By Stéphan Côté, Senior Director, Sales – Head of TiVo Canada & OEM/ODM Business
Canada’s TV market is unique in many regards. Geography, cultural nuance and regulation all combine to create a media landscape that looks different from other entertainment markets, like its neighbor to the south. For Pay TV providers looking to shape their place in the Canadian market, success depends on recognizing and adapting to these distinctions.
Canada has a TV-centric culture that is rooted in the realities of Canadian life. While streaming continues to take hold of video consumption in the broader market, 62% of Canadians still subscribe to traditional paid TV subscriptions1 and despite rising costs North American consumers continue to spend an average of $211.83 a month on Pay TV video2 – unlocking opportunity for these providers to make headway.
And while Canadian consumers may trail the US in adopting new trends like FAST channels, that lag offers an advantage to Pay TV providers in this market. By anticipating what’s next based on trends in other markets and tailoring solutions for Canadian consumers, providers can take the lead as the market evolves into the future.
Television’s role in connecting Canada’s far corners
Canada’s vast geography has always shaped its media landscape. With remote populations scattered across one of the largest land masses in the world, connecting households with reliable internet and TV has long been a challenge. As the world grows increasingly interconnected, this access has become a top priority for Canada. The government has made significant investments in fiber expansion, recognizing that access to connectivity is not only about entertainment but also means ensuring social inclusion for communities that would otherwise be left behind. TV, in particular, has long served as a cultural touchstone in Canada, bringing people together and reinforcing a shared identity – making universal access a top priority.
Climate plays as crucial of a role as geography. TV isn’t just an option for entertainment – it’s a cultural anchor. Friends and families turn to shared media experiences to build community when going out isn’t ideal, and having a longer season than most markets only extends these viewings.
These factors have helped TV become cemented as a key pillar of Canadian daily life – connecting people across the country and seasons. Pay TV providers need to understand the importance of TV culture and work to meet the demands of content-hungry Canadians through comprehensive content offerings.
The Quebec consideration: a market within a market
While considering the broader national context is critical, for anyone to fully understand the Canadian TV market they must understand Quebec, as well. With its distinct French language and culture, Quebec operates as a market within a market.
Viewing habits in this region are even more unique than the rest of Canada. Francophones in Quebec watch 11.2 more hours of TV3 weekly than do the viewers in Anglophone Ontario. TV is woven deeply into their cultural identity, with programming that is unique to their region on top of the broader hits that resonate across the rest of Canada.
This content plays a defining role in the TV culture of the province. Quebec consumers not only demand French-language and localized programming, but the government also ensures that need is met through regulation. And imported shows or use of subtitles aren’t enough. Global hits like The Simpsons have historically been carefully localized and translated to resonate culturally with Quebec audiences. This makes attention to detail for Pay TV providers essential to format guides and translate content. For providers, success in Quebec comes down to understanding that these cultural expectations are non-negotiable.
Regulation as a cultural safeguard – and a business opportunity
Canada’s TV market is also shaped by regulation. Providers are required to carry certain Canadian channels and meet quotas for Canadian and French-language content. These requirements may seem restrictive to some, but in practice they ensure that Canadians are getting content that is relevant and trusted, keeping the valuable national culture intact.
If providers are aware of regulation and have partners that can help them navigate it, it can create an opportunity for growth. By embracing these rules, Pay TV providers can deliver differentiated services that resonate with consumers while protecting the strong TV culture. This can manifest in small ways, by bringing FAST channels and multi-view sports experiences to market or better aggregating already popular content across platforms in one view, ensuring it is in the right language, pending location.
There are real leadership opportunities for Pay TV providers who can adapt to the unique factors of the Canadian market and anticipate where it’ll head next. Canada may occasionally “trail” in adopting the latest TV trends, but that lag is not a weakness; it is an opportunity. Pay TV providers who respect and embrace the characteristics that make the market unique, and work within its regulatory framework, can do more than succeed: they can lead.
1 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Annual highlights of the broadcasting sector 2023-2024, 2025. Available at: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2025/rad.htm
2 TiVo. Q2 2025 Video Trends Report: North America – The Great Rebundling. Xperi Inc., 2025. Available at: https://go2.tivo.com/VTR_Q2_2025_NAM
3 Paul Briggs, French Canada 2025: Canada’s Digital Divide Persists (eMarketer), March 11 2025, available at: https://www.emarketer.com/content/french-canada-2025
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