Number of TV cord cutter/cord never households in Canada 2012-2020

In 2020, the number of Canadian households that either cut the cord with respect to their TV subscriptions or never had one amounted to 520 thousand. Between 2012 and 2020, almost three million Canadian households did not have a TV subscription with a cable, satellite, or telco provider.

TV viewership trends in Canada

The number of TV viewers in Canada has remained relatively stable over the past few years. In leading Canadian TV markets such as Toronto-Hamilton or Montreal, millions of viewers tuned in to watch their favorite shows, sports events, or other entertainment highlights during the 2019/20 broadcast period, signaling the ongoing appeal of television access among Canadian audiences. As of early 2020, some 82 per 100 households subscribed to a pay TV service in Canada. While this figure is still considerably high compared to other countries, it has experienced a visible decline in recent years following the expansion of digital streaming channels.

Did video streaming kill the television star?

The streaming revolution has significantly impacted TV viewing behavior and overall media consumption in Canada. Just as in many other digitally developed markets, the ever-increasing selection of over-the-top (OTT) video services and Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVoD) platforms continues to shift consumer interest away from traditional media formats and subscriptions such as (linear) television. In 2020, Canada’s number of OTT video viewers stood at 20.1 million, and according to the latest estimates, the share of SVoD households in Canada will surpass 120 percent by 2023 due to many homes subscribing to more than one platform. With more Canadians subscribing to Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video than ever before, the cord-cutting trend is unlikely to reverse.