CNN has emerged as the most popular news brand in Africa. The international news channel was the most popular news broadcaster on the continent according to the EMS Africa survey.
CNN had a monthly reach of 70.3% across TV, online and mobile combined, ahead of BBC World News (55.4%), Al Jazeera (46.7%), Sky News (43.4%) and Euronews (31.1%).
At 51.6%, CNN’s weekly TV reach is also ahead of BBC World News (37.7%), Al Jazeera English (30.5%), Sky News (28.0%) and CNBC Africa (9.1%)
At 29.2%, its daily TV reach is far ahead of BBC World News (17.7%), Al Jazeera English (15.3%), Sky News (9.8%) and CNBC Africa (3.1%)
“To reach almost a third of EMS respondents every day, far eclipsing all our rivals is an achievement we’re proud of. For CNN to grow its audience in an increasingly crowded marketplace puts a tangible marker of appreciation on our journalism. The reach of our brand in Africa has never been stronger and we thank our viewers for their loyalty,” said Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President of CNN International. “We’ve been producing Africa focussed programming for many years now and the EMS audience clearly has an appetite for our content and is appreciative of our unique ability to deliver the biggest news stories from all corners of the world,” he adds.
BBC World News, which launched its Focus on Africa bulletin earlier in the summer, said it reached more that half of affluent Africans every month.
World News has a monthly reach of 79.8% in Uganda, 67.5% in Nigeria, 66.2% in Ghana, 60.4% in Kenya and 46.8% in South Africa.
EMS Africa also showed that 66% of BBC World News viewers in Africa are based in South Africa and Nigeria and the channel reaches influential audiences such as Business Decision Makers, Opinion Leaders and top executives across the continent.
EMS Africa audience figures, July 2012
