From streaming platforms to media outlets, Canadians have their go-to websites for most, if not all, of their entertainment needs. We can determine which sites are the most popular in Canada by looking at their number of users and monthly visitors.
With the help of websites like Statista, Semrush, and Similar Web, which offer website traffic insights, we’ve compiled 15 of the most popular entertainment websites in Canada.
1. YouTube.com
With 31.9 million Canadian users and 1.59 billion monthly Canadian visits, YouTube.com is incredibly popular in the country. Canadians aren’t just watching videos on their phones or computers; more and more frequently, they’re watching YouTube on their TVs. While YouTube is an American company, the video streaming platform has been a huge revenue driver for Canada’s economy. In 2022, content on the site contributed $2 billion to Canada’s GDP.
2. Facebook.com
Facebook captured global attention after its 2004 launch, growing to more than 6 million users by the end of its first year. In Canada, this social media website continues to be popular 20 years later, with 77% of the population, equivalent to 30 million people, currently using the platform.
3. Instagram.com
Just over 50% of Canada’s population, or approximately 20 million Canadians, use Instagram, making it the country’s second-most-popular social media platform. The website is used the most by those aged 25 to 34, followed by the 18- to 24-year-old age group.
4. X.com
X (formerly Twitter) is most popular among Canadians with a post-graduate education and an income exceeding $100,000. There are 8 million Canadian users on the platform, 45% of whom visit the platform daily. The social media platform differs from Facebook and Instagram in that it is primarily text-based rather than video- or image-based.
5. Reddit.com
Reddit.com is used for discussions on every topic imaginable, asking questions, getting answers, and building community, and it is incredibly popular among Canadians. On average, Canadians visit the website over 276 million times monthly.
6. Netflix.com
Launched in 2007, Netflix was the first streaming platform to offer movies and shows. It remains popular with Canadians, with the site receiving over 74 million visits every month. Over 76% of Canadians have a Netflix account as of 2024.
7. Spotify.com
Spotify.com provides a vast range of music, podcasts, and audiobooks with a free and premium version. The website is Canada’s most popular music platform, with nearly 20 million monthly visitors.
8. PrimeVideo.com
Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming platform, is growing in popularity with Canadians, with 54% of Canadians currently using this website to stream videos, nearly double the usage in 2021. Amazon launched its streaming service in 2006 and has had a slow rise in popularity, becoming more widely known in recent years.
9. DisneyPlus.com
Just under 30% of Canadians use the Disney Plus streaming service. The platform first launched in 2019, and unlike Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney Plus gained popularity very quickly after this, gaining over 100 million users in its first few years.
10. CBC.ca
CBC.ca receives over 45 million visits every month, which is unsurprising since it provides local, national, and international news to its audience. Visitors can keep up with live broadcasts or access articles. In addition to its news offerings, the website also has a great deal of video content through its streaming platform, CBC Gem, which is available on the CBC.ca site.
11. Twitch.tv
Twitch.tv is a live video game streaming platform that has gained popularity among video game enthusiasts within Canada. It attracts 42 million monthly Canadian visitors.
12. NYTimes.com
The New York Times is highly popular among Canadians. The website, which has a Canadian edition, receives 30 million Canadian visits every month.
13. CTVNews.ca
CTVnews.ca provides local, national, and international news to Canadians, similar to CBC.ca, as well as other video content, such as Canadian TV shows. It attracts over 29 million visitors each month with its live broadcasts, videos, and articles.
14. LinkedIn.com
LinkedIn currently has 24.4 million Canadian users, roughly half of whom are between 25 and 34 years old. The professional networking platform launched in 2003 and became popular in the early 2010s, achieving over 100 million users worldwide.
15. Yahoo.com
With everything from breaking news to lifestyle tidbits, Yahoo.com and its Canadian counterpart Yahoo.ca provide endless, interesting content that appeals to Canadians. Yahoo.com is one of Canada’s most-used news and media publications, earning it the final slot in this list.
Honourable Mentions
When it comes to entertainment, Canadians also visit several other sites that are well worth mentioning here, even if they didn’t make the list of the 15 most popular websites.
Online gaming is a popular pastime among Canadians, with sites like Roblox.com and discord.com being among the most popular websites within this category.
Meanwhile, online gambling is another huge industry in Canada, generating revenue of $14.2 billion. Websites like Bonus.ca that wrote a review of popular online casinos and then ranked them for players attract many visitors.
Finally, e-commerce websites are another popular website type among Canadians that deserve an honourable mention as an entertainment platform since many people shop for fun. Popular websites include Amazon.ca, with 195 million monthly visits; Walmart.ca, with 29 million visits; and CanadianTire.ca, with 29 million monthly visits.
Conclusion
For many Canadians, websites like YouTube.com, Facebook.com, and Instagram.com entertain, but they’re just the tip of the entertainment iceberg. These 15 websites and the several honourable mentions outlined above show that Canadians have incredibly varied interests when it comes to what they do for entertainment.