By creating playlists of shows or movies viewers will love, brands advertising on Roku can make choosing what to watch easier.

Canadians are continuing to cut the cord at an accelerating pace.

That was one of the key findings from our latest annual study into Canadian streaming behaviour and preferences, 2026 VOD Evolution. The research found that 14% of streamers had cancelled their cable subscriptions in the previous 12 months (up from 9% a year earlier), and almost half (48%) reported they hadn’t used cable in the past month at all.

For many, streaming has effectively replaced cable altogether – 43% of streamers watch cable channels through streaming platforms, and 56% use them to watch live or scheduled TV. But as the ecosystem expands, so does the burden of choice.

Simply put, all that choice can be overwhelming.

Canadian streamers spend an average of 12 minutes looking for something to watch

More than two-thirds of Canadian streamers feel there are too many streaming services to keep track of, while more than half are annoyed that their favourite TV shows and movies are spread across too many subscription services. Most importantly, 44% say that the process of finding something new to watch is “stressful.”

Streamers find the search for something to watch “stressful.” With sponsored playlists, advertisers can provide some guidance.

All that searching takes a lot of time – on average, streamers are spending 12 minutes looking for something new to watch, and almost a quarter (23%) have spent more than half an hour searching. That gap creates a clear opportunity for brands to play a more useful role in discovery.

Helping Streamers Discover (and Rediscover) Content

By curating themed playlists that resonate with audiences, advertisers can reduce search fatigue and turn indecision into engagement. These sponsored collections, accessed directly from the Roku Home Screen, meet viewers at the exact moment they’re deciding what to watch.

Playlists are a natural way for streamers to discover content – half are already finding things to watch in this way – and they’re open to more of it. More than a third (37%) of streamers told us that they’d like a brand more if it sponsored a selection of TV shows and movies to make it easier to find something to watch.

So, what content do we recommend? Our research suggests that streamers are increasingly drawn to comfort and familiarity, and are actively revisiting older favourites.

The Comfort of the Classics

For 2026 VOD Evolution, we asked Canadian streamers how long they spend watching different types of content, including on-demand, live and archive. What we found might surprise you. Streamers spend twice as much time watching older shows and movies as they do on new, on-demand content.

In fact, they’re spending more than five hours a week watching shows and movies they’ve seen before. Comfort TV and nostalgia are strong drivers – 3 in 5 (61%) streamers say they “really enjoy” rewatching TV shows and movies, and about the same proportion (62%) say that they enjoy watching older (more than 10-year-old) TV shows.

Older TV shows and movies are familiar and comforting. Advertisers can create and deliver curated content playlists to their audiences.

For brands, that creates an opportunity to deliver familiarity with intention – curating content that aligns both with audience preferences and brand identity.

Roku carries more than 70,000 TV shows and movies across various genres, so there’s something for everyone. Our catalogue contains many old favourites, including classic sitcoms Friends and Three’s Company, cosy dramas such as Murdoch Mysteries and Murder, She Wrote, as well as vintage favourites including Little House on the Prairie and Columbo.

With such a variety of TV and movie content, in both English and French, brands can connect with audiences at scale while remaining highly relevant. And in a fragmented landscape, that relevance is what stands out.

Roku is Canada’s number-one streaming platform by hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, Q4 2024), and the highest-selling smart TV OS in the country (Circana, 2024). To find out more about how Roku can help you reach your audience with sponsored playlists, get in touch.