Kenya’s media panorama moved into 2026 with tv and radio nonetheless holding agency as on a regular basis companions for tens of millions of households. As we discovered within the newest GeoPoll Media Panorama examine, social platforms proceed to eat into discretionary display time, but the information tells a gentle story – Kenyans nonetheless change on the TV and tune the radio dial.
GeoPoll’s Viewers Measurement (GAM) knowledge from January to March 2026 offers us a transparent image of who’s watching, who’s listening, and when. This report distills the Q1 2026 numbers into the tendencies that matter for broadcasters, advertisers, and media planners.
As you learn by this overview, keep in mind that this can be a high-level abstract of nationwide attain and share for Q1 2026. Weekly and month-to-month shifts, regional breakdowns, content-level efficiency, promoting effectiveness research, hourly unique-audience evaluation, demographics, and precise numbers should not lined right here. For deeper insights, please attain out.
Prime TV Stations in Kenya
Tv stays a mass-reach medium in Kenya, and the highest of the desk in Q1 2026 seems acquainted. Citizen TV held on to the primary place, reaching three in each 4 Kenyan TV viewers over the quarter. NTV, KTN, SuperSport, and TV 47 rounded out the Prime 5, with SuperSport’s continued climb into the highest tier exhibiting each the power of stay sport and the urge for food for premium soccer programming.
Prime 10 TV Stations by Attain (January – March 2026)
Just a few issues stand out when in comparison with our earlier report. SuperSport has climbed into the Prime 4 on the again of a packed sporting calendar. TV 47 continues to consolidate its place as a go-to information and present affairs choice, and Al Jazeera’s look within the Prime 10 displays robust curiosity in worldwide information protection throughout an eventful first quarter, particularly with the Iran-Israel-US battle.
TV Viewership by Dayparts
Attain tells us who tuned in over the quarter. Daypart share of viewing tells us when every station was successful. The numbers under signify every station’s share of whole Prime 10 viewing throughout the time block.
Early Morning (6:00 AM – 9:00 AM): Breakfast TV belongs to Citizen TV, which captures roughly 26% of Prime 10 viewing in the course of the morning block. NTV follows at 11.5%, with TV 47, KTN, and K24 clustered carefully as Kenyans meet up with morning bulletins and speak reveals earlier than heading out.
Mid-Morning to Afternoon (9:00 AM – 6:00 PM): The daytime block is fragmented. Citizen TV nonetheless leads, however Maisha Magic East makes a powerful exhibiting with native drama and cleaning soap operas pulling in at-home audiences, whereas Inooro TV sustains a loyal vernacular following.
Prime-Time (7:00 PM – 9:30 PM): This stays essentially the most aggressive and most commercially useful block of the day. Citizen TV instructions 35.5% of Prime 10 prime-time viewing on weekdays, powered by the 7:00 PM Swahili information and the programming that follows. NTV (13.4%) is the clear quantity two, adopted by Maisha Magic East (8.9%), KTN (8.5%), SuperSport (7.3%), and TV 47 (6.9%).
Weekday Prime-Time Share of Viewing (7:00 PM – 9:30 PM)
Late Evening (10:00 PM – Midnight): That is the place the rating modifications most dramatically. SuperSport takes 37% of late-night viewing on weekdays, usually greater than some other station, as soccer followers look forward to European fixtures. Citizen TV holds second place at about 21%, with Maisha Magic East third.
Weekend and Particular Programming Traits
Weekends shuffle the deck in favour of sport and household programming.
- SuperSport’s share of weekend prime-time viewing climbs to 16.9%, almost double its weekday prime-time share, pushed by weekend soccer and different stay sports activities.
- Within the weekend afternoon block (2:00 PM – 6:30 PM), SuperSport and Citizen TV run neck and neck, every capturing roughly 22–23% of Prime 10 viewing, a sample that displays sports activities protection operating alongside household viewing.
- Maisha Magic East maintains a powerful weekend footprint with native drama.
- Citizen TV and NTV proceed to anchor weekend information bulletins and present affairs panels.
Prime Radio Stations in Kenya
Radio continues to be remarkably resilient in Kenya. Regardless of the tendencies round podcasts and social audio, almost two in three Kenyan radio listeners tuned into Citizen Radio in Q1 2026, with a dense pack of opponents shut behind.
Prime 10 Radio Stations by Attain (January – March 2026)
The highest 4 stations are separated by a slim margin, and all of them recorded their peak audiences at 7:00 AM – confirming that breakfast radio stays essentially the most useful block on the dial as listeners commute to work. Radio Jambo, curiously, is the one Prime 10 station whose peak hour shifts to eight:00 AM, pointing to a later-starting commuter viewers, in all probability pushed by the favored Patanisho section.
Radio Listenership by Dayparts
Breakfast (6:00 AM – 9:00 AM): The breakfast block is a four-station contest. Basic 105 leads with 18.8% of Prime 10 morning listening on weekdays, narrowly edging Citizen (17.4%), Radio Jambo (15.0%), and Radio Maisha (12.0%). Life-style and political speak reveals drive this block, and it’s the place manufacturers sometimes make investments most closely.
Weekday Breakfast Share of Listening (6:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
Daytime (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM): Listening ranges dip in comparison with breakfast, however Citizen and Basic 105 proceed to steer. Kameme reveals specific power within the mid-morning block, reflecting its loyal Central Kenya viewers staying tuned by the day.
Drive-Time (4:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Citizen pulls forward within the afternoon drive block with 20.4% share of Prime 10 listening, adopted by Basic 105 (14.5%), Radio Jambo (14.1%), and Radio Maisha (11.9%).
Night (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM): Citizen’s lead widens additional within the night to 26.1%, with Basic 105, Radio Maisha, and Radio Jambo filling out the highest 4.
Weekend Radio Traits
The weekend sample mirrors weekdays on the prime, however with a gentler peak and extra even distribution throughout the day. Citizen (19.3%) and Basic 105 (18.1%) are basically tied for weekend breakfast management, whereas Radio Jambo and Radio Maisha keep their robust third and fourth positions.
What the Q1 2026 Numbers Inform Us
Just a few themes emerge from the information:
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The hole behind the leaders is narrower than the highest line suggests. Citizen TV and Citizen Radio lead their respective rankings. It’s price noting that in a number of dayparts, the second and third-place stations are inside single-digit share factors, that means daypart choice issues as a lot as station choice for many campaigns for media planners.
- Sport is now a Prime 10 pressure on tv. SuperSport’s weekend prime-time share (16.9%) and late-night dominance (37%) sign that stay sports activities are among the many few classes constantly pulling Kenyan viewers again to linear TV.
- Breakfast stays essentially the most contested slot on radio. 4 stations are inside a seven-point vary at breakfast, and any share shift throughout this block has outsized industrial implications.
- Vernacular and worldwide stations have actual weight. Inooro TV, Kameme, and Al Jazeera all made significant appearances in nationwide rankings and in particular dayparts, a reminder that Kenya’s media market is extra nuanced than the highest line suggests.
GeoPoll Viewers Measurement
GeoPoll gives real-time, data-driven insights into media consumption in Kenya and throughout greater than 120 nations. Whether or not you want day by day viewers measurement, on-demand analytics, a marketing campaign effectiveness examine, or a customized report protecting a selected viewers section or time interval, GeoPoll Viewers Measurement offers broadcasters, advertisers, and media planners the instruments to make knowledgeable selections.
The right way to entry extra media insights for Kenya:
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