Communications revenue up 2%: CRTC report

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has released its annual Communications Monitoring report, based on 2009 data, which found that the industry accounts for 4.6% of Canada’s GDP after revenues rose 2.1% to $55.4 billion compared to 2008.

Revenues for the broadcast industry rose by 3% to $14.4 billion, with growth driven primarily by the distribution of television signals (7.4%) and the specialty and pay television sector (5.8%). The gains were offset by a drop in advertising, the report notes “The effects were felt most strongly by conventional television stations and radio stations, whose revenues declined by 7.4% and 5.2%, respectively.”

The report noted that by the end of 2009 there were 23.8 million wireless subscribers and 8.3 million broadband Internet subscribers.