This could be attributed to the economic
performance of the local economy as this
a luxury item.
Streaming services enabled by smart
TV sets are here with us but based on
the uptake of the pay-TV it may not
necessarily shake up the local TV media
scene substantively. The high cost of
internet and low penetration could prove
a hindrance - however, with a growing
middle class in Kenya the potential is
huge.
In 2020 and beyond, there are market
niches that are yet to be fully tapped and
any media industry willing to put the
right resources can still get handsome
Return on Investment (ROI).
Online Media Reach and
Usage
Did you know that out of the 24.7 million
Kenyans aged 15 years and above 19 million
consume media every week? However,
only a paltry 33% consume media through
new media also synonymous with online
channels. Online channels are many but
they include; YouTube, social media,
podcasts, streaming sites, websites, and
blogs.
This points to the fact that people in Kenya
have greater or easy access to traditional
means of media such as newspapers, TV
stations, radio stations, and magazines.
This also does not negate the fact that new
media will not change the traditional way
of doing business.
To bring things into perspective more
traditional media houses in Kenya have
Streaming services enabled by smart TV
sets are here with us but based on the up-
take of the pay-TV it may not necessari-
ly shake up the local TV media scene sub-
stantively. The high cost of internet and
low penetration could prove a hindrance
- however, with a growing middle class in
Kenya the potential is huge.
laid off staff as the business environment
changes. Most recently in October
2019 media max employees were laid
off affecting K24 TV and sister stations
Kameme TV and Kameme FM. Though
not fully attributed to new media, online
media has created new threats and
opportunities in equal measure. A recently conducted survey by USIU
(United States International University)
revealed that 88.5% of Kenyans use
Facebook and 88.6 Kenyans use WhatsApp
for
either
acquiring
information,
entertainment, and social interactions and
more than 66% Kenyans have participated
in online debates using social media.
In Kenya, we have over 300 online sites
and applications that provide news and
entertainment. These sites transcend
niches that are not fully covered by the
traditional and regulated media. Websites
such as Mpasho, Tuko, Kahawa Tungu are
some of the popular blogs that Kenyans
go-to for gossip, rumors and other
informal conversations that may not find
their way into mainstream media. Despite an impressive mobile subscription
of 83% Kenya still ranks dismally for 4G
internet coverage. It is estimated that less
than 50% of Kenyan landmass is covered
by the network majority being in urban
centers.
New media or online media reaches
the masses through social media as
independently they cannot reach a huge
audience. Therefore Facebook, Twitter,
WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social
media platforms play a vital role in
promoting the content in these media
platforms.
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines provide a
unique and in-depth look at news, events,
and happenings around us. They provide
rich text and pictorial presentation of
stories and helps in decoding information
in depth, slowly, and systematically.
For very urgent news and stories, they may
not form the best alternative to reach out
to the people. During rainy season news of
roads to avoid cannot effectively reach the
audience through the newspaper, however,
an in-depth analysis of the situation can be
made as a follow-up story in the following
day dailies.
As at the beginning of this year there
were 44 newspapers and more than 62
magazines. Approximately 4.4 million
people read Daily nation every day
followed by the Standard with a readership
of 2.2 million people. This represents a 40%
and 20% share respectively the rest being
shared among other publications such as
the people daily, Taifa Leo, and Business
Daily among others.
It is interesting to note that 40% of readers
in Central province prefer Daily Nation to
The Standard while a small percentage of
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