OTTAWA-GATINEAU - The Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released the Canadian broadcast
distribution industry's statistical and financial summaries for the period
2001 - 2005. Overall, from 2004 to 2005, revenues as well as number of
subscribers remained more or less constant for Class 1 cable carriers. On
the other hand, Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite distribution undertakings and
Multipoint Distribution System (MDS) undertakings experienced significant
growth in terms of subscription revenues and number of subscribers.
Cable
In 2005, total revenues for the cable industry climbed to $4.575 billion,
compared with $4.555 billion in 2004. Profits before interest and taxes (PBIT)
totalled $926.2 million in 2005, down from $1.1 billion in 2004. This
decrease is largely due to the 7.1% increase in total expenses over the same
period. The number of basic service subscribers decreased by 0.4%, from
6,641,569 in 2004 to 6,617,378 in 2005.
DTH and MDS
From 2004 to 2005, the number of subscribers to basic DTH and MDS
services grew by 7.3%, going from 2,316,714 to 2,486,372. Total revenues
from basic and non-basic services grew by 8.1%; from $1.4 billion in 2004 to
$1.5 billion in 2005. For the first time, DTH and MDS undertakings recorded
PBIT - $44.9 million in 2005 - compared with losses before interest and
taxes in previous years.
Contributions to Canadian programming
In 2005, Canadian cable, DTH and MDS undertakings spent $247.3 million
for the creation and production of Canadian programming. Of that total,
$125.2 million went to the Canadian Television Fund, and $29.7 million to
independent funds.
Contributions from cable undertakings rose to $176.5 million in 2005,
compared with $173.3 million in 2004, an increase of 1.9%. Contributions
from DTH and MDS undertakings went from $66.6 million in 2004 to $70.8
million in 2005, an increase of 6.3%.
Background
The data contained in this report were drawn from the financial
statements of Canadian Class 1 cable distribution undertakings and DTH and
MDS undertakings. This is one in a series of reports on broadcasting
published annually by the CRTC in order to inform interested parties of the
current financial situation of this Canadian industry.
The CRTC
The CRTC is an independent, public authority which was established to
sustain and promote Canadian culture and achieve key social and economic
objectives by regulating and supervising Canadian broadcasting and
telecommunications in the public interest. As an expert tribunal it takes
into account the wants and needs of Canadian citizens, industries and
various interest groups. The CRTC is governed by the Broadcasting Act and
the Telecommunications Act and reports to Parliament through the Minister of
Canadian Heritage.
Reference document: Broadcast Distribution - Class 1 - Statistical and
Financial Summaries - 2001 - 2005 [.htm] [.pdf] [.xls]
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Copies of today's documents are available through our Internet site
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CRTC office. These documents are available in alternative format upon
request.
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