Canadian Specialty TV Still on the Rise
Analog and digital specialty stations in Canada charted strong growth in adult audience numbers during this past television season, according to BBM research. Overall, the 25-54 audience for English-language analog specialty stations was 7% higher for the period between Sept. 1, 2008 and May 17, 2009 compared to the same period the year before. Digital specialty channels, meanwhile, enjoyed a 12% boost. Canwest's History channel was 2nd in specialty ranking. Four other Canwest properties featured in the top 10, with HGTV coming in at No. 6 and Showcase, Food Network and TVtropolis ranking eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.
On the digital side, Canwest stations claimed the top five spots and represented eight of the top 10. The company's Showcase Action, National Geographic, Showcase Diva, Mystery and MovieTime properties were ranked first to fifth, respectively, while IFC (No. 8), Deja View (No. 9) and BBC Canada (No. 10) rounded out the top 10.
Canwest was second in aggregate average minute audience with almost 397,000 viewers, including 213,000 25-54-year-olds. "The BBM numbers show a growing preference among Canadian viewers for niche-directed content," said Muriel Solomon, vice-president of marketing strategy, specialty channels for Canwest.
Solomon was also pleased with Canwest's performance. The 25-54 year-old audience for the company's English specialty stations jumped by 14% on the analog side and 22% on the digital side, significantly outpacing the industry growth rate in both categories.
For more information on how to advertise on Canada's top specialty television stations, call 212-967-1999.
Source: Marketing Magazine, 05/27/09, "Specialty TV audience continues to grow"