Canada’s Media Report Finds $21B Advertising Impact, Platform Drain Risk

Canadian media is still paying the country’s bills, but fewer of those dollars are staying in Canada.

Weeks after the country’s largest media companies announced fresh cuts, a new national report is drawing urgent attention to the economic value at risk.

It confirms that Canadian media and advertising remain strong economic contributors.

At the same time, it warns that international digital platforms are steadily draining the revenue that sustains them.

The report was commissioned by Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) and produced by consulting firm Nordicity.

It highlights a $21 billion contribution to GDP in 2023 and support for nearly 170,000 jobs.

Every $1 million spent on Canadian advertising creates 8.2 jobs and delivers a full return to the economy.

But in 2025, 92% of digital ad dollars went to non-Canadian platforms, straining local media and eroding public trust.

To counter domestic leakage, some brands are leaning into cross-border marketing narratives that reinforce their value proposition globally.

Sarah Thompson, Executive Managing Director at Glassroom and lead on the CMMB report, didn’t hold back in her warning.

“Every dollar spent on Canadian media returns a dollar to our GDP.

It supports jobs, storytelling, and visibility for Canadian businesses. We need to protect that.”

Between 2017 and 2022, Canada lost $7.5 billion in advertising revenue to platforms outside the country.

These dollars have not returned, even as digital consumption continues to grow.

“We are witnessing a collapse of our media system that began after COVID,” Thompson said.

“Without action, we risk losing our national voice, thousands of jobs, and the ability to reflect who we are.”

The report leaves little doubt: without reinvestment, the media sector's economic engine could slow in ways that affect far more than journalism.

Reframing Media as Infrastructure, Not Industry

The findings position Canadian media as an essential part of the national economy.

It supports employment, local commerce, and access to trustworthy information.

In a follow-up article published on Glassroom, Thompson wrote that the sector’s influence extends into content production, marketing, and nonprofit work, areas often missed in traditional economic reviews.

“There’s a ripple across jobs, campaigns, and communication,” she wrote.

“This study doesn’t speculate. It follows where the money goes and what happens when it doesn’t return.”

The report also calls attention to audience trust.

A 2024 study in the Journal of Media Economics found advertising is more effective when placed in reliable local media, leading to stronger recall and brand credibility.

Creative & Campaign Takeaways for Agencies

For agencies advising clients, these findings offer clear strategic direction.

• Spending in Canadian media delivers proven economic value and should be presented as a smart business investment.
• Advertising alongside trusted local content improves campaign outcomes and should guide media planning decisions.
• Choosing Canadian platforms supports stability and audience connection, which matter more in long-term brand building.

To guard against ad dollars flowing out of Canada, media planners must consider deploying data-driven ad platforms that integrate audience intelligence with premium content.

Our Take: Who’s Still Backing Canadian Media?

This isn’t a warning about what might happen.

I see the impact already.

Ads and media still create jobs, build trust, and deliver value, but the ad dollars that support them are leaving faster than they return.

As someone who works in and around this space, I see fewer safe, local environments for brands to show up.

If we keep chasing global reach without supporting local relevance, we’ll end up with less of both.

I don’t want to look back and realize we let something essential slip away.

As trust in media becomes a competitive advantage, see how Anthropic is using that very idea to market Claude AI in its latest campaign.

With 92% of ad spend draining to foreign platforms, these Canadian ad agencies keep investment working for the home market.