While digital choices continue to multiply, traditional television retains a monopoly on the shared national experience, according to Numeris year-end report, “The Year in Canadian Media: What Audiences Watched, Heard and Streamed.”

Diving into how Canadians navigated and chose content and how advertisers responded over the past year, the report shows that Canadian media consumption was defined by big sporting events and evolving platform choices.

Major live sporting events – including the MLB World Series, CFL Grey Cup, NFL Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NHL Playoffs, and the FIFA World Cup – served as the primary growth engines for conventional broadcast viewing. Numeris says audiences are increasingly treating live television as an anchor for tentpole events, while migrating across streaming, audio, and social channels.

The top broadcast moment of the year was Game 7 of the MLB World Series on Sportsnet, which achieved the highest national ratings. In French-language Quebec, SRC’s annual Bye Bye 2025 special claimed the honour.

Core conventional TV viewing outside of sports was sustained by returning and new series, including High Potential, Chanteurs masqués, STAT, Indéfendable, 9-1-1, The Amazing Race Canada, Survivor, and La Voix.

Video streaming preferences regional

While YouTube commands the largest single share of the Canadian streaming landscape at 35%, the study highlights regional trends in media habits.

In Quebec, for example, social video dominates accounting for 33% of streaming, driven by platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Video, and Snapchat. Comparatively, YouTube leads video streaming in Ontario and Atlantic Canada (37%), with a more balanced mix of viewing habits across Western Canada, split between social video, YouTube and Prime Video.

Prime Video logged the clearest long-term growth trajectory, building from 15% share in the fall to 19% by summer. Meanwhile, Netflix experienced a winter spike (11%), propelled by the highly anticipated final season of Stranger Things.

Numeris and MTM data cited in the report indicates 78% of Canadian adults now subscribe to an SVOD service, while 75% used social networking in the past month. A growing number of Canadians are also seeing ads across their SVOD services, including Prime Video (30%), Netflix (18%), and Disney+ (7%). Thirteen per cent subscribe to YouTube Premium.

Radio habits remain solid

While video formats saw seasonal volatility, radio consumption maintained a steady baseline throughout 2025–26. Numeris says overall format distribution showed minimal change quarter-over-quarter, led consistently by All News/Talk (32% market share) and Adult Contemporary (18%).

All News/Talk holds the largest overall audience, but skews noticeably older. Conversely, Hot AC boasts the strongest female audience, while Adult Contemporary holds a balanced, female-leaning core. All Sports/Talk continues to deliver the strongest male concentration. At the younger end of the spectrum, mainstream Top 40/Urban and Modern/Alternative Rock attracted some of radio’s youngest audiences.

Beyond radio, 38% of Canadian adults are listening to podcasts in a typical week, according to data supplied by Numeris, with Spotify leading audio streaming (38%), followed by Apple Music (12%) and Amazon Music (8%).

Ad spend follows seasonal rhythms

Numeris says advertisers reallocated budget across TV and radio to align with seasonal health needs, leisure travel, and pop-culture moments.

Radio advertising followed a distinct seasonal rhythm, with retail especially prominent heading into the holidays, rising from 33% in November to 37% in December, with increased activity from brands including Spence Diamonds, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sleep Country, Indigo, and Sephora. After the holidays, Hotels & Travel recorded its largest share in January at 4.5%, supported by increased advertising from SellOffVacations, Sunwing, and Air Transat as winter travel activity picked up.

Government and public-sector advertising then became more prominent through late winter, with Education, Government, and PSAs accounting for more than 7% of insertions in both February and March. Automotive followed with a strong spring, representing nearly 15% of radio insertions in April, alongside increased activity from Toyota, Ford, Subaru and other automakers.

By summer, recreation represented more than 8% of insertions from June through August, while Telecommunications climbed to 7% in August, supported by stronger activity from Bell, Crave, Freedom Mobile, Koodo and Fido.

On the TV side, Retail and Entertainment, Media, and Leisure categories took a larger share heading into the holiday season, with each accounting for about 17% of TV spot impressions in December. Brands such as The Brick, Sleep Country, and Wayfair showed increasing activity through November and December.

Entertainment activity followed a similar pattern. Crave advertising built substantially through November and December, coinciding with increased promotion around new and returning series including Heated Rivalry, Project Runway Canada, Canada’s Drag Race, Shoresy and The Pitt.

Health advertising represented a larger share in January at 11%, consistent with the winter cold and flu period. Automotive accounted for around 10% of impressions in April and May. By summer, Restaurants represented an increasingly large proportion of TV advertising, rising to 14% in June and July and 15% in August, with Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, DQ, and Subway among the most active brands. The FIFA World Cup added another major advertising moment to the summer season, with strong activity from brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola complementing the broader increase in Restaurant and Food/Beverage advertising.

Amid escalating Canada-U.S. trade friction, the Numeris report also includes data from Echo Intelligence revealing a pronounced shift in consumer sentiment toward domestic retailers.

Overall, 58.5% of Canadians, aged 12 and older, expressed a preference for buying from Canadian online retailers in Fall 2025 (up from 54.6% a year earlier). The change was especially notable among younger Canadians, aged 12-24, where agreement climbed from 33% to nearly 50%.