Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Entertainment advertisers in Canada spent most of 2025 enjoying unusually low Facebook Ads CPCs compared to the global benchmark, before a sharp late‑year surge flipped the script. Through October, costs were subdued and steady; by November they accelerated, rising again in December and peaking in January 2026. The pattern contrasts with the global market, which stayed relatively stable most of the year and eased into the new year.
This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Entertainment in Canada compared to the global benchmark.
CPC for Entertainment in Canada started at $0.39 in January 2025 and ended at $2.62 in January 2026. The annual low landed in July at $0.13, while the high arrived in January 2026 at $2.62—a roughly 21x swing from trough to peak. Across the 13 months, CPC averaged $0.68.
The first ten months were remarkably inexpensive: from January to October, CPC averaged $0.33 and rarely broke $0.45. July marked the deepest dip ($0.13), with a modest recovery through August ($0.23) and September–October (around $0.44). The market turned in November, jumping to $1.29 (+191% versus October), climbed further in December to $1.64, and then surged to $2.62 in January 2026—about +570% versus January 2025.
Volatility was pronounced. Average month‑over‑month movement was $0.25 in Canada, over 3.5x the global benchmark’s $0.07, with the largest shifts concentrated in Q4 and into January.
The rhythm is clear: soft and steady costs through H1, a summer trough in July, a modest Q3 rebuild, and a decisive Q4 lift. November brought the breakout, December pushed higher during holiday competition, and January 2026 extended the climb instead of easing—a distinctive pattern given typical early‑Q1 softening in many markets.
Quarterly averages underscore the shift:
From Q3 to Q4, CPCs increased more than 3x; from the Jan–Oct run‑rate ($0.33) to Nov–Jan ($1.85), the jump was over 5x.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks, Canada’s Entertainment CPCs were below market in 10 of 13 months. From January to October 2025, costs trailed global levels by 60–90%. The gap narrowed to near parity in November (Canada $1.29 vs. global $1.32, 2% lower), then inverted in December (+56% above global) and widened sharply in January 2026 (+210% above global).
Globally, CPC averaged $1.11 over the period, ranging from $0.85 to $1.32 with a modest November rise and a December–January cooldown. Canada’s range ($0.13 to $2.62) was far wider and notably more volatile. While the global trend edged down into January 2026 (−25% YoY), Canada’s Entertainment CPCs climbed steeply into the new year.
In short, CPC trends for Facebook Ads in the Entertainment industry in Canada tracked well below the global benchmark for most of 2025 before a Q4 surge and a January 2026 peak pushed costs far above market. Understanding these country‑specific ad costs within broader Facebook Ads benchmarks helps quantify industry ad performance for Entertainment in Canada against global CPC patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Entertainment industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting Canada, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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Late November (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), December (holiday shopping, Boxing Day), Back-to-school (August-September), Mother's Day (May)
CPM might increase during Canada Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving. Black Friday and Cyber Monday see heightened e‑commerce bidding. December holiday period may spike ad costs. Back-to-school and Mother's Day drive retail competition. Provincial holidays might alter weekday inventory availability.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
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