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Canadian Media and Advertising Sector Contributes $22.6 Billion to GDP but Faces Critical Job Losses Due to Declining Digital Ad Revenue  

TORONTO, ON, April 21, 2026 –The latest Canadian Media Means Business report reveals that Canada's media and advertising sector reached a critical watershed moment in 2024. While the industry remains a silent economic giant, employing more people than traditional pillars like auto manufacturing and mining, it is navigating profound structural changes. Most notably, this volatility has triggered severe workforce contractions, resulting in a rapid and painful loss of jobs for journalists and editors. 

"Foreign tech platforms are siphoning our ad dollars and starving Canadian media," said Sarah Thompson, Project Leader, Canadian Media Means Business. "This industry is a massive economic engine, yet we are bleeding capital while the broader ad market grows. Canadian media demands sovereignty and investment, not surrender." 

The 2024 data show trends similar to those in 2023: Canada's media sector is a major part of the national economy. However, it receives disproportionately less public financial support than other industries. 

• In 2024, the sector's total economic impact contributed $22.6 billion to Canada's GDP. 

• The industry supports 193,120 jobs across Canada, 73,120 of which are directly supported by advertising sales. 

• According to Statistics Canada data analyzed in the report, there were 137,600 direct jobs in the media industries. 

• This makes the media sector a significantly larger direct employer than auto manufacturing (129,000 jobs), mining (83,000 jobs), and telecommunications (76,000 jobs). 

• Despite this scale, federal support for the media and advertising sector amounted to just over $2.1 billion in 2024, starkly contrasting the estimated $5 billion in public funding commitments the auto industry has received since 2020. 

The report highlights that non-Canadian digital platforms now control nearly all domestic ad spending, which is the primary driver of the industry's domestic decline. 

• In 2017, non-Canadian digital platforms captured 76% of Canadian digital ad spending. 

• By 2024, 94% of digital ad dollars will flow to foreign platforms rather than remain in the Canadian ecosystem. 

• Conversely, every incremental $1 million invested in Canadian-owned advertising platforms yields an estimated 8.23 jobs and a $1 million contribution to Canada's GDP. 

"Think about it this way: for every $100 a brand spends on advertising in this country, $74 immediately leaves Canada," said Thompson. "We are only keeping $26 to fund our own local news, our creators, and our jobs. We are losing control of quality advertising environments for Canadian advertisers to connect with customers and grow their businesses." 

Although the total number of direct jobs in the sector dropped only slightly to 137,600 in 2024, the composition of the workforce is shifting rapidly. Digital infrastructure and agency roles are growing, but traditional media and news roles are contracting. 

• Jobs in Advertising, Public Relations, and other information services grew by a combined 2,500 positions. 

• In contrast, newspaper, periodical, and directory publishing lost 1,800 jobs, while radio and TV broadcasting lost 1,100 jobs in just one year. 

• Between 2019 and 2024, traditional media subsectors lost more than 11,000 jobs. 

• Newspapers were affected the most, shedding over 30% of their workforce since 2019. 

• Between 2023 and 2024, the news industry lost 1,000 professional jobs, specifically an estimated 600 journalist positions and 400 editor roles. 

• Despite these losses, journalism remains a high-value sector; it contributed $1.16 billion to Canada's GDP in 2024, and total labour income increased as the remaining workforce became more concentrated among senior staff. 

The economic impact varies regionally, revealing a stark divergence. Ontario remained steady, generating $5.3 billion in direct GDP and supporting 41,220 direct jobs. Western Canada, on the other hand, saw a severe contraction: British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba collectively lost 5,310 jobs and $710 million in GDP over twelve months. Manitoba was especially hard-hit, losing 46.5% of its media workforce. In contrast, Quebec gained 1,950 jobs, proving that cultural protection policies can translate directly into economic resilience. Nova Scotia also emerged as a primary growth engine, with jobs rising by 95.5% to reach 1,310 positions, largely due to the expansion of provincial incentive funds. 

About Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) is a strategic consortium of the nation's leading media owners and industry associations. Their primary objective is to demonstrate that investing in domestic media is not just a cultural necessity but a powerful economic engine for the country. Founded by Sarah Thompson, the organization advocates for action to stop the leak of dollars to foreign platforms and champions the domestic sector's $22.6 billion total GDP impact. For more details and to read the full report, please visit canadianmediameansbusiness.ca. 

About Nordicity Nordicity is a leading international consulting firm providing private and public sector clients with solutions for economic analysis, strategy and business, and policy and regulation across three priority sectors: arts, culture and heritage; creative industries; and digital strategy and innovation. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and London, UK, Nordicity is ideally placed to help its clients succeed in rapidly evolving global markets. 

Contacts

For CMMB:

Sarah Thompson

For Nordicity:

Dustin Chodorowicz

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CANADIAN MEDIA SECTOR POWERS ECONOMY AS IT FACES EXISTENTIAL THREATS, NEW ECONOMIC REPORT REVEALS

Canadian Media Means Business is the First Study of Its Kind

Toronto, ON – August 27, 2025 – A groundbreaking new report from Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB), developed by Nordicity, reveals that Canada’s media and advertising sector is a vital economic engine, supporting nearly 170,000 jobs and contributing an estimated $21 billion (all amounts in Canadian dollars, without adjustment for inflation) to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).  

The study finds that every $1,000,000 invested in Canadian advertising generates 8.2 jobs, $630,000 in salaries, and $1,000,000 in GDP. The Canadian media and advertising sector is facing an increasing threat as advertising dollars shift away from the domestic market.

Using data from Statistics Canada, ThinkTV, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), IAB Canada, and Nordicity’s MyEIA™ economic impact model, along with information from supporting associations and other sources, the report demonstrates the sector’s economic importance and its increasing vulnerability. 

“Media in Canada is under threat for a multitude of reasons — it’s a critical part of Canada’s economic and cultural sectors to help our businesses grow and charities fundraise, and connects to multiple layers of our jobs, and industries — it is a foundation for our economy,” said Sarah Thompson, Executive Managing Director, Glassroom and project leader for CMMB. “Every dollar spent on Canadian media returns a dollar to our GDP.  It’s smart economics to sustain our industry, as it supports our entire media economy, including marketing and advertising jobs, and businesses.

Key Findings:

• The Canadian media and advertising sector supported 169,160 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in 2023, including direct, indirect, and induced employment. With spillover impacts, this employment impact was 196,970 FTE jobs.

• The sector generated $20.96 billion in GDP in 2023. With spillover impacts, this GDP impact was $22.6 billion.

• Advertising investment in Canada supported 75,840 direct FTE jobs and directly contributed $9.7 billion to Canada’s GDP (i.e., employment and GDP generated directly within Canada’s media and advertising industries, including the advertising and public relations industry, online advertising platforms, television, radio, print and out-of-home advertising).

• Between 2017 and 2022, Canada lost an estimated $7.5 billion in advertising revenue to foreign digital platforms.

• With 92% of digital ad dollars now going to non-Canadian platforms, the sustainability of Canadian media is in jeopardy.

“The study is a first in Canada and the world. Often, we are looking purely at the advertising dollars as a gauge of the sector’s economic health and importance; we forget the direct, indirect, induced and spillover jobs that are also part of the sector and its economic ripple effect,” said Dustin Chodorowicz, CFA, Partner, Nordicity. “This work required the compilation and reconciliation of multiple data sources and factors, and as we keep peeling that economic onion, we have been conservative with our estimates and have discovered that the media and advertising sector’s importance for the Canadian economy was much greater than we originally thought.”

“We are witnessing a collapse of our media ecosystem that kick-started post-COVID, and the dollars invested have not returned,” said Thompson. “Without urgent action, we risk losing not just jobs, but our national voice, culture, points of view and our independence. Advertisers supporting Canadian media get a quality environment and the ability to sustain our economic power as a nation.”

Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) is a consortium of associations and media organizations in Canada, comprising Adapt Media, Bell Media, Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Cogeco, Friends of Canadian Media, Glacier Media Group, La Presse, Pattison, ThinkTV and Village Media.  The Garden,  a member of the Humanise Collective, created the brand identity and campaign. Additionally, CMMB is collaborating with NABS Canada to support fundraising efforts through branded merchandise featuring the CMMB logo. 

Visit www.canadianmediameansbusiness.ca for more information.

Contacts

For CMMB:

Sarah Thompson

For Nordicity:

Dustin Chodorowicz

L’ÉCOSYSTÈME MÉDIATIQUE CANADIEN, PUISSANT MOTEUR DE NOTRE ÉCONOMIE, FAIT FACE À DES MENACES EXISTENTIELLES, SELON UN NOUVEAU RAPPORT 

L’étude Nos médias connaissent leur affaire est la première du genre au monde

TORONTO, ON, le 27 août 2025 – Un nouveau rapport inédit, réalisé par Nordicity pour le compte du consortium Nos médias connaissent leur affaire (NMCLA), révèle que le secteur canadien des médias et de la publicité constitue un puissant moteur de l’économie. En effet, l’écosystème médiatique représente quelque 170 000 emplois et contribue à hauteur de 21 G$ au produit intérieur brut (PIB) du Canada (tous les montants sont en dollars canadiens, sans ajustement pour l’inflation).

Selon l’analyse, chaque million de dollars investi en publicité au Canada crée 8,2 emplois, génère 630 000 $ en salaires et ajoute 1 M$ au PIB. Mais le secteur est de plus en plus menacé, les dépenses publicitaires étant massivement détournées à l’extérieur du marché national.

À partir de données de Statistique Canada, de ThinkTV, du Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes (CRTC), du Bureau de la publicité interactive du Canada, et du modèle de retombées économiques MyEIA™ de Nordicity, ainsi que d’informations provenant d’associations de soutien et d’autres sources, le rapport démontre l’importance vitale du secteur pour l’économie canadienne, tout en tirant la sonnette d’alarme quant à sa vulnérabilité croissante.

« Les médias au Canada sont menacés pour de multiples raisons. Ce secteur joue un rôle capital dans les sphères économiques et culturelles du pays, en aidant les entreprises d’ici à fleurir et les organismes de bienfaisance à amasser des fonds. En outre, les médias constituent l’un des piliers du marché de l’emploi et de nos industries : ils sont au fondement de notre économie », déclare Sarah Thompson, directrice générale exécutive de Glassroom, et cheffe de projet pour NMCLA. « Concrètement, chaque dollar dépensé dans les médias canadiens rapporte un dollar à notre PIB. Soutenir économiquement notre industrie, c’est donc un choix judicieux qui permet d’alimenter l’ensemble de notre écosystème médiatique en créant des emplois en marketing et en publicité, et en faisant croître du même coup nos entreprises. »

Principales conclusions du rapport :

• On dénombrait 169 160 emplois équivalents temps plein (ETP) en 2023 dans le secteur canadien des médias et de la publicité, ce qui comprenait les emplois directs, indirects et induits. Par effet d’entraînement, le nombre d’emplois ETP s’élevait à 196 970.

• Le secteur a généré 20,96 G$ de PIB en 2023. Si l’on tient compte des retombées indirectes, l’impact sur le PIB s’élevait à 22,6 G$.

• Les investissements publicitaires au Canada ont soutenu 75 840 emplois ETP directs et ont contribué à hauteur de 9,7 G$ au PIB du Canada (c.-à-d. les emplois et le PIB générés directement dans le secteur au pays, ce qui comprend l’industrie de la publicité et des relations publiques, les plateformes publicitaires en ligne, la télévision, la radio, les médias imprimés et la publicité extérieure).

• Entre 2017 et 2022, le Canada a perdu environ 7,5 G$ en revenus publicitaires aux mains de plateformes numériques étrangères.

• Désormais, près de 92 % des dépenses publicitaires numériques vont à ces plateformes, ce qui menace la viabilité de l’écosystème médiatique canadien.

« Cette étude est la première du genre au Canada, et dans le monde. Souvent, nous considérons uniquement les dépenses publicitaires pour évaluer la vitalité économique et l’importance de ce secteur. On oublie ainsi de tenir compte des emplois directs, indirects, induits et d’autres qui, par effet d’entraînement, en font également partie », explique Dustin Chodorowicz, CFA et partenaire chez Nordicity. « Ce travail a nécessité la compilation et le couplage de multiples sources de données et de différents facteurs. À mesure que nous avons approfondi notre analyse, basée sur une estimation prudente, nous avons découvert que le secteur des médias et de la publicité revêtait pour l’économie canadienne une importance bien plus grande que nous l’avions envisagé au départ. »

« Depuis la fin de la COVID, nous assistons à l’effondrement de notre écosystème médiatique, et constatons que l’argent investi n’a pas été rentabilisé », souligne Sarah Thompson. « Il y a urgence d’agir : si nous ne prenons pas des mesures immédiatement, ce n’est pas seulement des emplois que nous risquons de voir disparaitre, mais aussi notre voix nationale, notre culture, nos points de vue et notre indépendance. En soutenant les médias canadiens, les annonceurs publicitaires jouissent d’un environnement de qualité et contribuent à maintenir la puissance économique de notre nation. 

À propos de Nos médias connaissent leur affaire

NMCLA est un consortium d’associations et d’organisations médiatiques canadiennes, dont Adapt Media, Bell Média, l’Association canadienne des radiodiffuseurs, Cogeco, Glacier Media, les Amis des médias canadiens, La Presse, Pattison, ThinkTV et Village Media. Le logo et la campagne ont été conçus et développés par The Garden, membre du Collectif Humanise. NMCLAbénéficie de l’appui du NABS Canada dans ses efforts de collecte de fonds issus de la vente de marchandises à l’effigie du consortium.

Visitez https://www.canadianmediameansbusiness.ca/homefr pour en savoir plus.