Three in 10 Canadians Actively Avoiding News

Media Technology Monitor’s (MTM) latest report indicates three in 10 online Canadians are actively avoiding news content. 

According to Broadcast Dialogue, gauging Canadian perspectives towards news and journalism in general, indicates that news avoidance is more common among younger Canadians, women and English-speakers. Anglophones are more likely to say they avoid news because of its negative impact on their mental health, while Francophones were more likely to cite negativity and a lack of solutions offered to the issues being reported on.

MTM found that Canadians generally feel well-informed with 56% rating their satisfaction with their level of current events knowledge at four out of five, with five being the highest ranking. Older Canadians are more likely to feel well-informed.

When it comes to trust in the news, more than half of online Canadians said they feel Canadian news source are trustworthy. Less than 10% completely disagree.

Despite that confidence in Canadian news outlets, less than half (44%) of Canadians agree news organizations are doing a good job at fending off the spread of fake news and misinformation.

Vizrt (Short for visualization in real-time) has released new research on sports viewer engagement suggesting the future of sports consumption is digital, revealing drastically different habits for younger audiences.  Broadcast Dialogue reports Vizrt is a leader in real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators.

While over 76% of respondents’ top choice for watching sports content is still on television, over half of Gen Z (67%) – those born in the late 1990s to early 2000s – prefer consuming sports content on their phones while on the go (vs. 54% of millennials and 23% of Gen X). 

Overall, 30% of respondents stated they watch sports on their mobile phones regardless of demographic. 

Viewers are also watching on digital channels more than ever before with nearly 60% of all respondents, and 74% of Gen Z, sharing that they use social media to catch up on sports, indicating a further decline in traditional sports viewing experiences. The report says full-game viewing experiences are becoming rarer, as the younger generation prefers highlights and catch-up options. Only 58% of Gen Z watch sports live from start to finish, emphasizing the need for shorter, more condensed content.