In January 2026, the Academy announced that in addition to
CBC Television and streaming on CBC Gem, the 14th Canadian Screen Awards would also be simulcast by
CTV,
Global, and their streaming services
Crave and
StackTV. CEO Tammy Frick explained that that increased awareness in
Canadian sovereignty had built interest in a multi-network simulcast, and that "with CBC's blessing and huge enthusiasm, we reached out to
Bell and then
Corus, and they very quickly came on board." Four new "Spotlight" categories will also be introduced, one each for actors, directors, writers and producers, to honour Canadian talent for their work on international television shows that were filmed partially or entirely in Canada, but were not Canadian productions in order to be eligible for consideration in regular categories. The categories for Best Host for a Live Entertainment Special, Best Variety or Entertainment Special,
Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series, Best Picture Editing in Animation and Best Host of a Talk Show or Entertainment News Program were discontinued, and a new category will be introduced in the Digital stream for Creator of the Year, to honour Canadian
content creators who have had an impact on
social media platforms. ==Special awards==