In the Hhohho Region Swazi TV viewership was at 72.2% while Channel S was at 33%. In the Manzini Region the 2005 statistics show that viewership was at 59.8% for Swazi TV while Channel S viewership was 37.3%.

Clearly when one looks at the numbers, the viewership gap was very wide. In Hhohho Channel S lagged behind by 39.2% and in by Manzini 22.5%. Looking at the Gap Margin now at only 6.3%, with the two regions combined, there has been a remarkable increase over the past two years in viewership.

Looking at the viewership trends in age groups, in the 18-24, 22-24, 25-34 age brackets, the two stations differ in small margins. In the 18-24 and 22-24,age groups Channel S is slightly above Swazi TV. In the 25-34 age group, Swazi TV leads Channel S.

The independent Station then takes the lead in the 35-44 age group. In the 45-54 age group Channel S then lags behind by a slightly wider margin. Interestingly the two stations attract the same number of viewers in the 55-64 age group.

Channel S as an independent station has big following among the youth. This could best be explained by its programming which most of the times is geared towards the youthful segment of the market.

Viewership by income between the two stations reveals an interesting trend. On the low income of the market Channel S has more viewers than the state owned Swazi TV but then as you move up the income hierarchy its viewership moves down. This doesn't differ much from the viewership by age group as most of the low income earners come more from the youthful side of the market and the high income earners are the mature group or oldies who seemingly find nothing much on offer for them on the independent broadcaster.

With this information one may start looking at the reasons behind the Manzini based station's rise in viewership and if it is still relevant to target local consumers using only Swazi TV for a TV campaign. Could it be now possible to use Channel S for effective advertising? The answers lie in each company's marketing strategy and subsequently media strategy. Viewership figures show competitiveness between the both stations, now the advertiser must ask him/herself the following questions, who do I want to reach, which station do they watch the most? How many times do I want them to see my advert? What are the cost implications of advertising in that station?

Knowing an answer to these questions might give you a clear direction on what to do. Consulting an agency might simplify the tasks as they could do all the calculations and comparisons on your behalf, at a fee of course. Click here to get in touch with one right away.

About the author

Mangaliso Mkhatshwa Holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (with a major in Marketing) obtained from the University of Swaziland. He is a Marketing Executive at Knotell and also writes Swazi related articles for Infoshoswaziland.com

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Swazi viewership trends are changing in light of new competition

By Mangaliso Mkhatshwa