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TORONTO — The number Canadian households paying for at least one streaming video service will eclipse traditional TV subscribers for the first time next year, predicts an annual report on consumer habits.

Convergence Research Group says the growing popularity of an array of streaming options — ranging from Netflix and Crave to sports platform DAZN (pronounced da-zone) — is leading to a gradual shift in where viewers invest their entertainment dollars.

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Those changing habits will cross a benchmark by the end of 2020 as more streaming companies launch in Canada, said Convergence Research president Brahm Eiley in the “Couch Potato” report on industry trends, released Monday.

“If we look at things a year ago compared to where we are now, you’re starting to see the global platforms enter Canada, and that’ll only intensify in the next couple of years,” Eiley suggested in an interview.

He pointed to Apple and Disney as two major corporations that plan to launch streaming platforms in the United States later this year. Both companies are expected to eventually make a push into Canada, adding to a list of newcomers that include art-house platform the Criterion Channel, and the CBC Gem app.