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›Ipsos in Kenya Managing Director, Chris Githaiga, speaking at the launch event

Rapid evolution of Kenyan media environment detailed in new study

Mobile phones remain the biggest disruptor and provide the greatest opportunity, while radio shows an increase in station numbers and listenership.

IPSOS IN KENYA RECENTLY launched a media landscape study that it says will help organisations keep pace with the changing consumer needs and habits in the country.

The Kenya Media Establishment Survey 2022 examines the lifestyles, demographics and psychographics of Kenyans in relation to how they perceive and consume media. The study was conducted between April and May this year with a national sample of 10,000 people from across all counties.

A media establishment survey was last conducted in Kenya in 2015, as broadcasting moved from analogue to digital transmission. Since then, the population, has increased from 45-million to 52-million, while urbanisation has grown from 26%

›Kenyan print media has been slowly transitioning to the digital space, but growth in readership has remained stagnant

to 28%, creating fertile ground for the many changes that have been witnessed in the local media industry.

The new study by global research company Ipsos aims to offer fresh audience insights and credible data for media owners, advertisers, the government, corporates, non-government organisations and other agencies.

Speaking at the launch in Nairobi, Ipsos in Kenya Managing Director, Chris Githaiga, noted that the country has witnessed accelerated growth and diversity in media touchpoints since the outbreak of the pandemic.

There is emergence of more media channels and more fragmentation – especially driven by vernacular, community and niche stations. Radio, for example, has gone from 109 to 250+ stations and TV from 45 to 250+ stations. There has also been growth in video on demand (VOD) and free or paid own-content creation.

TV set ownership has increased from 32% to 53%, while digital TV adaptation has pushed Pay STB ownership from 10% to 28%. Radio is growing at par with TV, with 27.3-million and 25.5 million-listeners and viewers, respectively. Internet enjoys an audience of 6.1-million, while print media ratings stand at 6.2-million.

The study shows that the mobile device has been the major disruptor in the local media landscape, with an increase in ownership from 79% to 95%, and growth of smartphones from 19% to 51%.

“This is why, despite the fact that there is a decrease in radio set ownership, the medium is towering as ‘The King’ as it is becoming more personalised through the mobile device,” Githaiga said in a post-launch blog post published in early August on the Ipsos in Kenya website.

INTERNET USAGE HAS MORE THAN TRIPLED

“We found out that internet use has more than tripled – from 13% to 46% – mainly driven by social media. We also discovered that social applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Google are debasing more quickly as newer applications like Betting, TikTok, Telegram and Opera become more attractive to the youth,” Githaiga observed.

Indeed, social media is witnessing an explosion in Kenya and is growing in prominence as a perceived authoritative voice, and more and more online platforms are breaking news as it happens.

Local print media, on the other hand, has been slowly transitioning to the digital space, but growth in readership has remained stagnant at 8% per week.

Advertising spend has continued to grow since 2015, with 2021 data estimating adspend at KES 7-billion a month (US$59,3-million) as many organisations seek to maximise return on their marketing budgets.

“Knowing your audience, understanding the issues they face, and being aware of what they think about society – and your media organisation in particular – are important factors for fine-tuning what you offer in order to better inform the public debate,” said the Ipsos in Kenya boss.

He added that the purpose of the Media Establishment Survey is to help the media and other organisations to produce better content that is more focused on audience need and generate new ideas for producing audience-related programmes and material.

“It also offers sales and marketing teams the information they need to try to monetise the content [they] produce and highlights new business development opportunities which can help ensure you are more accessible to more people,” Githaiga stated.

He continued: “But the 2022 Media Establishment Survey should not be an end in itself – as an industry we need to restart the conversation on what next?

“We need to reopen the conversation on passive audience tracking. This remains the most ideal approach, the gold standard, in measuring and tracking audience consumption behaviour in real time – [the] industry will then have access to granular and accurate data.

“I don’t see why Kenya should be left out.”