A new report by the Communications Authority of Kenya has revealed a significant shift in media consumption habits among Kenyans, with online platforms experiencing a remarkable surge.
According to the Kenya Media Landscape Report covering July to September 2023, the proportion of Kenyans accessing media programs online has more than doubled, reaching 53%.
Since 2015, online media consumption has steadily risen from 27% in 2014 to 57%, attributed largely to the increased availability and use of the Internet across the country.
The report highlighted a corresponding decline in traditional media consumption, with radio listenership decreasing from 92% to 77% and newspaper readership plummeting from 21% to 7% between 2014 and 2023. However, television viewership saw a substantial increase from 46% to 74%.
The Communications Authority noted that this shift in preferences reflects a dynamic transformation in how Kenyans engage with media, with television and online platforms assuming greater prominence in shaping media consumption habits.
Regionally, radio remains dominant in Lake, Coast, Lower Eastern, North Western, Rift Valley, South Nyanza, and Western regions, while television dominates in Central, Nairobi, and Upper Eastern regions. Interestingly, the North Eastern region stands out, with 64% of its population using the Internet to access media programs, surpassing TV (54%), radio (53%), and newspapers (17%).
The report underscored that radio and television viewership surpasses other communication mediums in most regions, except for the North Eastern region, where Internet usage leads. Additionally, newspaper readership peaks in Nairobi and Western regions.
In terms of gender distribution, men lead in radio, TV, Internet, and newspaper media consumption, with 80%, 77%, 62%, and 23%, respectively, compared to women’s 74%, 70%, 52%, and 12%.
