More and more of our lives are taking place online, and that includes our leisure time. For Canadians, there are a number of trends in digital entertainment that are dominating the market.
As a wealthy and technologically advanced country, Canada is one of the leaders in embracing digital entertainment trends. Gaming, streaming, betting and all sorts of other digital activities are common across all the provinces and territories of Canada. The types of entertainment that people seek online change regularly, but there are some key trends that have developed over the last decade.
This article will explore the most prevalent forms of digital entertainment that Canadians are enjoying today.
Gaming Online
You might have been told that you’d grow out of gaming. Surprise, surprise, some of us don’t grow out of gaming, we just grow up. From mobile gaming to console and PC, Canada has a huge online gaming market.
Part of the reason that gaming is so enticing is that it has many different niches, genres and nuances to offer. Everything from complex brain-teasing puzzle games to simpler hack-and-slash adventure games to games that many have hailed as a new frontier in art, forcing their players to grapple with difficult concepts and look within themselves as they play them.
Popular gaming trends across Canada’s digital space include multiplayer titles like Fortnite and Valorant, and games like Genshin Impact. Some trends are driven by technology rather than genre, and cloud gaming and esports are among these. Cloud gaming allows people to access AAA titles without paying full price, while esports is increasingly growing and becoming more sophisticated.
As a source of pride, Canada has a number of home-grown video game developers who have had a reasonable amount of success. BioWate, Behaviour Interactive and Klei Entertainment, to name a few.
Online Casino Gaming
As a subset of gaming, online casino entertainment has become a massive part of the digital entertainment ecosystem. Canada still has plenty of physical casino locations for people to enjoy, but for those who prefer comfort and ease of access, online casinos in CA are there to serve that need.
The online casino market in some provinces in Canada is a well-regulated and healthy one. With lots of competition for players’ interest, casino platforms have to stand out from their contemporaries and offer players good bonuses and well-constructed platforms.
With huge amounts of revenue being generated from online casino platforms in regulated provinces, it seems likely that other Canadian provinces will follow suit and regulate their markets.
Streaming Is Still Very Popular
If you’re at all like us, you probably don’t have a regular TV connection hooked up. With streaming services offering the absolute convenience of watching shows and movies on demand, streaming remains one of the most popular digital entertainment choices for Canadians.
There are plenty of platforms that are offering content that is tailored for the Canadian market, and CBC Gem offers shows populated with homegrown and local talent. As this market continues to age and the number of services grows, we are seeing new trends come to the fore to attempt to attract customers. Streaming platforms are increasingly pairing their services with other services as well as offering tiered memberships.
While not exactly streaming, it makes sense to give an honorable mention to short-form content here. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are at the forefront of offering bite-sized content that people can consume in short bursts. This type of entertainment is most popular among younger people, but still has a broad appeal.
Sports Betting Grows In Popularity
Since changes to some laws in recent years, sports betting activities have become increasingly popular across the digital landscape of Canada. Betting is a huge industry, and similarly to the casino industry, operators have to work hard to stay relevant and competitive, which is a great sign of a healthy market for consumers.
The most popular sports that Canadians bet on won’t surprise you. Hockey is by far the most popular, with football not far behind it. Basketball is also popular, and Soccer has a wide following as well.
Closely tied to betting is the act of watching games, so it makes sense to state that people rarely bet in isolation. Bettors are likely to also pay for a streaming service and watch the games they bet on, as well as to host or attend gatherings or go to venues that show the matches.
Listening To Podcasts
Canadians know a good story when they hear one, and that might be part of the reason podcasts are so popular in Canada. Much like gaming, podcasts are incredibly varied.
Focused on just about any topic under the sun you can imagine, podcasts take their listeners on journeys of self-discovery, entertaining romps through social scenes, educational examinations of history and everything in between.
There are a huge number of different apps and ways to listen to podcasts, but the top types of podcasts that Canadians listen to are typically;
- Mental health or self-improvement related.
- Sports or fantasy sports podcasts.
- True crime podcasts, especially with local interest stories peppered throughout.
One of the main appeals of the podcast is that it leaves your hands and eyes free to engage in other activities. Canadians like to podcast while they cook, exercise or drive.
What Does This Mean For Canada’s Entertainment Future?
We think you should be optimistic about the future of Canada’s digital entertainment landscape! With so much variety, even within different niches, there is likely to always be something that Canadians can find online that will be, in some way, edifying and entertaining.
What exactly will trend in the future is difficult to say; new technology and trends can explode out of nowhere with ease, but it’s certain to be aimed at delivering increased personalization and designed to grab and keep your attention.
