CBC/Radio-Canada announced last week its revenue decreased by 5.6 per cent to $113.9 million in the first quarter of its 2026-2027 fiscal year, compared to the same three-month period a year prior.
CBC attributed the quarter’s revenue drop to lower TV advertising revenue as a result of softening demand and market competition. The public broadcaster also said revenue was affected by Q1 timing shifts, as advertiser spend moved to major sporting events.
Government funding recognized in CBC/Radio-Canada’s income this quarter, which ended June 30, increased by 4.6 per cent to $341.6 million, which CBC said was consistent with the expected needs for operating funding in the quarter.
The broadcaster’s quarterly expenses grew by 5.3 per cent to $462.2 million in Q1 2026-2027, compared to $438.8 million in Q1 2025-2026. CBC said this was primarily driven by higher programming costs resulting from the shift of winter programming into the spring and summer schedule following the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, alongside increased investments in digital and programming activities. These increases were partly offset by lower newsgathering costs following the prior year’s federal election coverage, CBC added.
Net results for the quarter were a loss of $9.2 million compared to a gain of $8.5 million in the same quarter last year, CBC said.
Some of CBC/Radio-Canada’s business highlights for Q1 2026-2027 include its announcement in June that it is now a full member of the European Broadcasting Union and eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The same month CBC announced a commitment to increase coverage of Canada’s high-performance athletes, professional women’s sports and major global sporting events.
In May, CBC announced a $7-million increase in its investment in documentaries, and provided details in June about two new documentary funds that will launch this fall.
The full version of CBC/Radio-Canada’s first 2026-2027 quarterly report is available here.
Image via CBC
