Canadian Media Means Business

A new report from Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB), produced by Nordicity, reveals that Canada’s media and advertising industry is far larger and more economically vital than most people realise. For the first time, the study quantifies the total economic footprint of the sector — and the numbers are striking.

In 2023, Canadian media and advertising contributed $22.6 billion to GDP and supported 195,520 jobs across the country. That includes 138,000 people directly employed in the sector, more than in automotive manufacturing, telecommunications, or mining. When indirect, induced, and spillover effects are added, media emerges as one of Canada’s true economic powerhouses.

The report goes beyond headline numbers. It shows that every $1 million invested in Canadian-owned advertising creates 8.2 jobs and adds another $1 million to GDP, a one-to-one return that few industries can match. It also highlights how advertising supports other sectors — from journalism and local news to Canadian television and music. In 2023, ad spending underwrote $1.4 billion in Canadian-content television, sustained 11,900 journalism jobs, and generated $286 million in municipal revenues through out-of-home advertising on public infrastructure.

But the study also sounds a warning. Between 2017 and 2022, $7.5 billion in Canadian ad spending left the country, flowing instead to global digital platforms. Today, 92 per cent of digital ad dollars go to non-Canadian companies, draining revenue from domestic newsrooms, broadcasters, and creative services.

The takeaway is clear: supporting Canadian media is not just a cultural choice — it’s an economic one. Keeping advertising dollars in Canada sustains jobs, strengthens communities, and reinforces a healthy democracy. 

You can get the report at www.canadianmediameansbusiness.ca