This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
Despite the challenges faced by the Kenyan media industry, Citizen TV has emerged as the top earner in advertising revenue, raking in Ksh1.1 billion between January and November 2019.
According to an industry overview report compiled by Ipsos Synovate, Citizen TV's revenue surpassed that of its competitors, including KTN, which made Ksh908 million, and NTV, which earned Ksh655 million during the same period.
Other vernacular TV stations, such as Inooro TV and Kass TV, also performed well, generating Ksh605 million and Ksh302 million respectively. However, Switch TV, a youth entertainment channel, struggled to make an impact, earning only Ksh50 million.
The report highlights the continued dominance of TV as the most popular advertising avenue, accounting for 56% of the advertising revenue, followed by radio at 35%, and print at 9%.
Among radio stations, Kass FM emerged as the top earner, attracting revenues of Ksh253 million, while Kameme Radio and Citizen Radio trailed behind with Ksh221 million and Ksh190 million respectively.
Classic FM and Royal Media Services-owned Hot 96 also performed well, generating Ksh158 million and Ksh126 million respectively. Urban radio Capital FM and West FM, a vernacular station, earned Ksh95 million and Ksh63 million respectively.
In the print media business, The Nation continued to be the top draw, earning Ksh340 million, while The Standard made Ksh218 million, despite issuing a profit warning earlier in the year.
People Daily, The Star, and Business Daily also performed relatively well, earning Ksh64 million, Ksh56 million, and Ksh40 million respectively.
However, the industry is struggling, with media houses facing significant challenges in the wake of digital disruption. The latest high-profile lay-offs were at Mediamax, which owns K24, where over 150 journalists lost their jobs.
According to the Kenya Media Landscape Report 2019, media houses need to revise their business models to adapt to the changing landscape.
