Service Industries Newsletter

This new product offers a window to industry reports, statistics, analytical articles, survey methodology and information for survey participants for a wide selection of service industries that encompass 250 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) categories and half of Canada's business establishments.

In this issue

Consumer demand for entertainment services outside the home

In recent years, while Canadians have spent more on entertainment at home, there has concurrently been an increase in demand for entertainment outside the home. The entertainment services outside the home discussed in this article include attendance at movie theatres, performing arts and spectator sports events and admissions to heritage institutions. This shift in preferences along with growth in incomes, population and prices caused the consumer market for entertainment services outside the home to expand from $2.3 billion in 1998 to $3.2 billion in 2003, an increase of 41%.

Based primarily on Survey of Household Spending data from 1998 and 2003, this article examines changes over the five year period in household spending on entertainment services outside the home. In particular, it investigates how spending changed in each province and for some household types and each household income quintile. It also looks at how the performance of entertainment services providers may have been affected by such changes. As the entertainment services market grows, the providers of these services face the challenge of retaining existing customers and attracting new ones. Knowing how consumer characteristics such as income, type of household and geographical location affect entertainment spending can enable suppliers to better provide and market their services.

Editor's note