In September we examined TV ratings in Kenya over three months, and here we are presenting a more detailed analysis of Kenyan TV viewership in October. According to BuzzKenya, there are over 15 local TV stations in Kenya, but both GeoPoll’s data and information from The Kenya Advertising Research Foundation demonstrate that only a few dominate in terms of audience size.
In October Citizen TV was once again the clear leader in terms of both share and viewership, with an average of 1.42 million viewers per 30-minute time block. In a distant second was KTN with 535,000 viewers per time block, and third is NTV with 442,000 viewers. K24, QTV, and KBC are fourth, fifth, and sixth in terms of viewership, all with an average viewership of less than 300,000 per half-hour.
While Citizen’s viewership stays much higher than its’ competition throughout the day, the channel does have daily peaks in audience size, most notably during the weeknight evening hours of 7pm-10pm. At 7pm during the nightly news show Citizen Nipashe and the weekend version Nipashe Wikendi, Citizen’s average viewership in October was over 2.2 million, and audience numbers stay high through the primetime schedule, never dipping below an average of 2 million viewers before 10pm.
In October KTN and NTV both had their daily peaks later in the evening hours: KTN’s highest viewership was at 9pm, with an average of 930,000 viewers from 9pm-9:30pm. NTV also had it’s largest daily audience size at 9pm, with an average of 828,000 viewers.
Churchill_show2NTV’s highest audience size throughout the week consistently comes from the popular comedy and entertainment show The Churchill Show, which airs new episodes each Sunday at 8pm. In October, The Churchill Show had an average of 1.95 million viewers each Sunday, and the highest rated episode aired on October 12th. The October 12th episode, Season 4 Episode 32, featured several Miss World contestents and had an audience of over 2.25 million viewers.
Here are the top stations in Kenya from October, from GeoPoll’s daily Audience Measurement data and shown in average viewers per half-hour:
Kenya_TV_October
1) Citizen TV: 1,425,000 viewers
2) KTN: 535,000 viewers
3) NTV: 442,000 viewers
4) K24: 296,000 viewers
5) QV: 281,000 viewers
6) KBC: 271,000 viewers
7) KissTV: 130,000 viewers
8) Family: 107,000 viewers
9) GBS: 78,000 viewers
There are more than 15 licensed local TV stations in Kenya with many still pending but just like in every business in the media sector, it is all about market share and positive feedback from the customers and in this case: the viewers. Only a few of Kenyan TV stations stand out from among others and generally, KBC, NTV, KTN, Citizen TV, K24, QTV are the biggest TV stations in Kenya in terms of coverage and number of viewers but the introduction of Kiss TV, which happens to be a 24-hour Music TV Station and Classic TV which airs African content including African movies, programs, documentary and music has stiffened the competition and the fight for audience. The Kenya Advertising Research Foundation provides a report on the most viewed TV stations in Kenya. Some of the TV stations have up to an average viewing time of over 14 hours per week. Below is the list of Popular TV Stations in Kenya.
Most Watched Kenya TV Stations
10. K24 TV
K24 TV is among the most popular TV stations in Kenya with an average viewing time of 3.1 hours per week. It is powered by Mediamax Network Ltd which was established in 2009 and now happens to be one of the fastest growing media houses in Kenya. Mediamax group is the holding company for K24 TV, Kameme FM, Meru FM , The People Daily, other Kenya radio stations like Milele FM and Mayian FM.
9. Family TV
Family TV is a channel that was established to reach out to Christians. Founded in 1999 and apart from being the pioneer faith channel in Kenya, it is now East and Central Africa’s largest Christian television network and Kenya’s most watched faith channel. Kenya is a Christian country however, this does not mean that Family TV gets the most viewers. It is rather struggling with a 3.1 hour viewership per week.
8. GBS
GBS (good News Broadcasting System) started its operations in 2009 and is a Christian TV broadcasting station in Kenya. GBS is a private broadcasting which runs by sponsorship and advertisement revenue. GBS is not just an “all gospel” television network but also has other forms of entertainment including music, movies and documentaries included in their programme as well as shopping tv.
7. Kiss TV
Kiss TV Kiss started out locally but has now gone national. The station does not only broadcast music but occasional African movies. If you are looking for entertainment channel in Kenya, Kiss TV is a good place to start. Sports are also featured in their programme including English Premier League (selected matches), The German Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League. It receives an average of 4.5 hours per week.
6. Kass TV
Kass TV is a Kenyan television channel introduced by Kass Media Group. The group is also behind other media outlets in Kenya including Kass fm, a radio station in Kenya, Kass magazine which also publishes in the United Kingdom, Kass Sports and Kass Entertainments, events and activities management. Kass TV has an average of 5.1 hours of view per week.
5. KBC
KBC is the oldest broadcasting TV station in Kenya. They provide the audience with coverage for national issues and the public service sectors. The Corporation enhances development of local cultural values by facilitating the dissemination, preservation and conservation of authentically indigenous values. The station has an average of 6.1 viewers per week.
4. KTN
Kenya Television Network (KTN) is one of the major TV stations in Kenya founded in 1990 as the very first non-pay privately owned TV-station in Africa . The head office is located at the Standard Group Centre on Mombasa road. It was quite a popular TV station in the 90s and early 2000 during which the station was remarkable for its aggressive and blunt news coverage but a few years after, the station struggled for a while and is on track for recovery. – Watch KTN live online
3. QTV
First started on a wobbling note but the station has shown marked improvement since its establishment. With the latest number of hours standing at 6,5 per week, it has left much to be envied by others.
2. NTV
The media sector is always competing within itself for a larger audience and market share. NTV came into being on May 12, 2005 and has gained in the recent times when compared with KTN which inturn, has suffered a lot of losses.
1. Citizen TV
Citizen TV Kenya is indisputably the most popular TV station in Kenya. It is Kenya’s biggest television station with a strong focus on local programming. The station targets audience ranges from the affluent urban elite to the lower end Kenyan Citizen on the socio-economic scale and is powered by the Royal Media Services which was the first media company to run a licensed private radio station; Radio Citizen; in Kenya, in 1998 and in addition to Citizen TV, has 11 radio stations. It receives an average of 14.2 hours of viewing per week.
Other Notable TV Stations in Kenya
SAYARE TV
SAYARE TV Broadcast started out in 2002 with the christian community being the main target. There are also other forms of entertainment broadcast provided in addition to spiritual nourishment.
UTV
UTV was licensed by the media council of Kenya in 2006 and the station has gone ahead to capitalize on the growing need for entertainment, education and subsequent information. This has given the company an opportunity to identify a market niche for provision of high quality media services in the country. Currently, UTV has grown to capture 1.40% of the total sample base of surveyed Kenyans.
