Streaming services and cable TV alike are likely to feel the pinch from Canadians looking to cut costs out of their monthly bills, according to new data from Roku.
Roku’s third annual look at the state of the streaming market polled 2,001 Canadians in a survey conducted by research firm Fuse Insights.
The current macro-economic situation seems to have had an impact on Canadian TV households, with 18% planning to cancel or downgrade their cable or satellite package in the next 12 months, with 47% of respondents looking to make some changes to the selection of TV streaming services they use. This “flexiVOD” trend of making changes to their subscriptions and what is included in them is likely influenced by the fact that 57% of TV streamers feel they have less disposable income than before.
Three-quarters of Canadians (76%) are watching streaming TV, with 52% now streaming through an ad-supported platform. Half of respondents watch sports and other major live TV events through streaming. Roughly 40% have watched a broadcaster’s VOD platform or other free TV streaming services in the last month.
While four in 10 streamers did not watch content through a cable subscription in the last month – a 10% jump from last year’s report – 76% are what Roku calls “TV streamers,” who have access to some form of traditional TV service, in addition to streaming platforms. Half of respondents also said that streaming services alone served all of their needs.
Four in 10 streaming TV viewers watch content in a language that is not English or French, more than double the amount of people who do not use a streaming service. Viewership of foreign language shows is on the rise. More streamers are collectively watching programming with subtitles with 86% of Anglophone streamers and 64% of Francophone streamers preferring to watch foreign language content with subtitles, overtaking dubbed as the most preferred.
The average age of monthly streamers is 44, while the average age of non-streamers is 57. Streamers spend five hours per week with ad-supported services, with 76% taking measurable actions after seeing TV ads. Of those, 21% will consider using QR codes from streaming TV ads in the future.
When it comes to advertising, 47% of Canadians say they’re more likely to pay attention to ads that reflect or are relevant to their mood and 48% say they prefer when the tone of a TV ad matches the program in which they see it. Seven in 10 TV viewers feel there are too many ads on cable TV. This is felt across all generations, but particularly by those aged 55 and over.
