A consortium of federal creative organizations is partnering to prioritize and harmonize the measurement and collection of audience data to better understand and amplify Canadian stories.
Telefilm, the Canada Media Fund (CMF), the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) said Thursday that the new audience data initiative is a “concerted audience-centred approach” that will “inform more effective strategies for reaching audiences, increasing the impact of the richness and diversity of Canadian and Indigenous stories —whether in feature films, television, documentaries, or animated films— and ensuring its discoverability across digital platforms and cinemas,” a press release said.
The initiative is one of “various projects” that has come out of more than a year of talks with Canadian Heritage to “modernize the Canadian audiovisual ecosystem marked by intense competition and questions of cultural sovereignty.”
A Telefilm-led Canadian consultation, which engaged over 50 companies and partners in the audiovisual sector, led to a July 2025 report titled “Exploring the Futures of Distribution: Strategic Visions for the Canadian Audiovisual Industry.” The report, conducted by La Societe des demains and commissioned by Telefilm, found the collection and sharing of data as one of the industry’s key strategic objectives.
“Enhanced discoverability of Canadian content depends on better collection and analysis of audience data,” the report said. “Participants emphasized the need for a collaborative approach allowing the sharing of information among the various organizations in the sector. Such coordination would ensure a more effective strategy for reaching audiences and maximizing the impact of Canadian content.”
Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF, said in the release that the collaboration is “just the beginning of a major undertaking that will lead to a more concerted action with not only the funding agencies, but will also involve the audiovisual sector at large. By modernizing how we gather and share audience insights, we will ensure the viability of Canadian content in an era of rapid broadcast and digital change.”
Suzanne Guevremont, the government film commissioner and chairperson of the NFB, called the collaboration a “turning point for Canada’s film ecosystem.
“By aligning our approaches, the production, promotion and distribution of Canadian films will be better positioned to reach Canadians and reflect the richness, diversity and creativity of our stories for years to come,” she said.
The news follows a renewal of the CRTC’s efforts to collect audience data on all viewing and listening platforms to better understand the consumption habits of Canadians.
“The CRTC relies on robust audience metrics to track demographics, preferences and consumption habits of Canadians across radio, television and online platforms,” the regulator said in a contract it put out earlier this month, having preselected Numeris for this task. “These insights support policy proceedings, licensing decisions, enforcement of Canadian content quotas and more, ensuring a world-class communications system.”
Photo is the cover graphic for a July 2025 report commissioned by Telefilm
