OTTAWA — The number of people in Canada who used to have a paid TV service in the past but no longer subscribe now stands at one in seven Canadians, according to a new report from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Canadians aged 35 to 49 and those with children under 12 are more likely to have cut the cord, MTM says in its new Unplugged? Cutting the TV Cord report.
When so-called “cord nevers” are included in the numbers, MTM found that one quarter of Canadians are forgoing a paid TV subscription and opting to get their video and TV entertainment from off-air TV signals or a variety of online sources.
Furthermore, cord cutting is a consideration among a segment of current TV service subscribers. More than a fifth of TV subscribers say they are either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to disconnect their service sometime in the next 12 months, MTM said.
MTM also recently released a second report titled The World of Online Video, which found the vast majority of Anglophones watch online video in a typical month, with close to 90% watching a variety of sources, such as YouTube, Netflix, Crave and more. Online video viewing is not confined to one screen — while computers remain the most popular way to watch Internet video, smartphones are a close second, MTM said.
In addition, more than two in three Anglophones watch TV content online, MTM said. However, TV content isn’t being spread over as many screens as general online video content. The Internet-connected TV set is the most popular screen, likely tied to the use of OTT services, MTM said.
To access MTM’s latest research reports, click here.
