CBC television ad revenue drops nearly 10 percent, government subsidies continue to rise

by Clare Marie Merkowsky

(LifeSiteNews) — The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) TV advertising revenue dropped nearly 10 percent last year.

According to CBC’s 2023-2024 annual report, television advertisement revenue fell from $215,501 in 2023 to $194,746 in 2024, a 9.6% drop which the outlet admitted they do not expect to regain in the foreseeable future.

“We expect TV advertising revenue to continue to decline as TV audiences decrease,” said the CBC’s latest Annual Report, blaming the lost revenue on a “a softer TV advertising market.”

In a Corporate Plan Summary tabled in the Commons and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, the CBC explained that “Canadians, especially younger Canadians, continue to transition away from traditional television and radio services to digital platforms.”

“Trends over the past 10 years indicate traditional television and radio audiences will continue to erode as younger Canadians are embracing digital technologies,” the report continued.

Instead, the CBC claimed that “sustaining overall advertising revenue in the long term is dependent on digital advertising revenue.” While CBC’s digital advertising revenue did grow from $73,139 in 2023 to $75,285 in 2024, the 2.6% increase was not enough to counteract their lowering TV ads.

Overall, the outlet’s advertisement revenue fell 6.4%, from $288,640 in 2023 to $270,031 in 2024.

While the CBC’s overall revenue dropped 4.3% in 2024, funding from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government increased 13% from $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion.

Despite massive government payouts, the CBC’s viewership remains low, as recently pointed out by Dr. Jordan Peterson, who wrote, ““1.4 billion per year: CBC subsidies from @JustinTrudeau. Not counting paid ads.”