I won't be surprising you by saying that, for francophones, it's a matter of survival. There may be much broader market offerings for anglophones, and other services may appeal more to the anglophone audience. What concerns me is that the anglophone audience now can't tell the difference between what comes from United States and what's made in Canada. I'm also concerned that anglophones consume media in a piecemeal way.
The obligation to be competitive is one thing, while the obligation to represent society is another. Representing Canadian society means giving it a voice through productions that have yet to be made and that will represent specific issues for Canadians.
I don't know if that kind of production will appeal to the public at large. However, if 25,000 people love opera and you offer them that content, you've effectively achieved your objective. I don't know whether you have to offer more opera-related content, but that's diversity. Broadcaster choices are important.
Quebec has a captive audience because there aren't a lot of French-language offerings. The supply on the anglophone side is extensive, but that has nothing to do with mission or performance. If you assess the public broadcaster based solely on its performance, you've lost sight of the goal of its mandate.