According to a report from the Communications Authority of Kenya, radio still constitutes the biggest audience. Due to the proliferation of media content, a lot of options are available for Kenyans to consume with relative ease.
Furthermore, its use is highly employed in multiple settings such as the home, the workplace, and in transit. However, venues such as restaurants, bars, and hotels slightly prefer the TV.
Social media was a main factor in the rise of use of mobile devices, with Kenya having one of the highest rates of internet penetration in Africa.
Television is still a close favourite…
Due to the introduction of digital terrestrial transmission technology, the use of television sets has also increased significantly from 2015. This can be attributed to the drop in cost of setting up digital TV stations. Also, males show higher consumption of television content than females.
Pay TV vs free-to-air
For a majority of viewers, free-to-air TV enjoys a massive audience compared to pay TV.
Advertising on TV is most effective between 7PM and 10PM, and is lowest from midnight to 11AM.
Internet content
According to the report, more than half of the respondents use the internet, with males exceeding females. Moreover, people aged below 34 years made up a majority of the internet users.
Urban areas top the internet usage metrics, possible due to improved infrastructure than in rural areas. Smartphones are the main devices used in accessing internet content due to their low cost and ease of accessibility.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp are the top social sites that Kenyans use, with Youtube and Tiktok close behind.
Age as a determining factor
Age is also a huge factor when gauging the level of engagement with media. For 45 years onwards, the preferred channel of media is radio, magazines, and newspapers. The 35-44 age group showed a preference towards TVs and magazines. With the 18-24 years age group, commonly referred to as Gen Z, mobile content was the main choice.
How the various regions fare…
According to the report, radio is more popular in rural areas, while TV is more popular in urban areas. Western region scored highest in radio at 85%, while Central and Nairobi regions scored highly with television content viewership, at 85% and 81% respectively. At 83%, Nairobi was the strongest when it came to consumption of internet content, and 21% in newspapers.
Males have shown higher preference for radio than females, especially when it comes to the older demography. When it comes to language, Swahili radio stations are the most preferred, followed by vernacular radio stations. This preference is significant in the Western and Coastal regions.
