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(LifeSiteNews) — The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) TV advertising revenue dropped nearly 10 percent last year.  

According to CBC’s 2023-2024 annual report, television advertisement revenue fell from $215,501 in 2023 to $194,746 in 2024, a 9.6 percent drop which the outlet admitted they do not expect to regain in the foreseeable future.   

“We expect TV advertising revenue to continue to decline as TV audiences decrease,” said the CBC’s latest Annual Report, blaming the lost revenue on a “a softer TV advertising market.”  

In a Corporate Plan Summary tabled in the Commons and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, the CBC explained that “Canadians, especially younger Canadians, continue to transition away from traditional television and radio services to digital platforms.”  

“Trends over the past 10 years indicate traditional television and radio audiences will continue to erode as younger Canadians are embracing digital technologies,” the report continued. 

Instead, the CBC claimed that “sustaining overall advertising revenue in the long term is dependent on digital advertising revenue.” While CBC’s digital advertising revenue did grow from $73,139 in 2023 to $75,285 in 2024, the 2.6% increase was not enough to counteract their lowering TV ads.   

Overall, the outlet’s advertisement revenue fell 6.4 percent, from $288,640 in 2023 to $270,031 in 2024.   

While the CBC’s overall revenue dropped 4.3 percent in 2024, funding from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government increased 13 percent from $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion.   

Despite massive government payouts, the CBC’s viewership remains low, as recently pointed out by Dr. Jordan Peterson, who wrote, ““1.4 billion per year: CBC subsidies from @JustinTrudeau. Not counting paid ads.”  

“The last 19 CBC video releases on @YouTube have <100 views Each,” he continued. “That’s $14, 000, 000 per viewer. Let that sink in.”    

Regardless of their low viewership, the CBC continues to receive massive subsidies from the Liberal government. Many independent media outlets and Conservative Party politicians, including leader Pierre Poilievre, have accused the outlet of bias and partisanship because of this dependency on government.   

Despite these concerns, the Trudeau government has only poured money into the outlet. Beginning in 2019, Parliament changed the Income Tax Act to give yearly rebates of 25 percent for each news employee in cabinet-approved media outlets earning up to $55,000 a year, to a maximum of $13,750.     

The Canadian Heritage Department since admitted that the payouts are not sufficient to keep legacy media outlets running, and even recommended that the rebates be doubled to a maximum of $29,750 annually.   

Last November, Trudeau again announced increased payouts for legacy media outlets, payouts which coincidence with the lead-up to the 2025 election. The subsidies are expected to cost taxpayers $129 million over the next five years.      

Similarly, Trudeau’s 2024 budget outlined $42 million in increased funding for the CBC for 2024-25.     

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