NewsSocial Media

Kenyans trust social networks more for news, Media Council report


A report by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) indicates that radio is still the favourite medium for many Kenyans. The report dubbed “State of the Media” released towards the end of March shows that Kenyans spend more time listening to radio and consuming social media.

The report paints a picture of dwindling TV viewership and newspaper readership. Kenyans who watch TV are only interested in news while only 30% of people in the country rely on international TV content.

Slightly more than 40% of Kenyans said they don’t watch TV, a sharp rise from last year’s 26%. However, 58% (about 16 million Kenyans) still consume TV content. Still, this is a drop from 74% of the respondents surveyed in 2020.

The report further says that 75% of Kenyans no longer read newspapers but trust social networks such as Twitter for a quick fix of their daily news.

Radio is the most preferred source of information, with more than 74% (about 21.4 million) people in the country consuming the medium, which is higher than any other media. Popular radio stations in the country include: Radio Citizen (27%), Radio Jambo (22%), Kameme FM (15%), Radio Maisha (13%), and KBC Radio (11%).

The most popular TV channels in the country are Citizen TV (78%), KTN Home (31%) and NTV (27%).

The survey also showed that entertainment accounted for 64% of the content consumed on social media. A further 59%  said they use social media for news while 53% use it for networking.

Kenyans, according to the survey, spend an average 3 hours per day on social media, higher than the global average of 2 hours 24 minutes.

Follow us on TelegramTwitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to info@techtrendske.co.ke  

Facebook Comments

[TechTrends Podcast] Unpacking Bolt's Strategy for Kenya.

Simon W Nderitu

Simon is a tech enthusiast who keeps a close eye on emerging technologies, startups and the general business environment. You will often catch him totally immersed and drooling over Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, IoT and just about any other tech that promises to revolutionize the way we live. Send tips to snderitu@techtrendske.co.ke

Have anything to add to this article? Leave us a comment below

Back to top button