The Canadian entertainment industry may not get the same attention as its North American counterpart, but that doesn’t make it any less accomplished. In fact, there are certain areas where Canada actually outperforms American entertainment companies. These are facts that the organization Invest in Canada wants people to know. As part of its drive to bring more investment and talent into the country, it’s laid out some impressive statistics.
As per the Invest in Canada website, the Canadian TV and movie industry employs 181,000 people. As well as skilled workers across all areas of the industry, Canada is the third most filmed country in the world. This growing influence in TV and movie has caught the attention of media powerhouses like Netflix. The streaming platform and production company recently signaled its intention to open an office in Toronto. This office adds to the company’s two existing studios in Toronto and Vancouver. The new office will allow Netflix to utilize more Canadian talent and increase its investments beyond the $2.5 billion it’s already put into local productions.
Gaming Makes Canadian Entertainment Great
As much as Canadian TV and movie productions are gaining traction, the bedrock of Canada’s entertainment industry is gaming. Revenue increased 20% between 2017 and 2019. This makes Canada the third largest video game development and production hub in the world. If you click here, the data shows that there are 692 gaming studios in the country as of 2021. From EA and Zynga to Ubisoft and Gameloft, Canada is awash with top-tier developers. This means some of the best-selling video games in the world have been made here. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Gears Tactics, and PGA Tour 2K21 are just three hits to come out of Canada.
Wrapped up in the rise of Canadian gaming is the casino industry. Live venues offering slots, blackjack, bingo, and other casino games generate more than $15 billion per annum according to the Canadian Gaming Association. Developers have capitalized on this in recent years by creating online casinos. If you read this guide from Bonus.ca, you’ll see that the leading casino sites not only offer thousands of digital games by promotions and secure payment options such as MuchBetter. In fact, such is the amount of choice that third-party review sites are there to help consumers compare, contrast, and, ultimately, choose their ideal site.
Canadian Entertainment Hits All the Right Notes
From TV, movies, and gaming, we get to music. The final string to Canada’s entertainment bow is now worth more than $500 million. The Canadian music industry’s size and significance doesn’t match its counterparts. Indeed, with gaming alone worth billions, the music industry has a lot of catching up to do. However, while it may be a fairly small sector, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t made an impact on the world at large.
Artists such as Celine Dion, Drake, Bryan Adams, Justin Bieber, and, more recently, The Weekend, are megastars. That’s a testament not only to the quality of our singers but the entertainment industry as a whole. As we’ve said, Canada might not attract the same amount of attention as its American counterpart. However, what we do, we do well. The statistics speak for themselves and prove that Canada is far from a bit-player in the entertainment sector.
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