CBC struggling as advertising sales drop by 20 percent amid pandemic

The CBC stated in their reports that 1/5 of their ad revenue had been lost. The crown corporation also warned that this pressure will not ease up for the next two years, according to Blacklock's Reporter.

This year, the revenue the CBC receives from advertising fell from $38.5 million compared to $48.2 million. The state broadcaster is now entirely dependent on a $1.2 billion parliamentary grant.

"It is anticipated the effects of Covid-19 will persist into 2021-2022 including continuing economic pressures and programming disruptions," said a CBC management figure.

This was only made worse by the pandemic which throttled summer olympic and NHL playoff viewership.

Over the past few years, the CBC's viewership has steadily declined to the point where only three percent of the Canadian public watches their local 6 p.m. broadcasts.

The CBC is facing a fight for its life as the new Conservative leader Erin O'Toole threatens to disband and defund certain programming. O'Toole has pledged to defund their English language services, while also forcing the state broadcaster to drop advertising revenue.

Despite this, the CBC seems happily stuck in the past: "as Canada's national public broadcaster we occupy an important place in the Canadian broadcasting system and face a unique set of risks to our plans and operations," they said.