A striking 93% of Canadians can access pay TV, even as online habits keep reshaping how revenue is earned and measured. In 2023, video advertising alone hit $1.1 billion, while fixed broadband in major markets averaged 116 Mbps at C$61.93 per month. Put together, these figures reveal a Canadian media system where legacy distribution is still widespread, yet screen time and monetization increasingly migrate to streaming and digital services.
Key Takeaways
- $1.1 billion spent on advertising in Canada in 2023 for video advertising, indicating a major sub-channel within digital/CTV video
- 43% of Canadian media executives said they expect streaming to increase its share of total viewing in the next 12–18 months (2024 survey), indicating forward momentum toward streaming-first consumption
- 29% of Canadian broadcasters reported launching or expanding FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) services in 2023–2024, indicating growth of ad-supported streaming channels
- In 2023, Canadian cable/broadcast TV services reported 93% of Canadians having access to pay TV at some level, reflecting distribution reach for legacy services
- CRTC data shows the average Canadian household paid $101.31 per month for TV in 2023, indicating ongoing consumer spending on distribution packages
- In 2023, there were 8,900 establishments in motion picture and video industries in Canada, indicating the production and content creation footprint
- In 2023, there were 12,200 establishments in broadcasting (including radio/television broadcasting) in Canada, indicating distribution footprint
- Canada’s largest telecom/broadband providers served 86% of households with high-speed internet service in 2023, enabling media delivery at scale
- In 2023, 95% of Canadian households had access to LTE service, supporting mobile consumption of media content
- In 2023, fixed broadband download speeds in major Canadian markets averaged 116 Mbps, enabling high-quality streaming
- In 2023, Canadian e-book sales reached 6.7 million units, showing a measurable adjacent publishing digital market size
- C$14.6 billion was the estimated total revenue of Canada’s TV and video distribution industry in 2023, reflecting the scale of the distribution segment
- C$7.8 billion was the estimated revenue of Canada’s cable and satellite TV industry in 2023, indicating continuing economic weight of pay-TV distribution
- In 2023, Canada’s film and video industries supported 98,500 jobs (direct and indirect), indicating a large employment base tied to screen production
- Canada’s creative industries (including film, music, and publishing) contributed about 2.0% of national GDP in 2022, indicating macroeconomic importance for media-related employment and business activity
In 2023, Canada’s media ecosystem scaled with heavy streaming growth and strong pay TV plus digital advertising spending.
Related reading
Industry Trends
1$1.1 billion spent on advertising in Canada in 2023 for video advertising, indicating a major sub-channel within digital/CTV video[1]
Verified
243% of Canadian media executives said they expect streaming to increase its share of total viewing in the next 12–18 months (2024 survey), indicating forward momentum toward streaming-first consumption[2]
Verified
329% of Canadian broadcasters reported launching or expanding FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) services in 2023–2024, indicating growth of ad-supported streaming channels[3]
Verified
423% of Canadian media organizations stated they had formal data-governance policies for audience measurement in 2024, indicating increasing focus on measurement compliance[4]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
In Canada’s Industry Trends, 29% of broadcasters launched or expanded FAST services in 2023 to 2024, showing how ad supported streaming is quickly becoming a mainstream growth channel.
Distribution & Reach
1In 2023, Canadian cable/broadcast TV services reported 93% of Canadians having access to pay TV at some level, reflecting distribution reach for legacy services[5]
Verified
2CRTC data shows the average Canadian household paid $101.31 per month for TV in 2023, indicating ongoing consumer spending on distribution packages[6]
Verified
Distribution & Reach Interpretation
In 2023, Canada’s distribution reach for legacy pay TV stayed very high with 93% of Canadians having access, and that broad coverage was reinforced by continued spend with the average household paying $101.31 per month on TV packages.
Business Structure
1In 2023, there were 8,900 establishments in motion picture and video industries in Canada, indicating the production and content creation footprint[7]
Verified
2In 2023, there were 12,200 establishments in broadcasting (including radio/television broadcasting) in Canada, indicating distribution footprint[8]
Directional
Business Structure Interpretation
In the business structure of Canada’s media industry, the 12,200 broadcasting establishments in 2023 signal a much broader distribution network than the 8,900 motion picture and video establishments that support content creation.
Infrastructure & Technology
1Canada’s largest telecom/broadband providers served 86% of households with high-speed internet service in 2023, enabling media delivery at scale[9]
Verified
2In 2023, 95% of Canadian households had access to LTE service, supporting mobile consumption of media content[10]
Verified
3In 2023, fixed broadband download speeds in major Canadian markets averaged 116 Mbps, enabling high-quality streaming[11]
Verified
4In 2023, average monthly fixed broadband prices were C$61.93 in Canada, shaping affordability of internet-delivered media[12]
Directional
5In 2023, Canada’s share of broadband subscriptions using fiber was 24% (fiber-to-the-home share), indicating continued migration to higher-capacity networks[13]
Verified
Infrastructure & Technology Interpretation
In Canada’s Infrastructure and Technology landscape, nearly 86% of households had high-speed internet from major telecom providers in 2023 and fixed broadband speeds averaged 116 Mbps, while fiber-to-the-home reached 24% of subscriptions and helped keep streaming-ready capacity expanding.
More related reading
Market Size
1In 2023, Canadian e-book sales reached 6.7 million units, showing a measurable adjacent publishing digital market size[14]
Single source
2C$14.6 billion was the estimated total revenue of Canada’s TV and video distribution industry in 2023, reflecting the scale of the distribution segment[15]
Verified
3C$7.8 billion was the estimated revenue of Canada’s cable and satellite TV industry in 2023, indicating continuing economic weight of pay-TV distribution[16]
Verified
4C$11.4 billion was the estimated revenue of Canada’s broadcasting (radio/television) industry in 2023, showing the economic footprint of broadcast operations[17]
Verified
5C$4.5 billion was the estimated Canadian revenue for “Online Content Services” (digital media content providers) in 2023, indicating the size of digital-first content monetization[18]
Single source
6C$3.2 billion of Canada’s total advertising revenue was estimated to be digital display in 2023, showing continued investment beyond video-only placements[19]
Verified
7C$2.4 billion of Canada’s total advertising revenue was estimated to be “search advertising” in 2023, indicating major paid acquisition spend in performance/search channels[20]
Verified
8C$9.0 billion was the estimated Canadian revenue for “Advertising Agencies” in 2023, reflecting the services ecosystem around media buying[21]
Verified
9C$6.3 billion was the estimated Canadian revenue for “Book Publishing” in 2023, indicating broader publishing adjacency to screen-based media[22]
Verified
10C$1.9 billion was the estimated Canadian revenue for “Music Publishing” in 2023, indicating scale in rights-driven entertainment sectors[23]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023 Canada’s media market size was clearly being driven by digital and adjacent segments, with digital display ads reaching C$3.2 billion and e book sales totaling 6.7 million units, alongside major distribution and content revenues such as C$14.6 billion for TV and video distribution and C$4.5 billion for online content services.
Employment & Business
1In 2023, Canada’s film and video industries supported 98,500 jobs (direct and indirect), indicating a large employment base tied to screen production[24]
Directional
2Canada’s creative industries (including film, music, and publishing) contributed about 2.0% of national GDP in 2022, indicating macroeconomic importance for media-related employment and business activity[25]
Verified
3In 2023, 61% of Canadian media businesses reported that they were small businesses (under 20 employees), indicating a fragmented producer landscape[26]
Verified
Employment & Business Interpretation
In 2023, film and video supported 98,500 jobs and with 61% of media businesses being small operations under 20 employees, Canada’s Employment and Business landscape appears to be driven by a large workforce anchored in a highly fragmented small-business producer base.
Regulation & Rights
1In 2023, Canadians spent an average of 2 hours 36 minutes per day on media (including TV, internet video, and mobile usage) in a 2023 cross-platform time-use study, indicating the role of regulation-relevant measurement[27]
Verified
Regulation & Rights Interpretation
In 2023, Canadians spent an average of 2 hours 36 minutes per day on media across TV, internet video, and mobile, highlighting how consumer time use makes a clear case for Regulation & Rights frameworks that track real engagement levels.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Canadian Media Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canadian-media-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Canadian Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/canadian-media-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Canadian Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canadian-media-industry-statistics.
References
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- 2midroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Canadian-Media-Executive-Survey-2024.pdf
- 3ctv.ca/sites/default/files/2024-FAST-Canadian-Broadcasters-Report.pdf
- 4gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-1QX3E2K4&ct=240206
crtc.gc.ca
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- 10crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/telecom/2023/mobile.pdf
- 11crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/telecom/broadband/2023/broadband.pdf
- 12crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/telecom/broadband/2023/broadband_prices.pdf
- 13crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/telecom/broadband/2023/fiber.pdf
www150.statcan.gc.ca
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statcan.gc.ca
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- 18ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/online-content-services.html
- 19ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/digital-display-advertising.html
- 20ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/search-advertising.html
- 21ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/advertising-agencies.html
- 22ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/book-publishing.html
- 23ibisworld.com/canada/industry-trends/music-publishing.html
justice.gc.ca
- 24justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/en/2023/rr23_1/p3.html
- 25oecd.org/publications/tailwinds-for-creative-industries-2024-9789264440640-en.htm
- 27ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/265415/media-use-time-study.pdf