Broadcasters' revenues rise despite fewer hours tuned, CRTC says

OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians are spending less time watching television and listening to the radio, but revenues continue to climb for both media, according to the CRTC’s annual report on Canadian broadcasting. In 2006, Canadians watched an average of 27.6 hours of TV per week, less than the 28.1 hours they spent in 2005. Nearly 78% of all TV viewership last year was to Canadian services. Revenues for conventional television were up by about $100 million, to $2.6 billion last year. Revenues for specialty channels, pay, pay-per-view, and video-on-demand services rose by about $300 million, to $2.5 billion in 2006. Expenses...