Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) includes Adapt Media, Bell Media, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), Cogeco, Friends of Canadian Media, Glacier Media Group, La Presse, Pattison Media, ThinkTV and Village Media.

Hailed as the first study of its kind quantifying the sector’s economic impact, based on research led by Nordicity, its scope encompassed the media and advertising sector (defined as all types of media platforms that connect consumers and the public with news, information, and advertising), including online media, television, audio, and out-of-home media as well as the newspaper, magazine, and directory publishing industry.

The report finds that the industry supports nearly 170,000 jobs, contributing an estimated $21 billion to Canada’s GDP. It states that every $1 million invested in Canadian advertising, generates 8.2 jobs, $630,000 in salaries, and adds $1 million to the GDP.

Despite its impact, the report emphasizes that the sector is under increasing pressure, losing an estimated $7.5 billion in advertising revenue to foreign digital platforms between 2017 and 2022. CMMB says 92% of digital ad dollars currently flow to non-Canadian platforms, putting the sustainability of Canadian media in jeopardy.

“Over the past decade, I have witnessed the alarming loss of jobs in media, the degradation of information integrity, the rise of misinformation, and the increasing inability for Canadians to see themselves in stories and know whom to trust,” writes Sarah Thompson, Executive Managing Director, Glassroom, and Project Lead for CMMB. “The loss is felt in every community across our country, both in our connection to one another and in our democracy. This is not a situation we can afford to ignore. This topic has been extensively studied by many in our own country and around the world. This isn’t what this report is about, nor was it the focus of the analysis. This report is about following the money. I have spent the last decade of my career in media. And I have watched dollars leave the Canadian market rapidly, creating erosion across our economy, as colleagues in media, advertising, and marketing lose their jobs and media environments degrade for our advertisers. This raised a critical question: What is the total contribution of all media and advertising to Canada’s gross domestic product? However, the economics of the local media ecosystem in a country have not been studied in Canada or around the world.”

Thompson says the report isn’t about evaluating the estimated $26 billion invested in advertising in Canada, it’s about the jobs connected to those dollars staying in the market.

“What this report won’t tell you is what could have been: what the Canadian media economy might have looked like if those advertising dollars had stayed in the market,” said Thompson. “The post-COVID shift that led to more dollars being invested in platforms has not been reversed. And so, as ad dollars left Canada, they have never come back.”

“This is a call to action for everyone in business, advertising, media, and government to understand how the ripple effect of Canadian media and advertising dollars drives our country and across multiple connected industries – and the power of collective action in this endeavour,” she continued. “This report also informs us of what the economic value of Canadian media was, not what it could be or is today. What is clear is that investing in Canadian media is beneficial for businesses and our country because it is closely connected to our economic future.”

Additional findings include that the media sector’s total economic impact was $22.6 billion in 2023, including “direct, indirect, induced, and spillover impacts.” Relying on data from Statistics Canada, Nordicity estimates that the sector directly provided 138,000 jobs in 2023. Among these jobs, advertising, public relations, and related services contributed over 40% of the total at 56,700 jobs. Radio and television broadcasting, together with discretionary television, remain significant employers, contributing almost 20% of the total, or 24,500 jobs. Newspaper, periodical, and directory publishing (excluding book publishing) supported an estimated 19,400 jobs.

According to Statistics Canada data cited in the report, traditional media platforms lost over 11,000 jobs between 2019 and 2024. Newspaper employment experienced the most significant job losses, shedding nearly 7,693 jobs between 2019-24 – just over 30% of its 2019 workforce. Radio and television broadcasters – which depend far more on advertising revenue – lost 3,232 jobs in the same period, or over 14% of their 2019 workforce. Despite tapping into both advertising and monthly subscriber fees, pay and specialty television services still lost over 400 jobs from 2019-24, or just over 9% of its 2019 workforce.

“Sustaining and supporting Canadian media and advertising sector will require coordinated efforts from industry and policy makers to ensure its economic and cultural contributions are fully recognized,” the report stated.

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