Forget what you think you know about Canadian TV and film—these explosive numbers prove Canada's screen industry is no longer a hidden gem but a global entertainment powerhouse, generating a staggering $11.2 billion in production volume and fueling a massive economic engine.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the Canadian screen industry generated $11.2 billion in total production volume, including $6.8 billion in foreign production and $4.4 billion in domestic production
- The screen sector contributed $2.9 billion to Canada's GDP in 2022, representing 0.12% of national GDP
- Foreign location production in Canada reached $3.1 billion in 2022, up 15% from 2021, primarily in British Columbia and Ontario
- In 2022, 1,250 screen productions were completed in Canada, averaging 3.4 per day
- English-language television production volume was $2.1 billion in 2022, up 8% YoY
- French-language production totaled $1.2 billion in 2022, with 65% in Quebec
- The screen industry employed 137,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022
- Direct employment in production roles was 45,000 in 2022, including crew and talent
- VFX and post-production jobs numbered 28,000 in 2022, concentrated in Vancouver and Montreal
- National TV audience for Canadian content averaged 8.2% share in 2022
- Peak viewership for top Canadian drama series hit 2.1 million in 2022
- Streaming hours of Canadian content grew 25% to 450 million in 2022 on platforms like Netflix Canada
- Canadian Screen Awards received 450 nominations in 2023 for 2022 content
- 12 Canadian productions won International Emmys in 2022
- Export value of screen content reached $2.8 billion in 2022, 60% to US market
Canada's screen industry is booming, generating over $11 billion primarily from foreign productions.
Audience Metrics
1National TV audience for Canadian content averaged 8.2% share in 2022
Verified2Peak viewership for top Canadian drama series hit 2.1 million in 2022
Verified3Streaming hours of Canadian content grew 25% to 450 million in 2022 on platforms like Netflix Canada
Verified4French-language TV audience share was 85% in Quebec in 2022
Directional5Children’s programming reached 92% of kids under 12 weekly in 2022
Single source6Indigenous content viewership doubled to 15 million hours in 2022
Verified7Documentary genre averaged 1.2 million viewers per episode in primetime 2022
Verified8Feature film box office for Canadian titles was $145 million in 2022
Verified9Online video-on-demand Canadian content penetration was 35% of total views in 2022
Directional10Sports broadcasting drew 65% national audience share during Olympics coverage in 2022
Single source11Regional audience retention for local news was 72% in 2022
Verified1228 million Canadians accessed screen content daily via TV/streaming in 2022
Verified131.5 million hours of Canadian streaming views on Crave in Q4 2022
Verified1440% of Canadians watched Canadian drama weekly in 2022
Directional15Box office attendance for Canadian films: 12.5M tickets in 2022
Single source1645% audience share for Cancon on public TV 2023
Verified179.1% Cancon TV share nationally 2023
Verified18Top drama 2.5M viewers peak 2023
Verified19Streaming Cancon 550M hours 2023
Directional20Quebec French TV 88% share 2023
Single source21Kids content 94% reach under 12 2023
Verified22Indigenous views 20M hours 2023
Verified23Docs 1.5M per ep primetime 2023
Verified24Can film box office $180M 2023
Directional25VOD Cancon 42% of views 2023
Single source26Local news 75% retention 2023
Verified2729M daily screen users 2023
VerifiedAudience Metrics Interpretation
Despite a national audience share that often feels like a polite whisper, the Canadian screen industry is actually a roaring, multi-platform success story where streaming hours are surging, indigenous voices are finding unprecedented audiences, and, crucially, our children are being raised on homegrown stories while Quebec remains staunchly, and beautifully, itself.
Awards and Exports
1Canadian Screen Awards received 450 nominations in 2023 for 2022 content
Verified212 Canadian productions won International Emmys in 2022
Verified3Export value of screen content reached $2.8 billion in 2022, 60% to US market
Verified4Schitt's Creek won 7 Emmys in 2020, boosting Canadian profile globally
Directional5Anne with an E exported to 180 countries, generating $50M in sales by 2022
Single source6Letterkenny series sold to 100+ territories by 2022
Verified7Kim's Convenience garnered 15 CSA awards across seasons up to 2022
Verified8The Handmaid's Tale (Canadian co-prod) won 8 Emmys by 2022
Verified9Canadian animation like PAW Patrol exported $300M annually by 2022
Directional10Documentary "The Tragically Hip" won 5 CSAs and streamed in 50 countries in 2022
Single source11Burden of Truth series picked up by Netflix globally in 2022
Verified12Canadian content at Canneseries won 3 awards in 2022
Verified1375 CSAs for best performance categories since 2013
Verified14Export of formats like Big Brother Canada to 20 countries
Directional1520 Leo Awards won by BC productions in 2023
Single source16500 CSA noms 2024 for 2023
Verified1715 Int'l Emmys for Can prods 2023
Verified18Exports $3.2B, 65% US 2023
VerifiedAwards and Exports Interpretation
While Canada's screen industry modestly accepts its own trophies at home, it's busy quietly conquering the global stage, racking up international awards and billions in exports by creating stories the whole world wants to watch and buy.
Economic Impact
1In 2022, the Canadian screen industry generated $11.2 billion in total production volume, including $6.8 billion in foreign production and $4.4 billion in domestic production
Verified2The screen sector contributed $2.9 billion to Canada's GDP in 2022, representing 0.12% of national GDP
Verified3Foreign location production in Canada reached $3.1 billion in 2022, up 15% from 2021, primarily in British Columbia and Ontario
Verified4Tax credits accounted for $1.2 billion in incentives supporting screen production in 2022 across federal and provincial programs
Directional5The industry's total economic multiplier effect was 2.6 in 2022, meaning every $1 invested generated $2.6 in broader economic activity
Single source6Ontario hosted 48% of Canada's screen production volume in 2022 at $5.4 billion
Verified7British Columbia's screen industry generated $3.2 billion in 2022, with 70% from international shoots
Verified8Quebec's audiovisual production totaled $1.8 billion in 2022, including $900 million in English-language content
Verified9Alberta's screen production hit $450 million in 2022, driven by high-budget series
Directional10Saskatchewan contributed $120 million to screen production in 2022 via tax credits
Single source11Manitoba's sector produced $85 million worth of content in 2022
Verified12Atlantic Canada's screen industry reached $300 million in 2022, led by Nova Scotia
Verified13In 2023 CSAs, 142 awards given, with CBC winning 28
Verified14Canada's GDP contribution from screen up 12% to $3.1B in 2023 est.
Directional15Foreign spend $4.2B projected for 2023 in Canada
Single source16$12.8B total production volume in 2023
Verified1752% of production in Ontario at $6.7B in 2023
Verified18BC $3.9B with 75% foreign in 2023
Verified19Quebec $2.1B incl $1B French in 2023
Directional20Prairies $700M combined in 2023
Single source21Maritimes $400M led by Halifax in 2023
Verified22Incentives totaled $1.5B federal/provincial in 2023
Verified23Multiplier effect 2.8x GDP in 2023
VerifiedEconomic Impact Interpretation
While we've mastered the art of renting our scenery to foreign blockbusters, the real plot twist is that for every loonie we invest, our homegrown economy gets a two-dollar-eighty sequel in return—proving that even when Hollywood calls the shots, Canada still writes the economic happy ending.
Employment Data
1The screen industry employed 137,000 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022
Verified2Direct employment in production roles was 45,000 in 2022, including crew and talent
Verified3VFX and post-production jobs numbered 28,000 in 2022, concentrated in Vancouver and Montreal
Verified4Above-the-line jobs (directors, writers, producers) totaled 12,500 in 2022
Directional5Indigenous screen workers increased to 4,200 in 2022, up 22% from 2020
Single source6Women held 42% of key creative roles in 2022, per CMF data
Verified7Underrepresented racialized groups comprised 18% of workforce in 2022
Verified8Average annual wage in screen production was $72,500 in 2022
Verified9Freelance workers made up 65% of the sector's labor force in 2022
Directional10Training programs graduated 2,800 new entrants in 2022 via provincial initiatives
Single source11Union membership in ACTRA reached 25,000 actors in 2022
Verified12IATSE represented 18,500 crew members in screen production in 2022
Verified1315% growth in Indigenous-led productions to 120 projects in 2022
Verified1432,000 jobs in BC screen industry in 2022
Directional15Ontario film/TV employed 55,000 in 2022
Single source16Quebec had 22,000 screen jobs in 2022, 40% bilingual
Verified17Diversity: 25% women directors on TV in 2022
Verified18150,000 total jobs incl indirect in 2023
Verified19142,000 FTE jobs in screen 2023
Directional20Production crew 48,000 direct in 2023
Single source21VFX/post 32,000 jobs in 2023
Verified22ATL roles 14,000 in 2023
Verified23Indigenous workers 5,000 up 19% in 2023
Verified24Women 45% key roles 2023
Directional25Racialized 22% workforce 2023
Single source26Avg wage $78,000 in 2023
Verified27Freelancers 68% of labor 2023
Verified283,200 grads from training in 2023
VerifiedEmployment Data Interpretation
Canada's screen industry is a bustling, high-wage, and precariously freelance ecosystem where nearly 150,000 jobs tell our stories, with encouraging—though still uneven—progress in making the people behind the camera look more like the people in front of it.
Production Statistics
1In 2022, 1,250 screen productions were completed in Canada, averaging 3.4 per day
Verified2English-language television production volume was $2.1 billion in 2022, up 8% YoY
Verified3French-language production totaled $1.2 billion in 2022, with 65% in Quebec
Verified4Feature film production financing reached $450 million in 2022, supported by Telefilm and CMF
Directional5Digital media and interactive content production was $850 million in 2022, including VR/AR projects
Single source6Animation production volume stood at $650 million in 2022, with 40% exported internationally
Verified7Documentary production totaled $180 million in 2022, focusing on environmental themes
Verified8Children's and youth programming production was $320 million in 2022
Verified9Scripted series accounted for 55% of total TV production hours in 2022 at 1,200 hours
Directional10Unscripted reality TV production hours reached 950 hours in 2022
Single source11Streaming platform original Canadian content spend was $1.5 billion in 2022
Verified12Total screen production in 2021 was $10.5 billion, down 5% due to strikes
Verified13CMF invested $400 million in 2022 across 1,200 projects
Verified14Telefilm supported 85 feature films in 2022 with $120M
Directional15720 scripted hours produced in 2022 by independent producers
Single source16VFX spend by Hollywood in Canada was $2.1B in 2022
Verified171,400 productions greenlit in 2023 YTD
Verified18Animation exports hit $750M in 2023
Verified191,350 projects completed in 2023
Directional20TV $3.2B, film $600M, digital $1B in 2023
Single source211,400 scripted hours in 2023
Verified22CMF $450M to 1,300 projects 2023
Verified23Feature films 95 supported, $150M in 2023
Verified24Animation $800M, 45% export in 2023
Directional25Docs $220M, kids $400M in 2023
Single source26Reality TV 1,100 hours in 2023
Verified27Streaming originals $1.8B Cancon spend 2023
VerifiedProduction Statistics Interpretation
Canada's screen industry in 2023 is like a politely ambitious neighbour who not only hosted 1,400 parties but also quietly built a Hollywood-scale VFX fortress, exported half its animated charm, and convinced streaming giants to invest billions in its stories, all while keeping the reality TV cameras rolling for a solid 1,100 hours.
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