Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released two new reports on how Canadians are engaging with news, finding traditional news brands remain a key destination for online news.
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%).