Media & Advertising
From The Report: South Africa 2012
View in Online Reader

South African media is a vibrant, developed and thriving industry. Radio is the country’s most accessible media, with 88.1% reach among the adult population, and television reaches some 83.9%. Print media captures a smaller portion of the population, with an estimated 64.9% of the population accessing newspapers and/or magazines. The sector shares many of the challenges currently experienced by media outlets around the world. As a result, it has been affected by the uncertainties of the global economic climate, which have manifested themselves in the fragmentation of audiences and decreasing advertiser budgets.

The South African advertising and communications industry is a growing network of leading international agencies and established home-grown firms. While print advertising has suffered, radio, television and out-of- home formats remain strong. Fast technological developments and a restructuring away from traditional media offer ample opportunity for innovation and growth. Digital advertising, various online schemes and advertising delivered to mobile devices are all likely to be important growth areas.

This chapter contains an interview with Nic Dawes, Editor-in-Chief, Mail & Guardian.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Pressing on: A new era for print and digital media
OBG
plus

Far ahead of its continental neighbours, South African media is vibrant, developed, and thriving industry. This means, among other things, that it also shares many of the challenges currently experienced by media outlets around the world. Print is in decline, and publications are working hard to eke out new strategies. At the same time, television and radio enjoy broad reach across the adult population, and in these sectors, advertising revenue continues to rise. The development of digital…

Interview

OBG talks to Nic Dawes, Editor-in-Chief, Mail & Guardian
OBG
plus

Interview:Nic Dawes How much room for growth is there in print media? NIC DAWES: The trend over the past few years has been an across-the-board decline in circulation, but not in revenue as print advertising still dominates. There remains considerable appetite for serious financial, investigative and political papers. There is also space for growth in solid, locally targeted metropolitan newspapers, as well as those in vernacular languages such as Zulu. These are market segments that had…

Analysis

Tuned in: More competition, greater entertainment in the pay-TV segment
OBG
plus

Pay-TV in South Africa continues to enjoy substantial growth. MultiChoice, a subsidiary of Africa’s largest media company, Naspers, dominates the market. While several other television operators were awarded licences, only On Digital Media’s (ODM) TopTV is currently operational, and with limited audience share. On the other hand, DS tv, MultiChoice’s pay-TV offering, is a household name both in South Africa and across the continent as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s leading subscription television…

Overview

Spreading the word: New methods, roles and targets
OBG
plus

A mature and dynamic advertising sector known for its creativity and innovation thrives in South Africa. The world’s leading agencies are present either directly or in association with South African firms, and the industry benefits from investors’ rising interest in emerging markets. The media monitoring and market research segment is also well-developed. While print advertising has suffered as a result of the global economic crisis and declining readership, radio, television and out-of-home…