Nigeria stays the fastest-growing Leisure and Media (E&M) market in Africa – the expansion is pushed by speedy growth in web promoting, video video games and esports.
The African E&M sectors in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa proceed to outperform international benchmarks, displaying resilience within the face of ongoing macroeconomic challenges.
In 2024, Nigeria led the area with a outstanding 11.2percent progress fee, adopted by Kenya at 7.1 % and South Africa at 6.2 %.
“Wanting forward, the compound annual progress fee (CAGR) by 2029 is projected to be 7.2 % for Nigeria, 5.2 % for Kenya and three.5 % for South Africa, indicating sustained momentum throughout all three markets,” in accordance with PWC’s Africa Leisure and Media Outlook (2025-2029).
Different drivers of the expansion in Nigeria’s E&M market embody the over-the-top (OTT) streaming, and audio content material reminiscent of music, radio and podcasts.
“Nigeria’s E&M progress is pushed by a predominantly younger inhabitants and speedy digital innovation that’s reshaping how content material is created, consumed and monetised,” stated Udochi Muogilim, Expertise, Media and Telecommunications Chief, PwC Nigeria.
The worldwide economic system is present process vital transformation, unlocking nice worth throughout all industries. The E&M sector stays a key participant on this shift, positioned on the intersection of technological convergence and evolving client behaviour.
This 12 months’s evaluation highlights a number of important themes shaping the way forward for the trade.
In line with the report, cell web and video streaming are anticipated to steer progress, fuelled by cheaper knowledge plans and smartphone penetration.
“Gaming and social media promoting are additionally gaining traction, particularly amongst gen z and millennial audiences. Whereas infrastructure stays a problem, the tempo of digital innovation is outpacing the obstacles.
“This speedy growth is underpinned by the nation’s inhabitants dimension, the biggest in Africa, and an exceptionally younger median age that fuels demand for digital content material throughout all sectors,” PwC report said.
The report famous that conventional media, like print media, proceed to say no as a result of ongoing migration to digital codecs, with newspapers and magazines seeing a constant drop in circulation and promoting income.
Learn additionally: Nigeria’s leisure income jumps 11.2% in 2024, pushed by music, e-sports
“Equally, terrestrial TV and radio are exhibiting slower progress as audiences, particularly youthful ones, transition to on-line and satellite tv for pc options, though these conventional media sources nonetheless maintain relevance in rural and underserved areas.
“Infrastructure challenges stay, notably in rural areas, however ongoing funding in fibre rollout and 5G deployment is predicted to enhance connectivity and unlock new digital experiences”, in accordance with the report which supplies a compass for leisure and media (E&M) leaders as they navigate the approaching years.
Digital demand reshapes the market…
A key driver of Africa’s E&M progress is the speedy growth of web promoting, notably in Nigeria and Kenya, the place mobile-first web utilization is accelerating.
Kenya stands out globally, with its web promoting market projected to develop at a Compound Annual Progress Charge (CAGR) of 16 %—the quickest globally. OTT companies are rising at a CAGR of 6.7 % in South Africa, 8 % in Nigeria and 11.2 % in Kenya, reflecting robust client demand for digital content material.
GenAI is rising as a transformative power within the E&M trade, enhancing content material creation, advice engines and buyer engagement.
Nigeria, with its youthful and tech-savvy inhabitants, is especially well-positioned to harness GenAI’s potential. Reside leisure can also be rebounding, with stay music revenues surpassing pre-pandemic ranges and esports gaining momentum throughout the area.
