The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Canadians Are Streaming More & Watching Cable Less, Despite The Cost

**Posted by RadioActive** March 24, 2025 3:42 pm

A new study of Canadian viewing habits shows we're subscribing to more streaming services and not cable TV - even if it starts costing viewers here more.

"The...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."

All the major broadcasters here have streaming services of their own, but they're hardly all equal. Only Bell was smart enough to expand its Crave offering way back when. Rogers abandoned Shomi and now only has a very weak CityTV+. Global's StackTV is nothing to write home about, either.

But as always, it's the U.S. services like Netflix and Disney+ that are hoovering up Canuck bucks. And the research indicates that's not likely to change much as we head into whatever the video future hold for us.

'TV is becoming niche': Streaming grows in Canada despite rising prices, report says

**Posted by mace** March 24, 2025 4:47 pm

Crave seems to be pushing all their wonderful Canadian programming, none of which remotely interests me. Nothing on CITYTV+ or StackTV could persuade me to sample them either.

**Posted by paterson1** March 24, 2025 4:57 pm

RA, whenever you write about Canadian streaming services you always igore CBC Gem. And you have said various times that you like their service.

I like Crave fine, probably should watch it more than I do, it is the only streamer I have. Not interested in any of the others only because I am not even watching half the stations I have now.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 24, 2025 5:27 pm

I didn't ignore CBC Gem. This was a story from The Canadian Press about pay streaming services, and Gem is free if you sign up. It didn't really fit the study or the story. In fact, the article doesn't mention Gem once.

**Posted by pinto** March 25, 2025 7:09 am

RadioActive wrote:
I didn't ignore CBC Gem. This was a story from The Canadian Press about pay streaming services, and Gem is free if you sign up. It didn't really fit the study or the story. In fact, the article doesn't mention Gem once.

I used to pay $5.99/month for Gem to get News Network and have the shows commercial free, is it included now in the free service?

**Posted by RadioActive** March 25, 2025 7:19 am

I believe that's an exception to their freebie rule - it's called their Premium service. and I'm honestly not sure what else that buys you.

If they make cable customers pay for the News Network, it makes sense they don't give it away for free online. But there are a ton of other freebie news options on there if you want to see them. For the most part, everything else requires no payment, just a sign-up.

**Posted by pinto** March 25, 2025 8:22 am

In a sense they have all gone "premium" tiers.. cheap or free for ads, pay money for no ads. Can't speak to Apple+ TV or Crave, but certainly Prime and Netflix.

**Posted by paterson1** March 25, 2025 1:08 pm

RadioActive wrote:
I didn't ignore CBC Gem. This was a story from The Canadian Press about pay streaming services, and Gem is free if you sign up. It didn't really fit the study or the story. In fact, the article doesn't mention Gem once.

Well actually I was responding to your post not the article. The article only mentioned two streaming services, Netflix and Disney Plus. Poorly written piece since it almost gives the impression these two services have 46% of the streamer business in Canada. There are over 50 streamers available here.

You brought up about the Canadian services like Crave, the defunct Shomi, and Stack TV along with City+ which you didn't see much value in the latter two.

As already mentioned CBC Gem is both a free service and subscription based with their Gem Premium.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 25, 2025 1:23 pm

Shomi was a pay service when it existed. So is City TV+ and Stack TV. And yes, having looked at what the latter two offer, I would never give them a dime of my money, especially since I do not financially support anything that is owned by Rogers as a matter of personal principle.

Gem, for the most part, does not cost anyone a dime (except what we pay in taxes.) And I said nothing derogatory about the CBC, in fact did not even bring them up.

The entire point of the article was about PAY services. Apples meet oranges. You may not like the article. But it had nothing to do with the CBC.

**Posted by paterson1** March 26, 2025 8:41 am

The barn door was wide open RA and you still managed to hit the building. Do you even read my posts?
My comment wasn't on the article, it was on your response to it. CBC Gem IS A PAY service as well as free for a slimmed down version. I was pointing out the fact that whenever you mention Canadian streaming services (the article mentioned none) you always seem to not include CBC Gem. Which is odd since you have said various times that you like it. The fact that you don't pay for it is not the point. Many people do pay for it.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 26, 2025 8:57 am

Yes, it has a premium tier, although try as I might to figure out exactly what it provides, I doubt as many people are using the pay side as you maintain. Here's the CBC Premium page. It promises an ad free experience. But whenever I've used the free version of Gem, I have never seen a single ad. Not once. Not ever. So other than access to CBC News Network, what, exactly, are these "many people" as you call them, paying for?

Again, my response was based on the article that the post linked to. Surely you're not trying to claim CBC Gem is a player in the arena like a Netflix, a Prime Video or a Disney+.

If so, you'd have no credibility at all.

Only Crave is a real Canadian player and only because Bell was either lucky or had the foresight to see where streaming was going in the early days. I still maintain Rogers made a huge mistake killing Shomi before it had the chance to catch on. Had they done so, it might be a real competitor to Crave, which CityTV+ surely is not nor ever will be.

**Posted by paterson1** March 26, 2025 2:15 pm

Not to be rude but,,,I am wondering if you had toast and stupid juice for breakfast this morning RA. Can't believe how easy you get so defensive and fly off the handle over nothing...

**Posted by RadioActive** March 26, 2025 2:27 pm

You mean nothing, like dragging CBC Gem into a thread that has absolutely nothing to do with it? In that case, I guess so.

**Posted by paterson1** March 26, 2025 2:34 pm

Read my posts please. Better lay off the stupid juice in the morning RA, it makes you jumpy...

**Posted by RadioActive** March 26, 2025 3:41 pm

paterson1 wrote:
Read my posts please. Better lay off the stupid juice in the morning RA, it makes you jumpy...

In all the colloquies back and forth we've had over the years, this is perhaps the dumbest I can recall. This story was not in any way about the CBC. It was nothing to do with Gem. My references were to pay services, which for the most part, Gem is not. This is ridiculous and I'm done with the topic.

Although I do want to make this last point: you commented that it was a "poorly written piece," and you're certainly entitled to that opinion. Does not seem to have been shared by the likes of The Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, CityNews.ca, Global News, The Toronto Sun, The National Post, The Financial Post, CTV News and far, far too many more to list and link to here.

They all thought it was good enough to print on their respective websites. Of the two sides, I'd go with their editorial judgment over yours almost any time.

**Posted by mace** March 26, 2025 3:56 pm

I have used the free Gem site occasionally to watch missed Corrie Street episodes. I have seen a few ads. My problem is it is same few ads endlessly repeated.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 26, 2025 4:17 pm

Hmm, that's interesting. I have never seen a single ad on anything, ever, in all the years I've been using the site. I wonder why I miss them and you don't, even though I don't subscribe.

**Posted by LOSat** March 26, 2025 4:33 pm

I have seen adds of both the British and Canadian versions of the Great Baking Shows and on a couple other programs. Yes the ads are repetitive. RA is there someone in your household that has subscribed and you don't realize. But I guess if you don't get CBC News Network then that's not the case. I suppose it depends on the popularity of the program in question as to whether ads will be seen.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 26, 2025 4:39 pm

No, I'm the only one who uses the service.

I can't say I go there all the time, but I watched the entire British version of "Ghosts," a few episodes of "Son of a Critch" I missed, as well as a few others and never saw a single ad. The screen goes to black for about 1 1/2 secs, and then the show comes back on.

It really surprises me that others are seeing spots before their eyes! I can't explain why, but it simply never happens when I'm watching on the site. I'd love to know why.

**Posted by paterson1** March 26, 2025 4:50 pm

RadioActive wrote:
paterson1 wrote:
Read my posts please. Better lay off the stupid juice in the morning RA, it makes you jumpy...
In all the colloquies back and forth we've had over the years, this is perhaps the dumbest I can recall. This story was not in any way about the CBC. It was nothing to do with Gem. My references were to pay services, which for the most part, Gem is not. This is ridiculous and I'm done with the topic.

Although I do want to make this last point: you commented that it was a "poorly written piece," and you're certainly entitled to that opinion. Does not seem to have been shared by the likes of The Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, CityNews.ca, Global News, The Toronto Sun, The National Post, The Financial Post, CTV News and far, far too many more to list and link to here.

They all thought it was good enough to print on their respective websites. Of the two sides, I'd go with their editorial judgment over yours almost any time.

At least we agree on one thing, this has been a stupid dialogue and we have had a few over the years. Again, my original comment was the fact that when you bring up Canadian streamers you almost always leave out CBC Gem.
The article also didn't mention or wasn't about Shomi, Crave, CityTV+ and Stack TV. You brought up all these with your comment. All I was questioning was why you didn't include CBC Gem? Then you went into a hissy and talked about everything except what I was asking. Oh well, until the next time. Sorry to all who read this big pointless waste of time.