MTM has published a series of reports that explore how English speakers interact with media and technology, highlighting both similarities and variations between different provinces and cities in Canada. The reports contain the combined findings of interviews with 7,478 anglophone respondents conducted between fall 2022 and spring 2023. In this first entry, we look at data from Toronto, Montreal, and the Atlantic provinces.

Toronto

The MTM report found that internet usage is extremely high for both Toronto residents (97%) and the general English-speaking Canadian population (96%). Compared to the rest of the anglophone respondents, Torontonians are more likely to access internet through smartphones (93% vs. 90%), tablets (74% vs. 70%), laptops (96% vs. 92%) and internet-connected TVs (77% vs. 73%).

However, they are slightly less disconnected from TV than the English-speaking Canadian population (2% vs. 4%). Around 42% of TV subscribers prefer Rogers and another 38% like Bell. The remainder opt for service through smaller providers, such as Cogeco (4%), Shaw (1%) and Virgin TV (1%). According to MTM, Bell and Rogers provide more than three-quarters of internet in Toronto.

Torontonians are also more likely to subscribe to a paid TV service (74% vs. 68%). They use many of the same SVOD services as the rest of English-speaking Canadians, but they subscribe to these platforms more than the general population (87% vs. 82%). Around 76% of them use Netflix, 63% Amazon Prime Video, 38% Disney+, 19% Apple TV+, and 31% Crave. Approximately 90% opt for AVOD services.

On the audio side, MTM found that citizens of Toronto are are more likely to consume audio content online than the rest of the English-speaking population. Around 84% consume streaming audio, while 28% prefer AM/FM online. Some 61% subscribe to a streaming music service and 48% say they listen to podcasts.

They consume social networks just as much as their English-speaking counterparts, although they use specific sites more frequently, including X (34%), LinkedIn (41%), Instagram (55%) and WhatsApp (56%). They are also more likely to access news across all platforms, including TV news channels (74%) and social networks (40%).

Montreal

The MTM research discovered that 95% of Montreal’s English-speaking population uses internet. They are mostly on par with English-speaking Canadians when it comes to owning screen devices. However, the rest of the English-speaking population uses more internet-connected TVs (73% Canadians vs. 61% people in Montreal). Overall, 92% of citizens of Montreal use laptops, 88% smartphones, and 69% tablets.

They are more likely to disconnect from TV (7% vs. 4% of anglophones) and less likely to subscribe to a TV service than the average Canadian English speaker.

About 42% prefer Bell and another 41% are subscribers to Videotron. Bell and Videotron provide internet to more than three-quarters of English-speaking households in Montreal, according to the report.

AVOD are their favorite platform, with 85% of locals choosing it, while 79% of them consume content on an SVOD platform. Around 65% of respondents use Netflix, 50% Amazon Prime Video, 27% Disney+, 18% Apple TV+ and 23% Crave.

And they are high consumers of audio online – 78% of them consume streaming audio, while 26% listen to AM/FM online. Around 58% listen to music on YouTube and 37% listen to podcasts.

People in Montreal also use LinkedIn (33%), WhatsApp (42%) and Telegram (9%) more than the rest of the population. And across all platforms, Montreal English speakers read less news than their Canadian counterparts.

The Atlantic provinces

Internet usage is very high among Canadians living in the Atlantic provinces – 95% of them have access to internet, with 72% using tablets to go online, 87% laptops, 84% cell phones and 69% internet-connected TVs.

They are less likely to disconnect from TV than the rest of the population, and 82% of them subscribe to pay-TV services.

Around 54% of TV subscribers rely on Bell, while 16% prefer Rogers. Remaining Atlantic Canadians opt for Shaw and Eastlink. According to MTM, Bell and Rogers provide three out of four locals with internet at home.

The report found that 65% of locals use Netflix, 54% Amazon Prime Video, 37% Disney+, 11% Apple TV+ and 24% Crave. They consume both AVOD and SVOD services equally (81% each).

Atlantic region residents are also less likely to stream audio than the average Canadian. Some 73% listen to streaming audio, 25% consume AM/FM online and 52% use a music streaming service. Around 35% listen to podcasts.

Their use of specific social networks, such as Instagram (34%) and WhatsApp (18%), is lower. They are more likely to use Pinterest (27%) than the rest of the population.

And when it comes to news, they are more likely to consume this content on TV (60% vs. 56%) but less likely to read news online from a newspaper’s website or app (15% vs. 22%).

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