Africanews: first audience results

According to the findings of the latest Africascope survey, conducted by Kantar TNS in seven French-speaking African countries, 31 per cent of respondents have heard of Africanews. Barely six months after launching, Africanews has already secured the loyalty of 1.7 million viewers in the seven countries surveyed. According to the survey, Africanews’ audience is young and more affluent than the average of the target population. A majority of its audience are men, who make up 67 per cent of Africanews’ viewers in these seven countries.

Africascope also highlights the strong TV audience in all countries surveyed, with an average 91 per cent of people aged 15 and over watching television daily, which amounts to 15.4 million viewers.
Six months after its launch, Africanews already enjoys good awareness ratings in the seven countries surveyed.

In Cameroon, 41 per cent of respondents say they have heard of the channel. The score rises to 60 per cent in Gabon, the channel’s highest rating in French-speaking Africa.

Gabon is also where Africanews attracts its highest weekly audience, with a quarter of viewers loyal to the channel.

In Ivory Coast and Senegal, Africanews scores awareness ratings of 34 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 28 per cent of respondents say they have heard of the channel, compared to 25 per cent in Burkina Faso and 21 per cent in Mali.

Michael Peters, CEO Euronews and Africanews commented, ‘Barely six months after the launch of Africanews, we are pleased to receive the first audience data for seven key markets in French-speaking Africa. These findings – exceptional for a fledgling media outlet – are highly encouraging and consolidate our editorial position. We can already say that Africanews has found its audience, who approve of our intention to show the new face of news in a fast-moving continent. With our team in Pointe-Noire and its network of correspondents, 85 professionals fulfil their daily mission of providing independent news and promoting Africa’s rich diversity.

‘Many advertisers and partners showed confidence in Africanews as soon as it launched. With these first audience findings, we can assure them that Africanews is an excellent vehicle for their communications and that it will quickly make its mark as a key media source on the continent.’
Kantar TNS has been measuring the audiences of national and international television channels and radio stations since 2008. Africascope is the essential survey for measuring audience and awareness, and for understanding target groups’ profiles and consumer habits.

Africascope is conducted in the capitals of seven countries in French-speaking Africa, on a sample of 16.8 million people aged 15 and over, representative of the survey area. The surveys were carried out face-to-face in interviewees’ homes, using the quota method (gender, age, education and profession of the respondent).