Canada’s telecom and broadcasting sectors generated $67.6 billion in 2017: CRTC

Canada’s telecom watchdog tabulated that the country’s telecommunications and broadcasting sectors generated approximately $67.6 billion CAD in 2017.

According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) latest annual Communications Monitoring Report, telecommunications revenues accounted for an astounding $50.3 billion CAD of revenue.

Broadcasting generated $17.3 billion CAD, accounting for 26 percent of the telecom and broadcasting sectors’ revenue.

While the telecom sector witnessed a 3.2 percent growth over 2016, the broadcasting sector witnessed a 3.3 percent decline compared to 2016.

Unsurprisingly, Canada’s most populated regions accounted for the greatest amount of revenue.

Ontario and Quebec generated $24.5 billion and $12.3 billion, respectively.

Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan generated $11.9 billion between the three provinces.

British Columbia and the Canadian north generated $8.4 billion, while the Atlantic provinces accounted for $4.1 billion of the total $67.6 billion figure.

It’s worth noting that the discretionary and on-demand television services and direct-to-home satellite television services generated $4.4 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively.

Canada’s top five communications services groups — Bell, Quebecor, Rogers, Shaw and Telus — accounted for 85 percent of the country’s total telecommunications and broadcasting revenues, an increase from 2016’s 81 percent.

The Rogers group represented the country’s greatest generators of communications revenues, followed by the Bell group, the Telus group, the Shaw group and the Quebecor group.

Interestingly enough, Canada’s cable-based carriers saw 76.3 percent of the revenues generated from telecommunications services.

The CRTC defines cable-based carriers as “the former cable monopolies currently providing telecommunications services.”

Source: CRTC