This summer, linear television played an important role as a go-to destination for sports programming, news coverage, reality tv and live events. This season was marked by major sporting events such as the Stanley Cup Finals, which drew in millions of Canadians across the country. As the 2025 MLB season heated up, so did the Toronto Blue Jays, who are currently #1 in their division and have a very strong chance of making the playoffs this fall. Beyond sports, news programming continued to be a trusted source for live coverage of major events, daily newscasts, weather updates and political discussion. Reality TV shows, such as The Amazing Race Canada, Big Brother, Sortez-moi d'ici!, and Survivor Québec, also took the screen this summer, providing entertainment for millions. Live events continue to thrive on linear platforms, as seen with the vibrant celebration of La Fête nationale du Québec in Montréal, where communities came together to honor St. Jean-Baptiste with music, tradition, and national pride. In a media landscape full of on-demand options, linear TV continues to deliver on what audiences are looking for.
In this blog, we’ll share key insights powered by our industry-leading analysis tools, which access both Numeris’ broadcast and cross-platform video data. By analyzing these data sources with our advanced tools, we provide the industry with a deeper, more precise understanding of audience behaviour.
The Enduring Power of Linear Television in a Digital Age
Understanding the significance of broadcast TV is crucial in today's evolving video landscape. While subscription numbers may suggest a shift towards digital platforms, Numeris’ Cross-Platform Video Audience dataset (VAM) provides a more comprehensive understanding of video viewing habits in Canada. With the launch of National VAM in the fall, we can now identify video trends and insights coast to coast. Check out the above link on what we are currently seeing in the data!
After every TV season, we use our API, Conex, to craft a comprehensive audience analysis report for our clients, giving them quick and convenient access to the most up-to-date television viewing trends in Canada. Here are some key highlights from our latest report:
Summer 2025 TV Viewing Overview
- On average, Canadians 2+ watched 12.6 hours of TV per week this summer season. Quebec Franco still has the heaviest viewing with Canadians, with 17.4 hours per week spent in front of the television.
- 54.1% of all TV viewing was to Canadian specialty stations, up 3 percentage points compared to the Spring, while Canadian conventional sits comfortably at 32.9%. On the other hand, US specialty stations contributed 9.8% of Total TV viewing, in line with what we saw a year ago.
- This summer included the season’s highest rated program, the Stanley Cup Finals, reaching 18.3 million Canadians over 6 games, which aired on Sportsnet National+, CBC Total, and TVA Sports+.
Summer 2025 Station & Program Highlights
- CTV Total takes the top spot for national conventional stations this season, while Sportsnet National+ is number one for Canadian specialty.
- When comparing to the previous summer, CBC News Network+ jumps from 11th to the 4th most watched Canadian specialty station, with an increase of 50.5%, year over year. It was helped by the Speech from the Throne live coverage on May 27th where King Charles III opened Parliament, the first time a Canadian monarch has done so since 1977.
- Non-sports and news specialty stations, such as History+ and CTV Sci-Fi+, also saw a promising lift this summer, with increases of 44.2% and 28.5%, respectively.
- La Fête nationale du Québec, also known as St. Jean-Baptiste Day, kicked off its statutory holiday on June 24th, with live coverage of music performances, speeches and light shows, highlighting Quebec’s culture and history. This event reached 3.6 million Canadians, which aired on TVA Total, SRC Total and TQ Total.
- Excluding news and sports, the top program goes to The Amazing Race Canada on CTV Total, with an average audience of 1.3 million Canadians over 7 episodes.
Top 10 Canadian TV shows for summer 2025
(English Canada)
- STANLEY CUP FINALS CBC Total
- THE AMAZING RACE CANADA CTV Total
- CTV EVENING NEWS CTV Total
- AMERICA’S GOT TALENT Citytv Total
- NHL PLAYOFFS ROUND 3 CBC Total
- BIG BROTHER, Wednesdays Global Total
- BIG BROTHER, Thursdays Global Total
- BIG BROTHER, Sundays Global Total
- GLOBAL NEWS 6 WKN Global Total
- SULLIVAN’S CROSSING CTV Total
(Québec Franco)
- Sortez-moi d'ici! TVA Total
- La poule aux oeufs d'or TVA Total
- Survivor Québec Noovo Total
- Les chefs! SRC Total
- Survivor Québec – Quotidienne Noovo Total
- Si on s'aimait célébrités TVA Total
- MasterChef Junior Québec TVA Total
- SUCRÉ SALÉ TVA Total
- Le vrai du faux TVA Total
- ROUE DE FORTUNE CHEZ VOUS TVA Total
Source: Numeris TV PPM, Total Canada, English Canada, Quebec Franco, 5/26/2025 to 8/31/2025, Ind 2+, AvHrsWk(Cap), AMA(000), CumRch(000), Program Rankings based on 3+ airings
At NLogic, we offer a multitude of tools for delving into video viewing habits:
- Lens Video Planner serves as our cutting-edge cross-platform reach and frequency calculator for Total Video strategies.
- Lens for TV provides an effortless way to access key linear TV statistics.
- InstarTV enables a deeper exploration of linear TV audience behaviours.
- InstarVAM taps into the Numeris VAM dataset to unveil a comprehensive view of video consumption.
- Conex stands as our API solution for seamless access to linear TV data for your analytical needs.
To access this report please get in touch with your Account Executive
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