Small screens

Driving along the roads of Canada at night, the glow of the electronic screen through windows is ubiquitous. In September 1952, when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation began broadcasting, there were only 146,000 television sets in the country; now the home without one is rare. In 2001, close to 99% of Canadian households owned one or more colour television sets, with about 25% owning three or more. Meanwhile, satellite dishes connecting homes to a multi-channel universe are sprouting like mushrooms and more and more households are 'on the Net.'

The great indoors holds an abiding appeal for Canadians as a venue for leisure, and 'home entertainment centre' has become a household phrase. The television remote control, a household item now as common as a can opener, has become a key that opens more and more channels. In 1997, an additional 15 specialty channels were added to the roll call with another four in 1999. The expansion of the Canadian television broadcasting industry continued in 2002 with the launch of 47 digital channels.

The nature of television is in transition. The Canadian public broadcaster has undergone scrutiny from inside and out as it seeks to re-affirm its mandate, while its policies regarding sports coverage and regional and foreign-produced content have been redefined. As well, channel specialization—24 hours of golf, click! or shopping—has fragmented the advertising revenue that fuels television production.

Despite the fantastic increase in channel options, television viewing has gradually decreased from the late 1980s. In 1988, we spent an average of 23.5 hours a week watching television. By the fall of 2002, that figure was down to an average of 21.6. The viewing ratio of Canadian to foreign programs has been shifting in favour of Canadian content though this pattern differs from the anglophone to francophone communities. News and public affairs was the most popular type of Canadian program in 2002, accounting for 15% of total viewing for anglophones and 30% of total viewing for francophones. While foreign drama was the most popular type of program for anglophones, capturing 24% of viewing, for francophones it was second behind Canadian news with 15%.

Francophones spent 68% of their TV-devoted time watching Canadian programs in 2002, whereas anglophones watched foreign programs 71% of the time. Women watched more television than men, by an average margin of 4.8 hours per week.