Leading News & Media Brands in Canada: Q1 2025 Performance Overview

In the fast-paced world of news and media, staying ahead of trends is crucial. Sensor Tower's comprehensive data offers a unique glimpse into the performance of leading brands in the News & Magazines category in Canada. This article delves into the Q1 2025 performance of CNN, BBC News, and Guardian News and Media Limited, highlighting their audience trends, app engagement, and advertising strategies.

CNN

CNN's digital presence is robust, featuring its website, cnn.com, and the CNN: Live & Breaking News app.

• Audience Trends: From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, cnn.com consistently drew over 7M unique visitors monthly. A notable spike occurred in November 2024, with visits exceeding 11M, followed by a dip in December.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base, with active users hovering around 120K. Despite slight fluctuations, the app audience remained above 110K throughout the period.

• Ad Spend & Channels: CNN's monthly advertising spend saw significant variation, peaking in December 2024 at nearly $8.6K, primarily through Instagram. Desktop video was a prominent channel in October, but its use declined thereafter.

BBC News

BBC News capitalizes on its website, bbc.com, and the BBC: World News & Stories app.

• Audience Trends: bbc.com demonstrated a consistent visitor base, with unique visits exceeding 3M monthly. The highest engagement was seen in January 2025, with a significant rise in visits per unique visitor.

• App Engagement: The app maintained strong engagement, with monthly active users consistently around 90K during Q1 2025, showing a slight increase from Q4 2024.

• Ad Spend & Channels: BBC News reduced its ad spend from October 2024, with a notable decline in December. Facebook remained the primary channel, accounting for the majority of monthly impressions.

Guardian News and Media Limited

Guardian News and Media Limited's digital strategy includes theguardian.com and The Guardian - Live World News app.

• Audience Trends: theguardian.com saw a steady increase in visits, peaking in January 2025 with over 1.4M unique visitors monthly. The website consistently engaged users, with visits per unique visitor remaining stable.

• App Engagement: The app showed moderate growth, with monthly active users rising to approximately 11K by March 2025.

• Ad Spend & Channels: The Guardian's ad spend was minimal compared to its peers, with a notable increase in March 2025. Facebook dominated its monthly advertising channels.

Conclusion

The Q1 2025 performance of these leading brands underscores the dynamic nature of the news and media landscape. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data offerings, including Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics, provide critical insights into cross-platform user behavior, enabling brands to refine their strategies and engage audiences effectively. By leveraging these insights, decision-makers can make informed choices that drive growth and maintain competitive advantage in an ever-evolving market.