Football boosts number of people watching television
Communications Authority Director-General Francis Wangusi (right), former Kikuyu MP Lewis Nguyai (centre) and Information secretary Ezekiel Mutua at a conference on ICT innovators, leaders and educators in Nairobi, on July 29, 2014. PHOTO | JENNIFER MUIRURI
What you need to know:
- At 82 per cent, TV viewership is the fastest-growing segment in the information and telecommunication industry.
- During the period under review, average weekly radio listenership increased by 19.9 per cent to 4.5 million.
The number of Kenyans watching television almost doubled in the first three months of the year, as football lovers stayed glued to their screens, the industry regulator says.
In statistics released on Monday, the Communications Authority of Kenya said the average weekly television audience rose by 82 per cent to 654,500 viewers, up from 360,000, in the quarter to December 2013.
“The growth in television viewership could be attributed to the increased number of premier league games, especially the English Premier League, which was aired live during the period under review,” the authority said.
At 82 per cent, TV viewership is the fastest-growing segment in the information and telecommunication industry.
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European football leagues, which have become popular around the world, begin their seasons in August, with the final matches played in May the following year.
Their importance provides an indication as to why there is a do-or-die fight between the service providers on the rights to broadcast football in Kenya.
Popularity of the English football has sparked off a war among rival broadcasting firms.
Currently, South Africa’s Multi-choice holds the rights to air the English Premier League matches in Kenya. This exclusivity has been contested by competitors such as Wananchi Group, which owns Zuku and Chinese-owned StarTimes.
In an interview with the Business Daily two weeks ago, Communications Authority Director-General Francis Wangusi said the regulator was developing rules that would compel broadcasting companies to share exclusive content with their rivals on a commercial basis.
This came in the wake of a fight between Wananchi, StarTimes and state broadcaster KBC over the rights to air the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation asserted its rights to exclusively air the tournament after suing the two pay-television firms for beaming the matches.
During the period under review, average weekly radio listenership increased by 19.9 per cent to 4.5 million, boosted by promotions and competitions that were held during the quarter.
In terms of broadcasting content, music and movies continued to fall shy of government quotas, with only 15.1 per cent and 7.4 per cent being sourced locally, respectively.
“…local content remains dominant for drama, news, discussions and documentaries. However, foreign music and movies still hold the highest percentage in terms of programming for both radio and television,” the report notes.
