The Digital Media Universe: Measuring the Revenues, the Audiences, and the Future Prospects

The Digital Media Universe, a February 18, 2022 study by NGL Nordicity Group Limited for Ontario Creates, DGC, SOCAN and the DM@X Steering Committee, refreshes a 2020 DM@X report to measure Canadian creative sectors. It covers film and TV production, video games, music, book publishing, newspapers and magazines, and analyses the impact of COVID-19 on each. The film and TV section reports that Canadian industry revenue reached $9.5 billion in 2020, with foreign location and service production at $5.2 billion and the growth of Canadian-produced content described as plateauing. The games section reports that global video game revenue in 2021 was up 21% from 2019, and that Canadian games revenue for 2021 was estimated at $4.3 billion. In music, global recorded music industry revenue reached $21.6 billion in 2020, with streaming at 62.1% of recorded revenue. The study concludes that the creative industries are divided, with some sectors ascending and others declining or flatlining.