Recommendations from friends, family and colleagues are the most popular way for Canadians to choose what to watch and listen to, according to Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
The company has released two reports showing the different methods Canadians use to discover new TV and audio content. Both studies include a total of 4,797 surveys of Canadians conducted in spring 2023.
The reports found that 67% of respondents listen to the recommendations of the people they spend time with to watch TV shows, while 72% do so to find movies. Around 54% and 64% also learn about new music and podcasts, respectively, thanks to other people’s suggestions. English speakers are more likely to ask for recommendations on music (54%), podcasts (66%), movies (74%) and TV shows (69%).
Personalized recommendations from SVODs and streaming music services rank as the second most common method among respondents searching for content, especially among younger consumers.
Around 75% of 18- to 34-year-olds follow recommendations from audio streaming services to listen to music, while 52% think these platforms are a good source for locating new podcasts. Fifty-six percent also look to SVODs recommendations to explore TV shows. And English speakers rely more on the algorithm’s recommendations to find all types of content.
Online ads are the fourth most popular source for consumers to learn about new content – they are more common for discovering video content (25% movies and 24% TV shows) than audio (16% podcasts and 9% music).
Forty-seven percent of French-speaking viewers say they select what they watch thanks to radio and TV commercials, while only 32% of English-speakers cite this method. People over 65 are most likely to find content through spots on TV and radio (51%).
Social networks are also a popular place for Candians, especially among younger ones. Some 50% and 51% of 18- to 34-year-olds say they turn to them to find video and audio content, respectively. Surprisingly, people over 65 are more likely to use social networks to discover new podcasts than those between the ages of 50 and 64.
And AM/FM radio? It also made the list of the two reports. Older respondents are more likely to listen to AM/FM radio to learn about new podcasts (33%) and music (61%) than younger ones. And women are more likely to use AM/FM to find podcasts (21%), as well as music (55%), according to the studies.
