This report provides a detailed analysis of the video streaming ecosystem in Canada. Covering a range of areas including consumer behaviour, device usage and market trends, this report throws light on the dominance of Netflix in the Canadian market, the popularity of smartphones and Smart TVs for streaming and the burgeoning trend of live-streamed content among younger viewers. It also discusses the challenges faced by the streaming industry and outlines opportunities to attract and retain subscribers with compelling content and effective marketing strategies.
The report contains strategic insights into major streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Netflix, and examines significant challenges like streaming fatigue and economic constraints. Demographic shifts and the importance of diversity and inclusivity in marketing and media are key themes.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Consumer usage of paid and free streaming service platforms
- Devices used to stream video
- Content associations with popular streaming brands
- Hours spent watching paid and free streaming services
- General attitudes towards ads on streaming services
Netflix thrives, despite industry challenges like streaming fatigue and economic concerns. YouTube leads in free platforms. For success, brands must target Canada's diverse, evolving audience with quality, inclusive content.
Michael Lloy, Research Analyst
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Target the younger demographic
- Free platforms have the opportunity for conversion
- Brands need to prioritize diversity and inclusion
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The Market
- Market context
- Economic challenges and streaming fatigue present barriers for video streaming brands
- Market drivers
- Costs remain elevated for Canadians
- Graph 1: Consumer Price Index, 2020-24
- August 2024 CPI eases to 2.0% amid Gasoline price drop; implications for streaming services noted
- Inflation continues to be a primary concern for Canadians across all age groups, but it is particularly troubling for older Canadians
- Graph 2: top three concerns over the next six months (% any rank), 2024
- Canadians' higher savings rates persist post pandemic amid inflation and economic uncertainty
- Graph 3: household savings rate, 2019-24
- Canada's demographic shift: the growing importance of genuine diversity in marketing and media
- Graph 4: proportion of visible minority in Canada, 1981-2036 (projected)
- Canada's aging population: brands must adapt engagement strategies for growing elderly demographic
- Graph 5: population aged 0-14 and 65+ (2000-40, projected)
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Consumer Insights
- Streaming devices
- The vast majority of consumers are streaming video via smartphone
- Graph 6: devices used to stream video, 2024
- Streaming devices and second screen usage
- Niche streaming devices are used more commonly by men
- Graph 7: devices used to stream video (select), by gender, 2024
- Age also plays a role in how consumers stream video
- Graph 8: devices used to stream video, by age, 2024
- Black and South Asian consumers are more likely to utilize smartphones and laptops to stream video
- Graph 9: devices used to stream video (select), by race, 2024
- Consumers are more likely to utilize Smart TVs for paid video streaming services
- Graph 10: devices currently used to stream video, by paid vs free streaming, 2024
- Amazon promoted the speed of its specific streaming devices across social media
- Paid streaming services
- A significant portion of the population are active on paid streaming platforms
- Paid streaming consumers are spending 13 hours a week consuming content
- Netflix dominates paid streaming video market share
- Graph 11: paid streaming video service used in the past three months, 2024
- Younger consumers prefer Netflix, Disney+ and Youtube Premium
- Graph 12: paid streaming service used in the past three months, by age, 2024
- Black and South Asian consumers have different paid content consumption habits when compared to consumers overall
- Graph 13: paid video streaming services used in the past thee months (select), by race, 2024
- Brands that centre and promote diverse content will find success in Canada moving forward
- Newer Canadians are significantly more likely to be subscribed to YouTube Premium and Netflix
- Graph 14: streaming services used in the past three months, newer Canadians vs overall, 2024
- Mothers and fathers have different viewing habits
- Graph 15: paid streaming service used in in the past three months, by parental status, 2024
- LGBTQ+ consumers have clear platform preferences
- Graph 16: paid streaming services used in the past three months, LGBTQ+ consumers vs overall, 2024
- Some consumers have clear criticisms of paid streaming services, affecting engagement and usage
- Graph 17: attitudes towards streaming services (% agree), by age, 2024
- Free streaming services
- Free video hosting sees similar usage to paid video hosting
- Free video streaming platforms need to target younger viewers and diverse audiences for maximum streaming engagement
- Younger consumers are significantly more likely to prefer live streamed content over scripted shows
- YouTube dominates the video streaming usage in Canada
- Graph 18: free video streaming services used in the past three months, 2024
- Significantly more younger consumers are engaging with the majority of free video platforms
- Graph 19: "top" free video streaming services used in the past three months, by age, 2024
- Younger consumers dominate activity on tiertary streaming sites
- Graph 20: "other" free video streaming services used in the past three months, by age, 2024
- Despite young women more likely to have used YouTube over the past three months, younger men are more avid daily users
- Graph 21: daily social media usage, those 18-34 by gender, 2024
- There is a clear opportunity for YouTube to convert unpaid users
- Graph 22: YouTube vs YouTube Premium used in the past three months, by age, 2024
- Due to the nature of many free video-hosting sites, many lose out on revenue due to support for individual content creators
- Graph 23: "I will purchase a paid subscription to a particular streamer or YouTuber if I enjoy their content" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Having diverse content creators on a platform can be very beneficial for streaming brands
- Graph 24: Canada, "I will purchase a paid subscription to a particular streamer or YouTuber if I enjoy their content", Black and South Asian consumers vs overall, 2024
- Attitudes towards content
- Content is king for consumers
- For the most part, Netflix is winning the public perception war over content
- Graph 25: streaming service content attributes, 2024
- Netflix leads with most content associations
- Among its many strengths, Netflix stands out for its content variety and original film library
- Graph 26: content-related attributes, by streamer, 2024
- Men over the age are significantly more likely to feel that Amazon Prime has high quality content
- Graph 27: high quality content attributes for Amazon Prime, by age and gender, 2024
- With the importance of content to streaming business models, brands should worry about perceptions of declining quality
- Netflix has recently introduced gaming, providing a use for the service once video content is exhausted
- Streaming brands reach relative parity in reality and guilty pleasure content
- Graph 28: TV content-related attributes, by streamer, 2024
- In line with declining perceptions, poorly-implemented adaptations can also do lasting brand damage
- Graph 29: for my favourite IPs (eg video game or movie franchises), I would prefer no screen adaptation over a bad adaptation (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Women have specific content expectations from Netflix
- Graph 30: original episodic TV shows as an attribute for Disney+, by age and gender, 2024
- Graph 31: Netflix content attributes, by age and gender, 2024
- Promoting content is just as important as hosting it
- Disney+ pulls ahead on family-friendly and kids content
- Graph 32: family-related attributed, by streamers, 2024
- Mothers are significantly more likely to feel that Disney+ is good for kids
- Graph 33: family and kid content attributes for Disney+, moms vs dads, 2024
- Spotlight: attitudes towards ads
- Consumers primarily associate ad-free content with Netflix
- Nearly all consumers don't mind ads on free platforms, but significantly less are willing to pay more to avoid them
- Graph 34: attitudes towards ads in streaming video (% agree), 2024
- Disney+ engages directly with its social audience to promote its ad-free tiers
- Some women are more likely to be willing to pay less for an ad-supported subscription tier
- Graph 35: "I would pay a lower price for a subscription tier that included advertisements" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Conversely, younger men are significantly more likely to pay more for a subscription tier without ads
- Graph 36: "I would pay more for a subscription tier without advertisements" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Black and South Asian consumers are also more likely to pay more for ad-free tiers
- Graph 37: "I would pay more for a subscription tier without advertisements" (% agree), Black and South Asian consumers vs overall, 2024
- Older consumers are more likely to pay attention to longer ads
- Graph 38: "I usually pay more attention to shorter ads than longer ads when streaming video" (% agree), by age, 2024
- Spotlight: diversity and inclusion
- Netflix stands out to Canadian consumers as the best platform for diverse, inclusive and foreign content
- Graph 39: diverse and foreign content attributes, by streamers, 2024
- Younger consumers are typically more keyed in to who has diverse and inclusive content
- Graph 40: diverse and inclusive content associations by brand, by age, 2024
- Younger consumers are also typically more keyed into foreign content on videos streaming services
- Graph 41: foreign content attributes, by brand and age, 2024
- Black Canadians are more likely to associate platforms with diverse and inclusive content
- Graph 42: diverse and inclusive content attributes, by brand and race, 2024
- A sizeable minority of consumers want to see themselves represented in media
- Graph 43: "I prefer watching content with actors/influencers that look like me" (% agree), by age, 2024
- However, brands need to be careful not to promote stereotypes or stir controversy
- Graph 44: "I would cancel my subscription if a streaming service or influencer hosted offensive content" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
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Competitive strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Crave shows a clear dedication to Canadian content
- Brands are increasingly adding interactive viewing experiences
- Netflix implemented an Indigenous storytelling initiative
- Disney+ implements AR features
- Twitch rolls out new community building tools
- Subscription managers can help consumers take back control of their wallets, so brands need to work on engagement
- Marketing and advertising
- Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are the most widely utilized platforms on a daily basis
- Graph 45: daily social media usage, by age, 2024
- Video streaming brands are finding high engagement on TikTok
- Cross-channel promotion can get consumers engaged on multiple platforms
- Content promotions are common for streaming services
- Content marketing and influencers: controversy and clicks
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Appendix
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Consumer qualitative research
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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