Executive Summary

The pandemic is driving consumption of most forms of media, but it’s especially a boon for digital video. Cooped up at home in 2020, people crave long-form entertainment, and video platforms have gained the most usage of any medium.

How has the pandemic impacted digital video viewers in Canada?

Some 26.1 million people will watch digital video at least monthly in Canada this year, which equates to almost seven in 10 people in the country. That figure is up by 500,000 viewers over our previous estimate, as we revised our forecast to reflect heavier viewership during quarantines in Q2 2020.

How much of digital video viewing is done using smartphones?

Almost half (46.8%) the population and more than two-thirds (67.8%) of video viewers will watch video on smartphones this year. There will be 17.7 million smartphone video viewers, accounting for the vast majority of mobile phone video viewing.

What are the most watched digital video platforms in Canada?

YouTube is the leading digital video platform in Canada still, but over-the-top (OTT) services are starting to rival it in terms of actual viewers. Netflix accounts for the bulk of OTT viewing, but other services like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and homegrown platform Crave have gained significant subscriber bases.

How prevalent is cord-cutting in Canada?

Up until this year, the number of cable subscribers opting out of their service was fairly small compared with the total number of cable households in Canada. But some estimates have cord-cutting significantly rising in 2020 as financial pressures mount.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report examines the digital video market in Canada, based on our latest viewer forecast. It also examines distinct aspects of digital video viewing in Canada.

KEY STAT: More than two-thirds (69.0%) of Canada’s population will watch digital video in 2020.