Canadian Film & TV Production Activity Falls

Production volume in Canada for the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, fell by 18.5 percent to C$9.58 billion ($6.67 billion), according to the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).

Profile 2024: An Economic Report on the Screen-based Media Production Industry in Canada found that the media production sector in Canada created 179,130 jobs and contributed C$11.04 billion ($7.69 billion) to the country’s GDP in 2023/24.

The downturn, which followed several years of growth, was driven by the U.S. Hollywood strikes and a slowdown in Canadian commissions, especially in English-language television. The C$9.58 billion in production activity includes C$4.73 billion from foreign location and services spend, C$3.25 billion on Canadian television and C$1.16 billion in broadcaster in-house spending.

“The numbers released in today’s report starkly confirm the significant economic slowdown that Canadian producers and creators have faced over the past 18 months,” said Reynolds Mastin, CMPA’s president and CEO. “While this downturn affects the entire industry, small production companies and those working in the kids and animation sector have been hit particularly hard.”

Mastin added: “We are still one to two years away from seeing any new investments in Canadian content through the Online Streaming Act, but we remain hopeful that the industry will ramp up again. Recovery is crucial for the tens of thousands of Canadians whose livelihoods depend on the success of this industry.”