Published November 4th, 2025
by Jennifer Young, Director of Media Buying Services
Why Attention, Not Impressions, Should Drive Canada’s Media Strategy
Earlier this month, members of our team attended Think TV: Media, Marketing & Effectiveness, a thought-provoking session exploring Canada’s evolving video landscape and the science of attention. The event brought together media experts and marketers to unpack new research on how Canadians watch TV, what drives true advertising impact, and why attention—not just impressions—remains the most valuable metric for brand growth.
As marketers, we talk a lot about “efficiency”, but sometimes that focus blinds us to what really drives results. In Canada’s media landscape, real value lies in attention, not just exposure.
Canada’s Unique TV Story
While U.S. audiences have shifted heavily to streaming, Canadians remain fiercely loyal to linear TV. It still commands a 76.6%1 share of viewing, compared to just 49.7% in America2. That loyalty matters: linear TV continues to deliver unmatched reach (83% of A18+ and 76% of A25-54)3 and leads all video platforms in attentive seconds.
Even better, its CPAS (Cost Per Attentive Second) is competitive with YouTube and slightly better than social media4. In other words, TV delivers both quality attention and cost efficiency. It’s a powerful combination that cements its role as Canada’s most effective advertising channel.
The Marketing Effectiveness Gap
Despite TV’s continued strength, many Canadian brands are underinvesting in marketing overall, spending just 1–2% of revenue5. At a time when almost all brands are experiencing baseline declines due to economic pressure, cutting back on ad spend may save money in the short term, but weakens the brand’s position in the market in the long run.
The data is clear: combining linear and connected TV boosts short-term ROI by 83%, and even 15-second spots deliver an impressive 65% ROI lift thanks to rate efficiency6. Linear investment continues to prove its value across markets.
Measurement Innovation on the Horizon
Better insight is coming. Numeris is building Canada’s first true cross-media measurement system, with a staggered roll out set to begin in 2025. This initiative will eventually unify audience tracking across TV, digital, radio, and more, giving marketers a much clearer insight into performance then ever before.
It’s a major step toward accountability and smarter investment. But as with any system, its success depends on industry collaboration.
Why Brands Still Need High-Impact Media
In a fragmented media world, strong brands stand out because they build trust, emotional connection, and pricing power. TV remains the most effective channel to deliver on all three. TV builds trust through regulation and consistent creative standards. It also offers co-viewing which amplifies engagement, creating shared emotional experiences. Relying too much on low-impact digital can chip away at brand strength and blur differentiation.
The Cost of Dull Media
Low CPMs might look good on a report, but “dull media”, referring to display, social, and low-attention video, rarely moves the needle. Half of all digital ads generate no positive emotional response, and 85% fail to reach the minimum attention threshold of 2.5 seconds7. Attention science tells us the sweet spot for ad memory starts at 13.5 seconds7 which is a benchmark that TV routinely meets and digital often misses.
The Takeaway for Marketers
In an attention scarce world, not all impressions are equal.
- Invest in high-impact video, it pays back in both brand strength and ROI.
- Measure what matters: CPAS beats CPM every time.
- Support the evolution of cross media measurement to get the full picture.
- Avoid dull media traps, cheap reach without attention is just wasted spend.
TV remains the cornerstone of effective marketing in Canada. It delivers trust, reach, and true attention, the three currencies every brand needs to grow.
References
1 Power of TV in an attention economy Slide 2
2 Power of TV in an attention economy Slide 15
3 Power of TV in an attention economy Slide 6
4 Attention: getting your brand noticed Slide 8
5 Marketing effectiveness in Canada
6 Why effectiveness is a major issue in Canada Slide 15
