The Audience-First Shift: What the CRTC Discoverability Study Means for You

Posted by Sharon McDonald on January 27, 2026

The CRTC study confirms: quality alone isn't enough. Learn how the Audience-First shift helps you move from simply making content to designing for connection.

For years, we’ve witnessed incredible Canadian creators, producers, and broadcasters pour their hearts into high-quality content, only to face the same heartbreaking question post-launch:

“Why isn’t it reaching an audience?”

That concern isn’t new. But the answer has changed.

The challenge isn’t about quality, effort, or creativity. It’s about connection.

We took a deep dive into the newly released CRTC report prepared by Nordicity, and for us at Innovate By Day, it reads more like a validation than a revolution. The report, Audience at the centre: Discoverability, Promotion, and Prominence of Canadian Content Across the Broadcasting System, confirms an audience-first shift we’ve been championing since 2010:

Content doesn't succeed simply because it exists. It succeeds when it is designed to be found.

Here is what the report signals for our industry partners and what it means for the future of how content gets made, positioned, and discovered.

Historically, our sector has been organized around output. The focus has been on getting projects greenlit, shot, and delivered. Audience development was treated as a line item addressed at the very end, if there was budget remaining.

While we’ve seen some positive shifts in recent years, the reality is that rising costs and shrinking budgets still push marketing to the top of the deprioritization list.

The report makes it clear: this model is broken.

In a digital landscape where algorithms are opaque and attention is the scarcest resource, we must shift from an output-first mindset to an audience-first one.

This means audience strategy can’t be the final step of production. It has to be the foundation.

Platforms are crowded, algorithms are opaque, and audiences are rarely willing to search beyond what is placed directly in front of them. The result isn’t a reflection of a lack of value or creativity. It’s a consequence of systems that demand clarity, context, and intention.

Content that isn't designed to move easily through these systems often stalls, no matter how compelling or unique it may be.

The opportunity emerges when audience development is treated as a core part of the project. With clear messaging, accessible framing, and intentional promotion, friction is reduced, and discovery becomes less about luck and more about alignment.

One of the smartest takeaways from the report is that discoverability isn’t a single tactic. It’s two simultaneous dialogues that must be managed in parallel:

The Human Dialogue: Storytelling, PR, influencers, and community relevance. This is about resonance.
The Machine Dialogue: Metadata, SEO, AEO, and technical optimization. This is about findability.

You can have the most compelling human story in the world, but if the "machine" (the algorithm) doesn't understand who it's for, it stalls. Conversely, you can be technically optimized, but if the story lacks heart, no one clicks.

The magic happens at the intersection. Real success happens when strategic clarity meets authentic storytelling. It’s about answering the hard questions before you shoot:

Who is this actually for? (Be specific.)
Where do they live online?
How does the metadata tell the same story as the trailer?

If you are a producer or broadcaster, this is your invitation to do things differently.

Think of your next project like planning the event of the century. You can book the perfect venue, curate an incredible playlist, and hire the best caterers, but if you never send the invitations, the messaging isn’t clear, or if the map leads to the wrong address, the room will be empty.

The next step isn't just to produce more content; it’s to design with connection built in.

We are entering an era in which ensuring a project’s discoverability is as crucial as the story arc itself. This cannot remain theoretical. It must be the baseline for funding, engagement, and survival in a global market. It’s about removing the friction between your work and your audience so people can actually find what you’ve built for them.

As the CRTC’s latest research makes clear, Canadian content is too often lost in the digital noise. At Innovate By Day, Audience-First isn't a pivot; it’s our DNA. We help producers and organizations move beyond simply creating content to intentionally connecting it with audiences. As Discoverability Architects, we design discoverability from the ground up, so projects are understood by global algorithms and the right audience(s).

If you're ready to build discoverability, clarity, and impact, we'd love to help you lay that foundation.

https://innovatebyday.ca/contact/