Arts and culture are essential, not only to performers, but to our economy and our society. The film, television and digital media industry in Ontario is big business.

Did you know?

• Ontario is one of the leading jurisdictions for film and television production in the world, consistently hosting 400+ productions annually.
• There is currently 3.85 million square feet of stage space in Ontario. An additional 1.6 million square feet is scheduled to be completed over the next few years in the Toronto, the surrounding areas and in Northern Ontario.
• Film and television production is active throughout Ontario. Many productions are filmed in more than one jurisdiction in the province, creating jobs and economic impact for local suppliers, vendors and talent.
• Toronto is a full-service production jurisdiction, with superb talent both in front of and behind the camera, including digital animation and special effects, and some of the industry’s best production and post-production facilities. Jobs created by film and TV production in the province include: technicians (ex. lighting, makeup, set designers, etc.) production managers and coordinators, location managers, craft services, accountants, performers and drivers.
• The film, television and digital media industry in Toronto set a record in 2022 with$2.6 billion in direct spending, employing more than 35,000 people.
• The film, television and digital media industry generates millions of dollars of additional spending in Toronto, related to agency costs for talent and in-house broadcaster production (e.g., news and public affairs programming).
• Ontario’s film industry is committed to environmentally sustainable action through the Ontario Green Screen (OGS) Initiative, a public/private partnership of 27 industry and government partners. OGS provides the tools, education and community necessary to make real sustainable change.

Ontario’s film and television production activity:

In 2023, Ontario’s film and television production industry contributed:

U.S. labour disruption posed challenges for Ontario’s Film and Television industry in 2023, leading to production delays and disruptions. Despite the impact of U.S. labour disruptions on the industry, domestic Film and Television production drove 52% of total spending in Ontario, representing $947 million. Domestic Television Series production was strong in 2023, with 138 productions contributing over $639 million in expenditures.

Indicators are pointing towards a rebound for 2024, however, factors such as shifting content strategies among foreign streaming platforms, budget cuts for independent production by Canadian broadcasters, and increased production costs may affect the rate of return and new normal production levels.

Canada’s Film and Television Sector:

Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), in collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) and Nordicity, publishes its annual Profile report analyzing the economic activity of Canada’s screen-based production sector from the most recent production year (reporting period is: April 1-March 31).

Highlights from Profile 2023 are included below. Please note, Profile 2023 covers the 2022/23 fiscal year and, therefore, does not reflect the impact of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes on Foreign production (location and service) (FLS) in Canada. The financial impact of these strikes will be reflected in Profile 2024.