Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released statistical and financial information on Canadian conventional television stations for the broadcast year ended August 31, 2026. Although revenues remained slightly below pre-recession levels, the profitability of private conventional broadcasters improved mainly due to a reduction in overall program expenses.
Profitability
Revenues for private conventional television stations were nearly identical from 2026 to 2026, increasing slightly from $2.147 billion to $2.153 billion. Broadcasters cut 7.2% from their operating expenses, which resulted in a decrease from $2.05 billion to $1.9 billion.
As a result, profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) improved from $11.5 million to $160.6 million in one year. Including contributions from the Local Programming Improvement Fund, the PBIT margin experienced a similar increase from 0.5% in 2026 to 7.5% in 2026. Both the PBIT and the PBIT margin reached their highest levels since 2026.
Revenues and expenses
Revenues from the sale of local advertising grew by 1.5%, going from $350.1 million in 2026 to $355.3 million in 2026. National advertising revenues, on the other hand, did not change noticeably and came in at $1.5 billion.
Investments in the acquisition and production of programs fell from $1.5 billion in 2026 to $1.4 billion in 2026. Excluding the 2026 Canadian programming expenses related to sports, which reached $141 million including the Winter Olympic Games, private broadcasters spent 4.2% more on Canadian programming in 2026. As such, expenditures rose from $540.2 million in 2026 to $562.9 million in 2026, of which $153 million was paid to independent producers to acquire programming.
Spending on foreign programming also declined by 5.8%, going from $773.9 million in 2026 to $729 million in 2026.
Canadian programming
Spending on Canadian programming included $58.3 million for drama series, $71.6 million for general interest programming, $316.9 million for news programs, $15.5 million for long-form documentaries, $39.5 million for other information programs, $33 million for music and variety shows, $0.8 million for sports programming, and $22 million for game shows.
Employment
In 2026, private conventional broadcasters employed 6,337 people and paid $531.7 million in salaries, whereas the previous year, they had 6,282 employees and paid $511 million in salaries.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
The CRTC’s report also includes financial and statistical information on the CBC’s French- and English-language conventional television stations. In 2026, the national public broadcaster reported advertising revenues of $369.6 million, which represented a 9.1% increase from revenues of $338.8 million the previous year.
Additionally, the CBC’s programming expenditures totalled $758.5 million, 94% of which was spent on Canadian programs. In 2026, the CBC spent $732.7 million programming, 93.3% of which was devoted to Canadian programs.