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Prairie businesses shine in second edition of landmark study of Canada’s interactive digital media i

Prairie businesses shine in second edition of landmark study of Canada’s interactive digital media industry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, ONTARIO, March 18, 2009 – The Canadian Interactive Alliance / l’Alliance interactive canadienne (CIAIC) today released results of its 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile at The Interactive Exchange 09 event in Toronto.

The CIIP, which is at present the only national study of Canada’s interactive media industry, showed that the industry as a whole saw a remarkable 50.9 per cent growth rate in revenue from interactive digital media work between 2006 and 2008, and a respectable 17.4 per cent rate of growth in revenue from all sources over the same period.

For 2008, the CIIP study looked only at firms that derived more than 50 per cent of their revenue from interactive digital media work, which excluded broadcasters, ISPs and other similar media enterprises. Overall, the 2008 CIIP estimates the number of interactive media companies in Canada at 2,960, collectively employing between 51,000 and 52,500 Canadians in various roles. The estimated revenue generated by these companies is $4.7 billion annually, with $3.8 billion of that coming from interactive digital media projects, and $900 million from other forms of media and entertainment.

Some notable statistics and trends reported by the 60 firms from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba included as part of the Prairie Region profile in the 2006 CIIP: • Through the recognized gross-up method used in the survey, it is estimated that the three Prairie provinces are home to approximately 450-550 interactive digital media companies that employ more than 5,000 people. These companies and generate approximately $500 million to $700 million in gross annual revenue and $400 million to $500 million in interactive digital media revenue;

• The Prairie Region leads the five regions and provinces examined in the 2008 CIIP in the number of wholly Canadian-owned companies, with more than 88% of companies reporting they are 100% Canadian-owned;

• More than 80% of Prairie companies indicate involvement in three to five interactive digital media task Sub-Categories, more than 7% higher than the national average, and;

• Nearly 70% of respondents characterized their current business performance as Better or Much Better than last year.

“The 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile clearly shows the future potential of this fast-growing segment of the knowledge economy,” said Ian Kelso, President of the CIAIC and President and CEO of Interactive Ontario, which organized IN: The Interactive Exchange 09. “We believe that the story of Canada’s interactive digital media and its contribution to our country’s GDP, employment base and global competitiveness has only just begun to be told.”

Other national-level statistics of note from the 2008 CIIP include:

• The vast majority – 85 per cent – of companies are wholly Canadian-owned; • 60 to 70 per cent of interactive media projects are based on original intellectual property;

• Nearly half – 46 per cent – of industry revenue is generated through two task categories: Game Design and Development, and Website Design and Development;

• A full third of respondents said they performed work in five or more interactive digital media task categories.

Funding supporters of the 2008 CIIP are Telefilm Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Business New Brunswick.

About CIAIC Formed in June 2005, the Canadian Interactive Alliance/l’Alliance Interactive Canadienne is a not-for-profit association and the authoritative voice for Canada’s interactive digital media industry on the national stage. Its membership is composed of seven provincial interactive media associations: Alliance Numérique, Digital Alberta, Interactive Media Alliance of PEI, Interactive Ontario, Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Association, New Media BC, and SaskInteractive. For more on the alliance, visit the CIAIC’s website at http://www.ciaic.ca. Information: contact James Lewis, executive director, (613) 878-7604 or james@ciaic.ca

Download the 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile here


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