A survey report by Broadcast Media Africa has revealed a fundamental shift in how value is created and captured across Africa’s media landscape, with digital platforms rapidly overtaking traditional broadcasters in the race for advertising revenue and audience attention.
The 2026 survey report, “Regulating Africa’s Broadcasting & Media Sector in the Digital Ecosystem“, highlights how monetisation models across the continent are being reshaped by changing consumption habits, platform economics, and evolving advertiser preferences.
According to the findings, a growing share of advertising spend is migrating toward digital platforms, with over 70% of stakeholders indicating that global online players now command a significant portion of digital ad revenues in their markets. This shift is placing increasing financial strain on traditional broadcasters, many of whom are still reliant on legacy advertising models.
The report further reveals that more than 65% of respondents believe local media organisations are struggling to monetise their digital audiences effectively, citing challenges such as limited access to audience data, underdeveloped programmatic advertising ecosystems, and a lack of scalable subscription models.
A key issue identified is the asymmetry in data ownership. Global platforms retain vast amounts of user data, enabling highly targeted advertising and performance tracking, while local broadcasters often operate with limited insights into their audiences. This imbalance significantly weakens domestic players’ ability to compete for digital advertising spend.
Subscription-based models, while growing, remain uneven across the continent. The report indicates that less than 40% of media organisations have successfully implemented sustainable subscription or paywall strategies, largely due to affordability constraints, payment infrastructure gaps, and varying consumer willingness to pay for content.
In addition, the rise of content aggregation platforms and social media intermediaries is further fragmenting revenue streams. Many broadcasters now depend on third-party platforms for distribution, often receiving only a small share of the revenue generated from their content.
Despite these pressures, the report points to clear opportunities for innovation. Stakeholders identify diversification of revenue streams—including branded content, partnerships, events, and direct-to-consumer offerings—as critical to long-term sustainability. Notably, over 75% of respondents emphasise the need for new monetisation strategies tailored to digital-first audiences.
The report also calls for regulatory intervention to ensure fairer revenue distribution. With over 70% of stakeholders expressing concern about the dominance of global platforms in digital advertising markets, there is growing support for policies that promote transparency, equitable revenue-sharing, and stronger local industry participation.
As Africa’s digital media economy continues to expand, the report underscores the urgency for broadcasters, policymakers, and investors to adapt to a rapidly changing financial landscape—one where sustainability will depend on innovation, collaboration, and the ability to compete in a data-driven marketplace.
To access the brief highlight report on the survey, please click HERE.
