Ad Airtime Over Frequency: Insights From Beverage Advertising H1 2026 Kenya

Key findings

Coca-Cola placed 47.6% of all beverage ads on Kenyan radio, TV and print in the first half of 2026. East African Breweries Limited (EABL) placed 27.1%. Their share of airtime was almost level, though. Coca-Cola had 38.0% and EABL had 37.3%.

Coca-Cola ran close to twice as many ads and led by a marginal 0.7 points. If you only pay attention to the spots, you can see who has the most ads, overlooking airtime. Airtime indicates which brand engaged the audience longest.

Two routes to visibility

Coca-Cola wins on frequency. It runs short spots, promos and mentions across many stations. EABL wins on duration. Its longer programme and activation formats build exposure from fewer placements.

The spirits category show the same split. The category placed 19.8% of beverage ads and took 29.9% of airtime. Both strategies work. The risk depends on how you interpret them.

Judge a competitor on spot counts alone and you will get its size wrong, in either direction.

Challengers are competing on airtime without matching volume

In energy drinks, Kenafric placed 20.8% of category ads and took 45.3% of category airtime. In ready-to-drink, Bidco Africa placed 43.3% of ads and took 64.9% of airtime, beating a rival that placed more ads.

A challenger brand can compete for attention without the leader’s budget. Format, station choice and timing did the work for both of these brands.

Where the ads run

Radio carried 72.6% of all beverage placements, spread across national and regional stations. No single station took more than 10.4% of radio placements. TV is far more concentrated. Citizen TV alone carried 67.7% of TV placements.

So radio buys reach across languages and regions, and TV buys heavy presence on a few channels. Plan for each differently.

What’s in the report

The Kenya Beverage Sector Media Intelligence Report (H1 2026) covers:

• Share of ads and share of airtime across 13 beverage sub-industries
• Category leaders in beer, spirits, soft drinks, energy drinks, water, teas and ready-to-drink
• Radio, TV and print breakdowns by station and by company
• Market context, including the EABL ownership change and new energy drink launches

Download the full report to see how your brand compares with your competitors.

Want your own category?

The report covers the whole sector. We can break down your category, competitors and stations, including campaign timing, placement formats and dayparts. Email info@reelanalytics.net to request a custom analysis.