The president and ceo of the Specialty and Premium Television Association predicts Canadian specialty and pay-tv will have a greater share of the viewing audience than Canadian private conventional networks by 2001. In an address to the TDTV: TD Securities Broadcasting & Entertainment Forum ’99, Jane Logan said that in 1998 pay and specialty captured 26.7% of the audience (a 13.6% increase from 1994), while conventional held 39.3% (a 9.2% decrease from 1994). Ad revenue for specialty and pay services grew 31% from 1994 to 1998. Established specialties grew 16%, while conventional grew only 9.4%. Ad execs expect an 8% to 10% ad growth for specialties again in 2000, while conventional will see 2% to 3% ad growth, or less.

Subscriber fees accounted for 62% of specialty revenue and 100% of pay revenue in 1998.