MTM’s latest report shows that TV viewing in other languages is becoming more widespread among youth in Canada, with the majority of French speakers watching content in their second official language.

Twenty-one percent of English-speaking children watch TV and movies in French each week, while 49% of French-speaking children consume content in English. On a monthly basis, the numbers remain high, especially among Francophones, with 66% of them watching content in English. About 28% of English speakers consume French content on a monthly basis.

Native-born Canadians are more likely to watch content in their second official language. About 26% of racialized Anglophones watch in French, while 59% of racialized Francophones consume in English. Half of Francophone kids watch content in English as of 2021, according to the report.

Going further, MTM shows that younger English-speaking children (2-to-6-year-olds) are more likely to watch content in French, compared to older age groups. Meanwhile, French-speaking teenagers age 12 to 17 are more likely than any other group to watch in English (61%).

The number of English-speaking respondents consuming in French varies in each province. About 30% of English-speaking respondents in the Atlantic region say they consume in French, while 21% of those in British Columbia and Ontario do the same, and 15% do so in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Half of English-speaking children living in Quebec watch content in French.

The report also found that consumption of French-language content is higher among English-speaking kids living in households with a university-level education (24% vs. 18% of households without). Half of French-speaking children view content in English, regardless of the highest level of education in their household.