In 2020, digital video ad spending exceeded TV ad outlays for the first time in Canada. Digital video gained the most momentum of any format amid the pandemic last year, growing by 10.0% year over year (YoY). This includes both in-stream video formats (e.g., YouTube ads) and those outstream (ads appearing in social media feeds).

Our forecast for digital video viewers in Canada highlights greater consumption of the medium during the pandemic.

An expected economic recovery in 2021 bodes well for Canada’s advertising market.

After a challenging 2020, which saw big shifts in how digital media was consumed and how marketing adapted, we anticipate five developments will have a lasting impact on Canada’s digital economy.

On today's episode, we discuss digital video: Where has video ad spending overtaken TV, what do the streaming wars look like in different countries, and how much has live sports migrated to digital platforms? Tune in to the discussion as eMarketer senior analyst Bill Fisher hosts principal analyst Karin von Abrams, senior analyst Paul Briggs, and research director at Insider Intelligence Matteo Ceurvels.

Social media usage, advertising, and commerce will reach new levels in 2021, presenting big opportunities for brands to engage consumers.

Forty-three percent of Canadian consumers say they’re financially stressed in the wake of the pandemic, and although they’re saving a higher proportion of their income than in the past, only 22% are financially comfortable, according to the Canadian Payroll Association.

Social networks will reach almost full penetration among adult Gen Zers this year, or 99.0% of users ages 18 to 24. The next-highest penetration rate will be among the 25-to-34 age bracket, younger millennials, at 90.9%.

Canada trails only Japan worldwide across a variety of Twitter penetration metrics: About one-fifth of the population (22.1%), a quarter of internet users (25.0%), and more than a third (35.2%) of social network users in Canada use Twitter. Compared with the US, Twitter adoption in Canada is significantly higher.