Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
Newspapers in Canada - statistics & facts
Printed newspapers in Canada are slowly losing ground. Not unlike in other markets, the format is gradually being replaced by digital versions of longstanding print publications. Printed newspaper circulation revenue still accounts for most of the total but is dropping, with revenue of printed daily newspapers as well as specialized papers affected. At the same time, digital revenue is steadily climbing and increased almost threefold between 2016 and 2022, whereas print circulation declined by around 200 million Canadian dollars in the same period. Both print and digital newspapers, though, have long faced competition from other news outlets offering faster, cheaper, or more current information. So how and where are Canadians reading newspapers?
Consumer willingness to continue to read newspapers, regardless of format, is encouraging for the market. At the same time, however, TV and radio news are overall the more popular offline news sources among English-speaking Canadians. Only 10 percent of respondents to a survey reported using community papers for news they read offline, although such publications remained more popular than Globe and Mail, Fox, and Toronto Star.
Coming back to newspapers in general, the good news for publishers is that Canadians are not ready to let go of the format. Printed newspapers remain the most trusted news source in Canada, and in an era where trust is shaky, reliable institutions offering readers verifiable and legitimate information is key in keep them engaged.
Newspapers and the Canadian consumer
Canadians vary in their preferences for print versus digital newspapers and are also open to combining both formats. Data from a report looking at newspaper reach among Canadians by age group found that over 80 percent of adults read print or digital papers each week. Interestingly, Gen Z and millennials were more engaged with the format than their older peers, with weekly reach at almost 90 percent. Looking at a breakdown of engagement with newspapers by platform the smartphone now ranks as the most used device to engage with newspapers among all generations with the except of boomers, and younger consumers in particular are driving this trend with more than 80 percent reading papers on their phones each week.Consumer willingness to continue to read newspapers, regardless of format, is encouraging for the market. At the same time, however, TV and radio news are overall the more popular offline news sources among English-speaking Canadians. Only 10 percent of respondents to a survey reported using community papers for news they read offline, although such publications remained more popular than Globe and Mail, Fox, and Toronto Star.
Community newspapers
Community newspaper circulation in Canada increased year over year in eight out of 13 provinces and territories. This is good news for those seeking local information, which ranks as the main reason for reading community papers. Local news is key in keeping communities informed, and better represents these communities and their inhabitants than larger national outlets, and the good news for audience is that the vast majority of these locally-focused papers come without a price tag. Out of the more than 14 million community papers in circulation, more than 13.3 million are free for the reader. Whilst the number of community papers may not be what it once was, the increase between 2021 and 2022 is encouraging, especially for consumers in smaller markets most in need of this style of reporting.Coming back to newspapers in general, the good news for publishers is that Canadians are not ready to let go of the format. Printed newspapers remain the most trusted news source in Canada, and in an era where trust is shaky, reliable institutions offering readers verifiable and legitimate information is key in keep them engaged.
