Conventional television in Canada is increasingly being watched only by older viewers, with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) warning that most of the audience is now over 50 while younger Canadians turn to online news and streaming.In its latest Annual Highlights Of The Broadcasting Sector, the CRTC reported that network revenues plunged 8.6% last year to $1.3 billion. Blacklock's Reporter says Canadians aged 18 to 34 were far more likely to get local news from social media than TV or radio, while those 65 and older consumed the least online news of any age group..The average household now spends $35 a month on online services, a 33% increase in just three years. The CRTC said 66% of Canadians consume their news online compared to only 49% who rely on television, continuing a decade-long shift away from traditional broadcasters.The regulator had already warned in 2022 that TV had three years to prove it could survive, cautioning that without major change, Canada’s broadcasting system faced collapse. Executives from Bell and Corus, two of the country’s largest private networks, have told Senate committees that local stations have been unprofitable for years and are “unsustainable.”“The future of an entire Canadian industry is hanging in the balance,” Corus executive Troy Reeb told senators, adding that smaller markets in particular were “teetering on the brink.”
