MTN, Airtel and Multichoice Lead Uganda Media Expenditure - 2023 Uganda Media Landscape Report | Reelanalytics
Uganda's landscape reflects a blend of continuity and change, reflecting broader socio-economic trends, technological advancements, and shifting consumer preferences. The year 2023 was pivotal, marked by significant developments.
The emergence of NRG radio in Uganda turned up the pressure on radio entertainment. The entrance influenced the movement of hosts like Prime Assimwe from Galaxy FM. Ettania, Crystal Panda, DJ Alisha, Shila Salta, and socialite Sheila Gashumba joined the station.
To revive Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, the Ugandan government passed a law declaring that state-owned agencies only advertise with UBC, a directive that greatly affects advertising revenues for private media owners.
In 2023, MTN Uganda led top expenditure in Uganda at 99,000,699,310 UGX while Airtel & Multichoice followed with 46,731,128,940 and 17,297,685,220 respectively.
Key 2023 Uganda Media Highlights
• A 26% drop in media Ad spend in 2023 fueled by budget cuts from Airtel Uganda and Coca-Cola. However, the general advertising scene in Uganda exhibits a positive growth trend, a big indicator that traditional media platforms are still a key touch point for advertising in Uganda.
• Partnerships heavily controlled visual advertising as witnessed by campaigns like Beera Steady and Ministry of Health sensitization drives. These campaigns on TV drove a higher share of voice in the industry with a 51% lead as radio share of voice dropped to 46%.
• Advertisers still showed less appetite for print, standing at a 3% share of voice.
Macrosector Analysis
Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and the launch of 5G Technology accounted for the biggest budgets in the Telecom sector during the period. However, the Telecom sector share shrunk to 32% from budget cuts from Airtel. The momentum was influenced by the competitive dynamics within the sector and the expansion of mobile connectivity services.
Budget cuts from Coca-Cola, a notable industry player drove a decline of 3% in the beverage sector. Nonetheless, Crown Beverages and Hariss International dominated spending in the sector while driving product awareness campaigns for new products- Aquafina and Krystal Water in 2023.
Financial Institutions revealed an untapped growth in the media industry as banks partnered with Telecoms to drive the uptake of Telemedicine and cheap credit in campaigns like Hospital Sente, MTN Wesotinge Ne MoMo Loans. The need for data and mobile money services drove telecom exponential growth in the region as MTN reported a $90.29 million profit in the first half of 2023, and Airtel at a $108.9 million profit for 2023.
2024 Media Expectations
• Impact of Artificial Intelligence
AI adoption in day-to-day operations for media professionals across content, data analysis, and generating brand insights is sprouting. Brands can scale extensive consumer data to drive hyper-personalization and action. We’re already seeing AI creative-driven strategies, it would be interesting to see the long-term use cases and impact of the technology.
• Shifting Eyes to Ears
In attention-driven currency, audiences are constantly exposed to a mass of content. A shift is emerging toward auditory consumption. Audio, a familiar concept in cultivating entertainment and meaningful conversions toward segmented audiences such as podcasts, digital audio, and live streaming is projected to boom in 2024, especially among Gen Z and millennials.
The 3-year upward trajectory indicates that traditional media is a key touch point for most advertisers. Despite the digital embrace, legacy media, notably radio and TV, remain influential. As digital platforms amass traction, radio and TV are critical mediums for reaching audiences, showcasing their resilience and enduring appeal.
As Uganda's media ecosystem continues to evolve, the insights from 2023 offer valuable perspectives for advertisers, content creators, and consumers alike, navigating the landscape.
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