Knowing who watches a film isn't quite the same as understanding how someone found it. A theatrical screening, a community recommendation and an online platform may bring audiences to Canadian stories in very different ways. For an industry that needs to decide where to invest in creative work and how to help people discover it, those differences matter.
On October 6, 2026, the National Audience Data Consortium announced a new survey of the Canadian audiovisual sector. The partnership brings together the Canada Media Fund, CBC/Radio-Canada, the Indigenous Screen Office, the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada. It was formed in 2025 and has already begun mapping audience information and measurement tools across its member organizations.
Léger is independently conducting the online survey. Beginning October 8, selected professionals and organizations involved in production, distribution, broadcasting, film exhibition and festivals were to be contacted directly. Questions concern what audience data organizations use, whether they have the staff and tools to interpret it, and what prevents them from applying it in practice.
The distinction is important. This isn't a published audience study reporting what Canadians currently watch, and it isn't an open invitation for every viewer to participate. It's research into the industry's ability to understand its audiences. The consortium expects to share key findings and next steps in early 2027.
Smaller festivals and independent exhibitors often face the same practical challenge as larger broadcasters but without comparable research capacity. Better measurement could help them connect films with people who might care about them. It could also expose gaps in the data, particularly where a small community or a specialized cultural audience isn't readily visible in conventional ratings.
The survey's value will depend on what its partners do with the findings. Knowing that organizations need better data is only a beginning. Finding ways to make useful evidence accessible to creators, presenters and distributors is the harder work.
Original source: Telefilm Canada, National Audience Data Consortium launches an industry survey, October 6, 2026. https://telefilm.ca/en/national-audience-data-consortium-launches-an-industry-survey