The federal government says traditional television in Canada may be headed for extinction as more viewers abandon cable for streaming platforms.Blacklock's Reporter sayas a Department of Heritage report found only 15% of Canadian households now rely solely on traditional TV, compared to 65% just a decade ago. The study, Evaluation Of The Funding Provided By The Department Of Canadian Heritage TV5 Program, warned that younger audiences are rapidly turning away from broadcast channels.“Although traditional television still exists, its long-term future is uncertain because fewer people are watching,” said the report. “More young people are cancelling their subscription or not subscribing at all to traditional services.”Researchers said the shift to streaming has been dramatic. .Households subscribing to both cable and streaming services grew from 21% to 51%, while those using only video-on-demand platforms like Netflix jumped from 4% to 27%. Among English-speaking Canadians under 34, 42% rely entirely on streaming. Viewers under 24 now spend nearly three times more time on their phones than watching TV.Advertising has followed the same trend. Revenue from traditional television fell from $3.2 billion in 2015 to $2.9 billion, while digital ad spending soared from $4.6 billion to $14.2 billion over the same period.The findings came as part of a federal review of $12.3 million in annual funding for TV5, a French-language channel supported by Canada, France, Belgium, Monaco, and Switzerland. The report noted that TV5 faces financial pressure, declining viewership, and an aging audience — averaging 62 years old in Québec..“TV5 Québec is facing financial difficulties, declining subscriptions, and an aging audience,” researchers wrote.The network’s revenue from cable and satellite fees dropped 11.5% in five years, from $31.4 million to $27.8 million.The report concluded that Canadians’ viewing habits are rapidly shifting toward digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and TikTok, which offer cheaper, on-demand content accessible across mobile devices.
