, HauntTV, Homeful, and Love Pets, as well as the global SVOD service MagellanTV. Its studio business produces and distributes a wide range of premium content across key genres for streaming and broadcast platforms worldwide. Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with a presence in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Singapore, London, Washington, Sydney, Vancouver, and Ottawa.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that are prospective in nature and constitute forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements").  Forward-looking statements generally, but not always, can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "be achieved", "believes", "budget", "can", "continue", "could", "would", "expect", "estimate", "forecasts", "goal", "has an opportunity", "intend", "indicate", "likely", "may", "might", "objective", "outlook", "plans", "potential", "predict", "project", "prospect", "scheduled", "seek", "should", "strategy", "target", or "will", or variations of such words and phrases or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events, and the negative of any of these terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among other things, the Company's expectations regarding the realignment of its Global Channels & Streaming and Rights businesses into a single monetization unit, Blue Ant Rights & Streaming; the anticipated benefits of the realignment, including driving growth, maximizing the value of the Company's content portfolio, and enabling a more strategic and coordinated approach to content distribution, windowing, partnership development and monetization; the Company's ability to better capitalize on opportunities across platforms and markets; the Company's ability to respond more quickly to market demand and maximize the value of its content across global partner and owned platforms; the positioning of the Company for its next phase of global growth; and the Company's expectations regarding leadership transitions, including the departure of Carlyn Staudt and the search for a senior executive to oversee the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

The forward-looking statements in this news release reflect management's current opinions, beliefs, estimates, expectations and assumptions and are based on information currently available to management, which includes assumptions about management's historical experience, perception of trends and current business conditions, expected future developments, and other factors which management considers appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. As they are forward-looking in nature, forward-looking statements are subject to change. With respect to the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has made certain assumptions with respect to, among other things, the anticipated benefits of the realignment of its Global Channels & Streaming and Rights businesses; the Company's ability to successfully integrate the operations into a unified monetization unit; its ability to drive growth and maximize the value of its content portfolio through the realignment; the successful transition of leadership roles, including the onboarding of new regional leadership; the Company's future projects and plans being achievable and proceeding as anticipated; as well as assumptions concerning general economic and market segment conditions, including currency exchange and interest rates, competitive intensity and consumer preferences; the current geo-political landscape (including vis-à-vis ongoing global conflicts and the associated political and economic repercussions); and whether or not the entertainment industry and/or broader market experiences a recession. There can be no assurance that management's underlying opinions, beliefs, expectations, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct and that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes, or results anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements, including, but not limited to, the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the realignment of the Company's Global Channels & Streaming and Rights businesses; the risk that the integration of operations into a unified monetization unit may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; the potential loss of key personnel or disruption to operations resulting from the organizational changes and leadership transitions; shifts in consumer behaviour and content demand, including with respect to content buyer commissioning preferences, may reduce the Company's revenue or lead to outdated content and other business offerings; the imposition of tariffs by the United States on the film and television sectors could materially and adversely affect the Company's business, operating and financial results; the industries and markets in which the Company operates are highly competitive and rapidly evolving; the Company's operating and financial results may be affected by external factors beyond its control; the Company's business is significantly dependent on Michael MacMillan, the Company's CEO and controlling shareholder, as well as other members of the senior management team; the loss of buyers or other strategic partners or key relationships, or changes to partner terms of service, may adversely affect the Company's revenue and growth prospects; changes in the methodologies, policies, or contractual terms applicable to streaming platforms such as Amazon, Facebook or YouTube, changes in laws or regulations applicable to such platforms, or any governmental or third-party claim against any such platform could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial results; and other risks and factors described in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under the Company's issuer profile. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as expressly required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Blue Ant Media Corporation

For further information, please contact: Dervla Kelly, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer: [email protected] or Madeleine Cohen, Vice President, Corporate Planning & Investor Relations: [email protected]