Facts about the Canadian Entertainment Industry that might surprise you
Whether it be video games, movies or other entertainment, Canada is probably not the first name that comes to the mind. Regardless Canada is home to a massive chunk of the entertainment industry and while it isn’t the industry leader for gaming or TV trends, it is a giant producer for the same. Let’s look at a few stats:
Source: Unsplash
1. Canada is the 8th Largest Gaming market in the world
Clocking in at a massive US $3.83 Billion in annual revenue, Canada makes up the 8th biggest contributor to the gaming market in the world. According to a 2020 report from the Entertainment Software Association, almost 90% of the adult males are engaged in some form of gaming. This figure was boosted during the pandemic, which saw an almost 10% rise in the total number of active gamers within the country.
Apart from that, Canada is also a massive producer of said games and a lot of big-name studios like EA Montreal, Rockstar Toronto, Bioware, Ubisoft, Nintendo and a lot more are located there as well.
Source: Rockstar Games
2. The Gaming market employs a lot of people!
This might come as a shocker but the gaming industry is directly responsible for employment of approximately 270,000+ people. Out of which approx. 135,000+ are directly employed, close to 80,000 are indirectly employed and almost 51,000 or more are involved in services catering to these sectors. The reason for this industry booming in Canada is because almost 83% of all gaming companies are Canadian owned or held by Canadians and most of the people employed have an annual salary of $65,000-75,000 or higher. Therefore, seeking employment in this Industry is fairly popular among the masses.
Source: Pexels
3. Rapidly Growing Gambling Market
Gambling isn’t the first thing that you think of when you think of Canada, but in 2020 alone, it was responsible for an annual revenue of $12.75 Billion and it is expected to rise even more in 2021. Despite the impressive figures, Canada still hasn’t got an online Gambling market due to a ban that is still in effect. This doesn’t mean that its illegal for Canadians to bet online. Most of the online gambling is done offshore in regions like UK, Vegas, Macau, etc.
However, this may change soon because of a new bill that was passed in Ontario, which allowed registration of private gambling companies to set up iGaming portals in the region. This move is set to make Ontario one of the biggest gambling markets in North America. You can visit https://www.onlinegamblers.com/ for more information on casinos in North America.
Source: Unsplash
4. Massive presence of Hollywood
If you didn’t already know, a lot of your favorite TV series is also shot in Canada. There are a few contributing reasons for that, but the two primary reasons driving it are –
- The economics involved – It is a lot cheaper to Film in Canada, than in the US, more specifically Hollywood.
- The Landscapes – Canada is a truly beautiful nation with a vast expanse of beautiful scenery and varying topographies This makes it an ideal destination for film production since you find almost everything from Cold Tundra to Urban Cityscapes for filming different types of dramas, all within the same nation.
On a whole, the Canadian Film industry is the 3rd largest in the world and employs about 180,00 personnel on average.
It is entirely likely that some of your most favorite shows were shot in Canada or it was a featured destination. Some of the notable shows that were produced in Canada were Supernatural, The Handmaid’s Tale, Orphan Black, Star Trek Discovery, Prison Break, Lost in Space, etc.
5. Canada is home to some of the most renowned Music Producers and Artists in the world
Second only to the US, Canada has an exceptional talent pool for music artists. The entire Canadian music industry was worth about CA$650 million in 2020. A recent survey published in the Billboard Magazine stated that music consumption in the nation was up by 10.6% in the first 6 months of 2021 and this figure surpasses that of pre-Covid days. Some of the notable artists that are Canadian would include – Drake, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Brian Adams deadmau5, Rezz, Tiga, A-Trak, etc.
Conclusion
Between 2020 and 2021, the entire entertainment industry saw some massive growths worldwide and Canada is no exception to this. That being said, Canada still manages to carve a niche for itself as a major player in the entertainment industry, despite being a relative smaller economy as compared to its Neighbor – The USA. That being said, the nation still has a lot of ways to go, especially when it comes to Gambling and its laws. There are still far too many restrictions. But it is slowly being liberated and the nation is poised to become a major player in the coming days.
Cover Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
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