Canadian Audio Industry Seeks Federal Support Amid $31B Global Market
Canadian podcasting is experiencing explosive growth, with 12 million Canadian adults consuming podcasts monthly and francophone listenership surging 65% in just three years. However, the industry is virtually excluded from federal cultural policy and funding mechanisms.
A coalition of over 60 Canadian podcast industry professionals, companies, and creators has submitted an urgent policy letter to Minister Steven Guilbeault, calling for immediate federal recognition and funding of podcasting as a core cultural industry. The letter, supported by comprehensive market data from sources like The Canadian Podcast Listener 2024, Triton's 2024 Canadian Podcast Report, DemandSage, and Signal Hill Insights, aims to preserve the authentic Canadian voices that risk being overwhelmed by brand-funded content and AI-generated programming.
The Key Points
Market Maturity and Scale: Canadian podcasting has reached critical mass with 12 million monthly adult listeners (39% penetration), 3.6 hours weekly consumption per listener, and growing cross-platform engagement including 35% of Canadians using YouTube for podcast consumption
Funding System Failures: Current federal funding mechanisms systematically exclude podcasting, with Canada Media Fund (CMF) excluding both audio-only and video podcast formats despite their alignment with digital media objectives and audience scale exceeding many funded web series
Cultural Content Risk: Only 43% of Canadian podcast listening goes to domestic content, with just 30% of top 30 podcasts being Canadian—creating vulnerability to U.S.-dominated content and potential loss of authentic Canadian storytelling and journalism platforms
Economic and Creative Infrastructure Gap: Professional podcast production requires substantial investment in scripting, recording, editing, sound design, and marketing, but independent creators lacking adequate funding increasingly rely on brand-sponsored content or inferior AI-generated material
Strategic Policy Solution: The industry proposes establishing a dedicated federal podcast fund, updating CMF eligibility criteria to include all podcast formats, and launching national consultations to develop a comprehensive policy framework recognizing podcasting as a distinct cultural medium
Highlights
Global Context: 584 million global podcast listeners expected to reach 650 million by 2027, with YouTube hosting 1 billion+ monthly podcast consumers
Canadian Growth Metrics: Francophone podcast listenership increased 65% from 2019-2023, while 22% of BIPOC Canadians listen weekly
Revenue Opportunity: Global podcast industry reached $7.3 billion in 2024, with total market size valued at $31.26 billion including production tools and services
News and Journalism Impact: 21% of monthly listeners consume news podcasts, citing depth and personal connection as unique benefits over traditional media
Demographic Engagement: 82% of children co-listen with parents, creating multi-generational audience opportunities
Platform Diversity: Canadian companies like Toronto's CoHost compete globally while Gatineau's Transistor Media demonstrates regional industry distribution
Why It Matters
This policy letter addresses a fundamental disconnect between Canada's cultural funding systems and the reality of modern media consumption. While Canadians increasingly turn to podcasts for news, entertainment, and community connection—especially as traditional media faces disruption—the government funding that supports Canadian storytelling hasn't evolved to include this critical medium. The situation creates a vicious cycle: without public support, Canadian podcast creators must rely on commercial sponsors, limiting their ability to tell important but unmarketable stories about Indigenous voices, immigrant communities, climate issues, or local journalism.
Meanwhile, international content dominates Canadian listening habits, and displaced traditional media workers have nowhere to turn for sustainable podcast careers. The letter argues that supporting podcasting isn't just about entertainment—it's about preserving Canada's ability to tell its own stories and maintain diverse, fact-checked information sources in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
To sign on, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSzPVxgLzaUliIVuWa0JCqYoHDrFjyGZh7eFrCtXYWB85ofw/viewform?usp=header
To read the full letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g3E-u1LCL-F2JdHyBlhKJ1zY4XMEr_w2qOSVH5Ytd6I/edit?tab=t.0
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