MEDIA SCENE
Media Predictions
Africa (Kenya Report)
2020
By Susan Ngatia
T
he African media demographics
are unique and offer great
opportunities
and
special
challenges for anyone willing to get into
its murky waters.
With a population of 1.3billion majority
being youth, this is a minefield of
opportunities. It is also estimated that
around 48% of the total population
estimated at over 500 million are urban
dwellers. For digital media, the total usage
of the internet lies at around 40% of the
population which translates to over half a
billion people.
Coming home to Kenya, Media usage and
behavior may offer a unique opportunity
and thus require an in-depth look to
understand it. A recently conducted census
by the Kenya National Bureau of statistics
puts Kenya's population at approximately
48 million people. This data in totality
represents a conglomerate of different
sexes, races, religions, locations, tribes and
different interests, and needs for respective
people.
Media changes with time as technology
evolve and user behavior mutate
differently. More users now prefer TV and
entertainment on-demand than before.
This has been precipitated by technological
innovations such as YouTube, Hulu,
Netflix, Viusasa and other on-demand
channels. This has offered a diversification
of opportunities as people can follow local
TV or radio programs even when far away
from home with streaming options already
available.
Internet penetration, social media, and
smartphone access have also revolutionized
the media industry. According to a report
compiled by Jumia, mobile internet access
in Kenya stands at 91% with over 43
According to a report compiled by Jumia,
mobile internet access in Kenya stands
at 91% with over 43 million people hav-
ing internet access. This is a new world
of media that is offering new opportu-
nities that need to be tapped. With over
8.3 million users spending a minimum
of 3 hours daily on social media, news
and current affairs find their way more
conveniently and faster than with other
media platforms.
80 MAL35/20 ISSUE
million people having internet access. This
is a new world of media that is offering
new opportunities that need to be tapped.
With over 8.3 million users spending a
minimum of 3 hours daily on social media,
news and current affairs find their way
more conveniently and faster than with
other media platforms.
Government policies and economic
performance are also key shapers of the
media industry. Good and progressive
policies shape the industry and spur
economic growth which in turn improves
media uptake.
With population growth, movement
patterns and technological changes much
is going to change in 2020 and beyond.
However, for us to conceptualize the
changes below are how media channels are
currently and how they are likely to evolve
going forward.
Radio in 2020 and beyond
The first radio station in Kenya dates
back to 1928 and was known as Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation during the
colonial times. Fast forward in 2020 there
are over three hundred and sixty (360)
radio stations. Currently, radio has the
widest reach in Kenya with 60% of media
consumers interacting with radio.
A total number of 11.8 Million listeners
tune in to radio stations every week
majority being in the rural areas at 62.5%.
The most popular Radio station nationally
is Radio Citizen with a share of 19.3%
of the total listeners. However, as more
people migrate from rural areas to urban
centers this demographic may also change