3 Trends Affecting the Canadian Media Landscape & Why You Should Be Planning for Them

With the seemingly infinite number of media options, the Canadian media landscape can feel fragmented and confusing. But never fear! With research from CMUST, a study that looks at Canadian media usage, we can begin to break through the clutter and identify the top trends.

Devices Are Our Vices

Canadians want to have an internet connection wherever we go, and with every device possible. Smartphone and laptop penetration is high, at 75% and 89% respectively for Adults 18+, but what is most interesting are the segments that have the largest potential for growth, including Smart TVs and Connected Cars.

The growth of the connected cars poses a threat to radio, and we will have to wait and see how this will affect the medium. That said, radio in Canada is already and responding to the threat by releasing apps that have all the stations in one place. Rogers released the “Radio Player” app, and Bell is leveraging the popular brand of “iHeart Radio” by releasing the app for Canada.

With radio streaming on the rise, marketers need to look at adding online radio to their traditional broadcast radio buy to maximize reach and exposure, particularly if their target audience is 12 – 24 years of age. Though traditional radio is still a strong awareness channel, it is no longer the only way to consume audio, and this must be kept in mind.

We Still Love TV, We Just Watch It Differently

Our deep love for TV hasn’t disappeared, it’s just being watched on different formats than traditional broadcast. Canadians tend to watch more online video and access subscription services, such as Netflix. Interestingly, 44% of Adults 18-34 have cut their cable in Canada.

This trend means that we advertisers must be more creative when looking at TV, and should consider adding online TV channels to our broadcast buys. If your relying solely on traditional broadcast, you’re missing a considerable segment that has left cable TV behind.

Time vs. Money

In terms of ad budgets in Canada, the online media budgets closely match the amount of time we spend online. However, there is a serious gap between the time we spend with mobile and video and the ad budgets put towards those media.

We expect this gap to continue to get smaller over the next few years; however, until that gap closes, there is an opportunity for advertisers to stand out right now with strong mobile and online video assets.

True, North, Strong, and Different!

We as Canadians tend to borrow trends and insights from our bigger brother to the south, but what might be true of the US market today, may not necessarily hold true in Canada. Understanding the Canadian media landscape, and its unique emerging trends, helps us advertisers select the right media for the right job at the right time. What did you think of these Canadian media trends? Was there anything here that surprised you, or is it line with what you already thought? Let us know!