Pay-TV Subs Declining in Canada

OTTAWA/GATINEAU: The overall number of TV subscribers in Canada decreased from 11.4 million in 2014 to 11.2 million in 2015, continuing a two-year trend, according to a new report from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Canadian cable, IPTV and satellite companies reported a 0.1-percent decline in revenues to C$8.9 billion ($6.9 billion), while expenses increased by 1.3 percent to C$7.2 billion ($5.6 billion). The operating margin decreased to its lowest level in five years, but remained healthy at 19 percent. The average total revenue per subscriber increased from C$65.25 ($50.31) in 2014 to C$66.08 ($51) per month in 2015. IPTV companies continued to grow, reporting double-digit increases in subscribers for 2015.

Spending by television service providers on the creation and production of Canada-made content decreased by C$38.1 million ($29.4 million) in 2015 to C$436.9 million ($336.9 million).

The number of Canadian households that subscribed to a cable or IPTV service increased from 0.3 percent to 8.9 million. The number of Canadian households that subscribed to a satellite company’s television service decreased by 7.2 percent from 2.6 million to 2.4 million. For the year, cable and IPTV companies reported revenues of C$6.6 billion ($5.05 billion) from programming services. This total represents an increase of 1.7 percent from the previous year. Satellite companies’ revenues decreased by 5.2 percent to C$2.3 billion ($1.8 billion) in 2015.