Pierre Karl Péladeau, acting president and CEO of TVA Group, has issued a statement outlining the private broadcaster’s precarious position and the deteriorating business environment of Quebec’s TV industry overall.
According to Péladeau, TVA continues to absorb considerable financial losses while competing on an uneven playing field. As a result, TVA Group is cutting 30 jobs primarily in its TV division.
These cuts come on top of the company’s major recent restructuring, including two revamps since 2023 that have caused the loss of more than 650 jobs, half of the broadcaster’s workforce. In addition, TVA has dropped popular programs from its schedule and slashed budgets for original Québec productions by independent producers belonging to the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM).
Péladeau says that despite these actions, the challenges are not going away and the situation continues to worsen. TVA Group’s financial results for the first quarter of 2025, released on May 5, confirmed the continuation of the trend. TVA Group’s total net loss over the past three years now stands at $76.1 million.
TVA Group’s channels and programs top Québec ratings and reached 80% of the Quebec population every week during the winter 2025 season. That said, advertising and subscription revenues continue to fall. Over the past three years, its TV ad revenues have declined by $27.7 million. In addition, its subscriber base and subscription revenues have dwindled as audiences migrate to U.S. platforms and social networks.
Péladeau says part of the problem is that U.S.-based video streaming services do not have to meet the licensing requirement and regulations that Canadian broadcasters must comply with. “Operating outside regulatory constraints, they are destabilizing Canada’s broadcasting ecosystem, accentuating changes in viewing habits and contributing to the erosion of viewing and advertising revenues on traditional platforms.
He also points to the recent reduction in funding from the Canada Media Fund (CMF), which has meant a net loss of $5 million for TVA alone for 2025-26, or almost a third of its funding.
Péladeau calls for the government to level the playing field and act to protect Canadian jobs and businesses.
