MONTREAL – Canadians are watching more television now than they did last year, and engagement towards Canadian films is steadily rising, says a new report.
Canadian Audiences 2017 was released by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) in partnership with Telefilm Canada and is based on an online survey of 15-year-old and over Canadians conducted by Nielsen Media in May 2017.
The report found a five-point, year-over-year increase in the consumption of television by Canadians, demonstrating that this platform is gaining popularity and is increasingly attracting frequent viewers who consume television once a day to six times a week.
Wide-reaching platforms have the most impact on Canadians for content viewing and as sources of information, continues the report. Netflix and YouTube are the top online viewing platforms, and online searches are the most important sources of information.
Pride and interest in Canadian culture is strong among Canadians, with 76% saying that they are proud when Canadian talent and content is celebrated internationally. The majority of Canadians (80%) say that they think promoting Canadian content is important (80%).
Since 2016, the viewing of Canadian films has increased (+5 points), as has interest in Canadian films (+4 points) and recognition for Canadian productions (+4 points). In addition, 78% of respondents agree it is important that the government support the production of distinctively Canadian productions (+4 points vs. 2016).
