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Canadians are increasingly opting to watch TV through paid streaming platforms such as Netflix or Disney Plus despite the prices of those services continuing to rise.
An annual report released Monday by Convergence Research suggests the introduction of ad-supported basic plans have helped keep momentum going for streamers in the battle against traditional cable and satellite TV providers.
"The revolution's already happened," said Convergence Research president Brahm Eiley.
"The streaming stuff ain't going away. It's not niche. TV is becoming niche."
The firm's 2025 Couch Potato Report — first launched in 2003 — estimated 46 per cent of Canadian households, or a total of 7.35 million, did not have a television subscription with a cable, satellite, or telecom-based provider at the end of last year.
That was up from 42 per cent in 2023 and is forecast to rise to 54 per cent by 2027.
Meanwhile, there was a four per cent decline last year in the number of Canadians subscribed to traditional TV platforms, whose subscription revenue dropped five per cent to around $6.5 billion on an annual basis.
The report forecasts similar annual declines in subscriptions and revenue through 2027.
Despite more Canadians cutting the cord, consumers are paying higher prices compared with previous years for streaming alternatives.
Canadian households that subscribe to one or more digital platforms paid around eight per cent more in 2024 compared with the year prior, said Eiley.
The report said the 10 leading streaming providers raised their prices by an average of six per cent last year for Canadian consumers. Its wider analysis of more than 50 streaming services available in the country showed Canadian subscription revenue grew around 15 per cent year-over-year to $4.2 billion.
"The truth of the matter is the majority of people who subscribe for TV are going to have a (streaming) subscription, but it's not going to be true the other way," said Eiley, noting streaming customers pay for an average of 2.6 platforms per household.
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