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MEDIA LANDSCAPE:CONSUMPTION, TRENDS & ADVERTISING EXPENDITURE.

Kenya's Digital Shift: Key Insights from the H1 2025 Media Landscape

An executive summary and strategic analysis of the latest media consumption and advertising expenditure trends shaping the market in 2025.

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H1 2025 At a Glance: The 4 Key Numbers

93%

Social Media Reach

Social media is now a primary channel for reaching Kenyan audiences, rivaling television’s total market dominance.

-27%

Traditional Ad Spend

Total advertising expenditure in TV, Radio, and Print saw a 27% year-over-year decline in H1 2025, signaling a major market shift away from traditional media channels.

43%

Tiktok Growth

Total advertising expenditure in TV, Radio, and Print saw a 27% year-over-year decline in H1 2025, signaling a major market shift away from traditional media channels.

14%

Banking ad spend

The banking industry led advertising expenditures at 14%, taking over as the top advertiser in Kenya, replacing the betting and gambling sector as regulation tightens.

The Deep Dive: Understanding Media Consumption in 2025

Media Reach Across Platforms

The modern media diet is blended, but digital is the new staple. To effectively engage your customers, you must first know where they are. Understanding where your audience spends their time is critical, and the table below clearly illustrates this new media hierarchy:

95%

Television audience reach

Retains highest reach, especially in rural areas.

93%

Social Media audience reach

Near-equal to TV, essential for urban and youth demographics.

80%

Radio audience reach

Maintains strong relevance as a consistent companion medium.

25%

Print Media audience reach

Now a niche channel; effective for targeted, high-value audiences.

The Digital Engagement Engine

The digital ecosystem is characterized by high mobile access and intense user activity:

A Mobile-First Nation

The vast majority of Kenya’s 27.4 million internet users access the web via their smartphones. Mobile internet speeds have improved by 37.6%, supporting richer digital experiences.

Platform loyalty

Facebook and WhatsApp remain the most widely used social platforms, indicating a preference for community-based and messaging services.

High time commitment

A combined 50% of Kenyan social media users are active for three or more hours every day, highlighting the potential for deep and frequent brand engagement.

Translating Data into a Winning Marketing Strategy

Strategic Recommendations for Growth

Shift Budget to Digital Channels

The sharp decline in traditional ad spend (-27%) suggests diminishing returns on investment in those areas.

Action: Audit your marketing budget and reallocate resources towards digital platforms where the audience is actively growing.
Focus on strategies that generate measurable ROI, such as performance marketing and data-driven lead generation.

Embrace Video and the Next Generation of Content

The explosive growth of TikTok and the consumer preference for platforms like YouTube and Instagram Reels signals a permanent shift toward video.

Action: Content strategies must prioritize short-form, authentic video content tailored for mobile viewing.
Static images and long-form text alone will not capture the attention of high-growth audiences.

Integrate AI Into Your Marketing Stack

With the Kenyan government launching a national AI strategy for 2025–2030, digital innovation is a national priority.
Action: Begin experimenting with AI tools for tasks like content personalization, ad optimization, customer service automation, and predictive analytics.
This prepares your business for the next phase of the digital economy.

Leverage Data for Precision

As major industries like Banking intensify their ad spending, the competitive landscape demands surgical precision.
Action: Move away from broad campaigns. Use data analytics to understand audience behavior, personalize messaging, and optimize campaign performance in real-time, ensuring every marketing shilling spent is directed at the highest-potential customer segments.

This market analysis is based on the “Media Landscape: Consumption, Trends & Advertising Expenditure, H1 2025” report, produced by Reelanalytics Limited.

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