Broadcast Dialogue: BCE's Bell Media revenue up 9.7% to $803M, Crave at 5.15M

Broadcast Dialogue reports that BCE’s third-quarter 2026 results included Bell Media revenue up 9.7% to $803 million, with adjusted EBITDA growth of 8% year over year. It says Crave’s subscriber base grew 21% to 5.15 million, driven by a 41% rise in direct-to-consumer streaming subscriptions.

Digital video advertising revenue also rose 41%, and overall advertising revenue was up 9.0%. The outlet ties that to sports advertising around the FIFA World Cup 2026, partly offset by softer demand for traditional advertising. Broadcast Dialogue quotes BCE President and Chief Executive Officer Mirko Bibic on Thursday morning’s earnings call saying digital revenues grew 20% year over year in the quarter. It also reports that he spoke about Canadian original programming and international sales, including Heated Rivalry reaching 130 countries. The report gives no term or rights detail for those sales.

The report adds that construction continues on the initial 300 megawatts of Saskatchewan data centre capacity, with the first data hall expected in the first half of 2027. All of this detail comes from Broadcast Dialogue’s report. We have not seen BCE’s own release or call transcript confirming it.