Cross-media consumption has completely changed the way viewers consume content . TV viewership is now done simultaneously with digital media , mostly on social media channels . While digital media consumption has broken out into an upward trajectory thanks to video-ondemand and OTT platforms , TV has continued to prove its mettle especially in the time of the pandemic and lockdown and still holds true as the most bankable for brand reach and brand recall .

TV is still a primary screen for up to 60 % of households in Kenya with no internet access . TV keeps brand saliency high due to its believability and trust , therefore it is still an effective medium in our digital world . While we have believed that 2020 was the year of digital , it was in essence the year many people were also glued to their TV screens . Many people had more time to spend on digital during the pandemic , perhaps that is why we would package the season as such , but they were already on various social media platforms . During the pandemic , brands that continued to advertise on TV registered great success because of the emotional connection that customers gained from what they saw and how they felt . The same advertising was then translated to digital platforms . The link between what provided comfort in that difficult time was embedded in the minds of consumers through the two different touch-points creating the pathos . The messages were stronger than the advertisers may have imagined or intended . This shows the power that TV still has over its audiences .

Overall , TV viewership still remains an important part of family time and a source of trusted news . The urban population may take for granted the opportunity to have

TV is still a primary screen for up to 60 % of households in Kenya with no internet access . TV keeps brand saliency high due to its believability and trust , therefore it is still an effective medium in our digital world . While we have believed that 2020 was the year of digital , it was in essence the year many people were also glued to their TV screens . a TV screen to retire to , but increasingly solar power solutions are democratizing TV ownership to the most remote parts of this country . Advertising especially during prime time is returning to the screens with essential goods providers pushing the ad volumes in recent months .

Even with heightened talk on digital advertising , TV still remains an important platform for brands to convert customers given that we see increased advertising on TV pushing customers to take up digital products and services and use online web services .

TV viewership will continue to grow as more people gain access to electricity connections and solar powered entertainment systems , and therefore TV viewership trends will change in the coming months . The two mediums will continue to co-exist , and the measurement of both platforms will need to be deployed to give a true picture for advertisers . Marketers will need reliable metrics to measure the cross-consumption patterns and habits for maximum impact .

As the TV viewership and digital consumption trends continue to take shape , the customers and advertisers are not the only ones that have found themselves in a tie between the two . TV rating parameters also seem to have shifted . Recent TV viewership reports are speaking the digital language to woo clients with the ‘ most viewed ’, ‘ most followed ’ and ‘ most shared ’ TV viewership trends . What these terms should immediately trigger in the mind

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Digital Metrics : The New Proxy For TV Viewership Numbers ?