MTM says when anglophones look for news online, over half still turn to the websites of established broadcasters like CBC, BBC, CTV, and CNN, while nearly 20% get their online news from the website of a major daily Canadian newspaper. More than half of French-speakers say they turn to the websites of established broadcasters like Radio-Canada, TVA Nouvelles, and MétéoMédia, with three in seven mentioning newspaper websites like La Presse and the La Presse+ app.

MTM found that 87% of anglophones and 89% of francophones engage with news monthly by watching specialty news channels, reading online news articles, or watching news clips online.

Age influences preferred news sources, with older Canadians tending to watch more specialty news channel content, while younger viewers were twice as likely to use YouTube as a news platform.

MTM also looked at how newcomers to Canada are engaging with news, finding that four in five consume news monthly. Two-thirds read news online, and just over three in five watch news online. Newcomers to Canada are most likely to use smartphones to access news, followed by computers. Tablet usage for news is notably lower among newcomers compared to those born in Canada (10% vs. 20%).

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Julian Brave NoiseCat is among the Canadians up for Oscars heading into the 97th Academy Awards. NoiseCat, a writer, filmmaker, and activist from B.C.’s Canim Lake Band Tsq’secen of the Secwepemc Nation, and New York-based producer and journalist Emily Kassie, received a Best Documentary Feature nod for their film Sugarcane. Co-directed by NoiseCat and Kassie, it follows the search for unmarked graves at St. Joseph’s Mission, a former Indian residential school in Williams Lake, B.C. Among other Canadian nominees are the team attached to Dune: Part Two, directed by Quebec-born filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The sequel to 2021’s Dune is a contender in the Best Picture category, while the film’s production design team – Patrice Vermette and Shane Vieau – received a nomination for Best Production Design. Toronto costume designer Linda Muir also received a nod for Best Costume Design for her work on Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Read more here.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has announced the nominees for the 2025 WGC Screenwriting Awards. Productions generating multiple nominations include Allegiance, Popularity Papers, Open Season: Call of Nature, and Late Bloomer. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 28 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. 

Export Development Canada (EDC) has announced it’s providing more than $250 million in support to Cineflix Media, Sphere Media and Lionsgate Canada. The Crown agency, which helps Canadian businesses make an impact abroad and pursue new markets, has propped up the media and entertainment companies in the way of both direct financing and loan guarantees to help “create liquidity to fuel their international growth plans,” according to an EDC release. Read more here.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released Changing Lanes – Altering Service Subscriptions, diving into whether Canadians are modifying their entertainment services to cut costs. It finds 29% of Canadians have cut back or cancelled a TV streaming subscription or paid TV service in the past six months to save money. The online survey found household income isn’t necessarily a driver in terms of changing or cancelling services, however age seems to play a significant role, with those aged 18-34 most likely to have made changes to their services to cut costs.

Bell Media and PAGEBOY Productions, founded by actor, producer, and advocate Elliot Page, have announced a new partnership to develop “bold, original scripted series” for Crave and CTV. Under the agreement, their collaboration will explore content opportunities, “with a joint dedication to spotlighting untold stories,” according to a Bell Media announcement.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s memoir Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other is getting the docuseries treatment, led by Sphere Media. Sphere is co-producing alongside the former media personality, who separated from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 after 18 years of marriage. The six-episode series will feature personalities from culture, sport, politics and business, in conversation with Grégoire Trudeau, speaking candidly about personal struggles and challenges with a focus on mental health.

Blue Ant Media has announced five new greenlights and four renewals, set to roll out on the company’s Canadian specialty TV channels, T+E and Cottage Life, in 2025, followed by its global free streaming channels—HauntTV, Homeful, Love Pets, and Declassified—at a later date. The slate includes Ghost Lands (w/t), an hour-long doc on Indigenous ghost stories. Additional greenlights include You Can’t Deny It, a docuseries exploring the power of corroboration; Vet Detective, which spotlights Vancouver-based veterinarian Dr. Lauren Adelman; Engineering from Above, a spin-off of the Mysteries from Above franchise; and Birthplace of Hallowe’en (w/t), a one-hour documentary filmed in Ireland with B.C. paranormal investigators Kelly Ireland, Corine Carey and Leanne Sallenback, known for History’s Most Haunted and Haunted Gold Rush. Blue Ant has ordered a fourth season of Mysteries from Above, and second seasons of My Haunted Hometown, Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy and Wild Rose Vets.

Prime Video has announced the premiere date and trailer for 50,000 First Dates: A True Story, a two-part docuseries that challenges the traditional romantic comedy narrative through the true story of Nesh Pillay, a Toronto-based entrepreneur who suddenly loses her memory and forgets her fiancé. Premiering Feb. 11 in 240 countries and territories worldwide, the docuseries showcases the journey of the viral Canadian couple who made headlines around the world as “The Real Life 50 First Dates Couple.”

CHEK Media’s newest addition to its local programming lineup, Now You Know BC, hosted by digital storyteller and B.C. history enthusiast Bob Kronbauer premieres Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. on CHEK and CHEK+. Known to his social media followers as “BC Bob,” the 13-episode series brings Kronbauer’s signature storytelling style from social media to television, with each episode uncovering hidden gems, historical tales, and extraordinary people across B.C.

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Vista Radio has rebranded the three Alberta radio stations it acquired from CAB-K Broadcasting last year. As of last week, Country 96.5 (CKLJ-FM) Olds and Country 106.5 (CKVG-FM) Vegreville became 96.5 FM The Ranch and 106.5 FM The Ranch, respectively. Rock 104.5 (CKJX-FM) Olds has been rebranded as 104.5 The Goat. Darren Scott, Director, Creative Services & Communications, says while the station playlists will remain pretty much identical, the rebrand – particularly on the Country side – is about reflecting the rural lifestyle of the Olds and Vegreville coverage areas. On the Rock side, Scott says The Goat brand is a good fit for the Olds area, joining its Vista counterparts in Lloydminster and Prince George. Read more here.

Rogers Sports & Media’s Country 104.3 (CJQM-FM) Sault Ste. Marie has been rebranded as 104.3 The Fox, The Sault’s Rock Station. Country 104.3 listeners are being redirected to Rogers’ sister station Country 600 (CKAT-AM) North Bay. 104.3 The Fox is playing a Rock format anchored on acts like Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, Rush, Headstones, and Billy Talent. Like its Rogers’ Rock counterparts in Ontario, the syndicated The Brock and Dalby Show is being heard in mornings on 104.3 The Fox.

John-Angus MacDonald, founding member and lead guitarist for The Trews, is the latest Canadian rocker to join the lineup at 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) Oshawa as the new host of Generation Next Radio. Heard weeknights at 8 p.m. and weekends at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., the new music discovery show is an opportunity for new unsigned talent to get their music heard, some of the more than 1,200 acts featured on Generation Next over the last 12 years include The Glorious Sons, Greta Van Fleet, Crown Lands, Stuck on Planet Earth, and Cleopatrick. Beginning Jan. 18, MacDonald takes over the show from guitarist Sean Kelly, known for his work backing Lee Aaron, Coney Hatch and Alan Frew, among other bands. Read more here.

Orbyt Media has announced a sales and syndication partnership with Throwback Nation Radio, offering Canadian radio stations access to the Classic Hits weekend and daily shows on a cash or barter basis. Hosted by Tony Lorino, it features hit music from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The new version of the show will be compliant with music tailored to the needs of Canadian broadcasters.

CBC/Radio-Canada’s Make the Season Kind campaign saw 24 regional CBC stations across the country run charity drives throughout the month of December, including 37 community events, raising $7.8 million for local food banks. Radio-Canada also organized fundraising events, including Le Noël du coeur in Trois-Rivières, contributing an additional $952,000 to local charities. In Quebec, Radio-Canada was also a major partner in the Media Food Drive, which raised $5.1 million. 

Curiouscast’s newest podcast, A Most Audacious Heist, premiering Jan. 28, tells the story of master jewel thief Daniel Blanchard. Created in partnership with Blanchard House, the historical true-crime story is written by Emma Jane Kirby and hosted by Seren Jones, taking listeners inside the life of the daring thief, whose ingenious heists and escapes from the law defy belief. A Most Audacious Heist is the second podcast to join Curiouscast as part of a multi-partnership deal with Blanchard House. Their first podcast together, Black and Blue: Behind the Badge, launched in 2023 – a true-crime story centering around the experiences of Black officers – which won a British Podcast Award for Best Factual Podcast. New episodes will be available every Tuesday.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its annual report on Indigenous Canadians and Their Use of Media and Technology. It finds that 60% of respondents are tuning traditional radio over the course of a typical week. However, YouTube (70%), along with audio streaming services like Spotify (68%) are the biggest sources for audio content. While online video is ubiquitous among Indigenous respondents (95%), more than half (55%) have a paid TV subscription and three in five (61%) tune in to traditional TV in a typical week. 84% of Indigenous respondents have used a social media platform in the past month, led by Facebook (77%), Instagram (56%), TikTok (46%) and Snapchat (41%).

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced the four inductees for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Music Canada. Industry legend Dan Hill, grande dame of Québec song Ginette Reno, rock superstars Glass Tiger, eclectic Celtic singer/songwriter/composer Loreena McKennitt, pop-punk icons Sum 41, and hip-hop pioneer Maestro Fresh Wes will all be honoured for their contributions to Canada’s music history on May 15 at Studio Bell in Calgary. The spring ceremony follows the induction of Maestro Fresh Wes (during The 2024 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Halifax) and Sum 41, who will be inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame live on the 2025 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Vancouver on March 30.

LISTEN: Dani Stover is on the latest Sound Off Podcast discussing her experience hosting “Let’s Talk with Danny Stover,” a pre-recorded radio show that curated content from across Canada. Stover expresses her dislike for live radio and the reliance on text lines for audience engagement. She also criticizes the use of AI and the negative impact of social media. Stover plans to continue writing on Substack and is considering a future podcast.

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