Canadian consumer magazines accounted for 5.1% of total media ad spend in 2007, according to the annual “Canadian Media Landscape” overview published in the current issue of Marketing magazine. Of the $14.2 billion advertisers invested in media last year, $718 million went into magazines, the report says. (Magazines Canada is cited as Marketing’s source.)

In his analysis of the numbers, author Chris Powell writes:

Consumer magazines…remain reasonably healthy despite the ongoing challenges faced by their print brethren. Last year’s 5.3% increase in revenue, to $718 million, was the medium’s biggest year-over-year increase since 2004. Magazines accounted for 5% of total ad spend in 2007, slightly ahead of the U.S. (4.1%) but well behind the U.K. and Australia—where they accounted for 9% and 7.8% of the total ad spend respectively. 

Marketing estimates total ad spend on community newspapers, weekend supplements, and trade, religious, school and farm magazines at $1.5 billion, or 10.5% of the pie.

As for the Internet, the other key platform for publishing companies, it accounted for 8.7% of total ad spend, or $1.2 billion. Online revenues grew 38% last year.

Marketing has also dug into the annual reports for the country’s largest media companies and created a handy fold-out poster showing revenues for each company.

The chart reveals that Rogers Media earned $306 million from its publishing operations in 2007, which is more than the individual earnings from its TV, radio or Shopping Channel operations.

Quebecor Media, meanwhile, took in $329.8 million from its leisure and entertainment products (including magazines) last year, and $130.3 million from its websites.

Transcontinental Media earned a total of $633 million in 2007, but Marketing was unable to break this down into component parts, including magazines, newspapers and Internet.

Figures for St. Joseph Media were unavailable, as it remains a private company.