Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Television in Canada - statistics & facts
From its beginning in the 1940s until today, the history of the Canadian television industry is tied to that of the United States. In fact, the influence of Canada’s southern neighbor started before the establishment of the first local television station, when many Canadians living close to the U.S. border were accessing American television content from cities such as Cleveland, Seattle, or Detroit. The first Canadian television stations were not launched until 1952, under the banner of the government-created CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). At that time, owning a TV set was still considered somewhat of a luxury. Some 70 years later, the number of pay TV subscribers in Canada and overall TV consumption are on a downward path as new broadcast innovations and streaming services capture the attention of a growing audience.
