Charles Stuart | Leader | Technology, Media & Telecommunications | PwC South Africa | mail me |
Digital growth is reshaping Africa’s Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry. It is creating new ways for audiences to discover, experience and engage with content. However, human connection remains at the heart of the industry’s future.
Our Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook 2026–2030 shows how South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are entering this next phase from different starting points. Stronger connectivity, growing digital audiences and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping where businesses create value. As digital growth accelerates across Africa’s entertainment and media markets, these developments are opening new opportunities for the industry.
Keeping people and meaningful connection at the centre
Rather than pointing to a single growth model for Africa, the outlook highlights important market differences. Market maturity, connectivity, affordability and consumer behaviour shape the opportunities available to E&M businesses.
Across these different growth stories, one thing is becoming clear: technology is creating more ways for audiences to connect, but lasting value will come from understanding the people behind those connections. Compelling content, creativity, culture and shared experiences remain at the heart of our industry.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies transform how entertainment and media are created, distributed and monetised, the opportunity for all of us is to embrace that innovation while keeping people and meaningful connection at the centre.
Key report highlights:
- South Africa remains the largest and most mature of the three markets. E&M revenue is forecast to grow from US$16.6 billion (R301.8 billion) in 2025 to US$19.4 billion (R352.4 billion) by 2030. This represents a 3.2% CAGR.
- Nigeria is the fastest-growing of the three markets. Its total E&M revenue is forecast to grow at a 6.9% CAGR through 2030, reaching US$5.3 billion.
- Kenya’s E&M market is forecast to grow at a 5.0% CAGR, reaching US$6.0 billion by 2030.
Africa’s E&M markets make their mark globally:
- Nigeria is the world’s fastest-growing over-the-top (OTT) market. Its revenue is forecast to grow at a 20.4% CAGR through 2030. Kenya, at 15.9%, also ranks among the world’s three fastest-growing OTT markets. By comparison, global growth stands at 6.1%.
- Kenya is the world’s fastest-growing internet advertising market. Its revenue is forecast to grow at a 14.0% CAGR, almost double the global rate of 7.2%.
- South Africa leads the world in forecast live music growth. Its revenue is expected to grow at a 5.7% CAGR, compared with 2.1% globally.
- All three African markets are forecast to outpace global video gaming growth. Nigeria leads at 8.5%, followed by Kenya at 5.8% and South Africa at 4.3%. The global growth forecast stands at 3.6%.
Connectivity activates the audience
Connectivity remains at the heart of Africa’s E&M story. Mobile and fixed services provide the infrastructure that supports streaming, gaming, digital advertising and other digital experiences. However, the opportunity increasingly extends beyond simply connecting people.
The quality, reliability and affordability of connections will influence how quickly audiences embrace richer and more data-intensive experiences. As connectivity improves, businesses must also consider how effectively they can turn greater digital participation into meaningful engagement and sustainable value.
By 2030, 5G subscription penetration is forecast to reach 86.8% in South Africa, 51.6% in Kenya and 35.3% in Nigeria. At the same time, fixed broadband is growing faster than mobile services across all three markets. This strengthens the foundations for streaming, gaming, connected television and other data-intensive services.
Africa’s E&M industry is entering an exciting new phase, but there is no single growth story across the continent. What connects them is the expanding digital audience. As connectivity becomes faster, more reliable and more accessible, the opportunity is increasingly about how businesses use this growing connectivity to reach new consumers, expand their E&M offerings and unlock new revenue opportunities.
– Nana Madikane, Africa Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader at PwC
As digital growth accelerates across Africa’s entertainment and media markets, connectivity will become increasingly important. However, businesses must look beyond infrastructure investment. They must also develop strategies that translate improved access into stronger audience relationships and commercial opportunities.
Digital advertising turns connection into commercial value
As Africa’s connected audience grows, advertising is becoming an increasingly important way to translate digital participation into commercial value.
Internet advertising is forecast to grow across all three markets, although each follows a different trajectory. South Africa remains the largest market by value, while Kenya records the strongest growth. Kenya’s internet advertising revenue is forecast to rise from US$313 million in 2025 to US$603 million in 2030. This represents a 14.0% CAGR.
The nature of digital advertising growth is also changing. In Kenya, video internet advertising is forecast to grow at an 18.2% CAGR. Social media platforms and connected TVs will support this growth. In Nigeria, retail paid search is projected to grow at a 17.2% CAGR. It is also expected to overtake traditional paid search in size by 2028. Meanwhile, connected television is expected to contribute more significantly to South Africa’s internet advertising revenue towards 2030.
These shifts demonstrate that the opportunity increasingly extends beyond reach alone. Businesses must understand audiences, measure outcomes and connect media investment more closely to commercial results. In an increasingly digital environment, the ability to build trusted and relevant audience relationships will become an important differentiator.
Kenya demonstrates the potential that emerges when strong connectivity, high digital engagement, and a mobile-first economy come together. The next stage is about converting that participation into value. As digital advertising evolves, businesses that understand their audiences, use data responsibly, and demonstrate meaningful outcomes will be best placed to capture the opportunities ahead.
– Michael Mugasa, Entertainment and Media Partner at PwC Kenya
Video growth tells three different stories
Video provides one of the clearest examples of how digital growth is reshaping Africa’s E&M industry. Across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, OTT video represents a major growth driver. However, traditional television remains a significant part of the market.
OTT video revenue is forecast to grow at a 7.6% CAGR in South Africa through 2030. By comparison, Kenya is forecast to record 15.9% growth, while Nigeria leads at 20.4%. The difference lies in how traditional television is evolving alongside this growth. South Africa’s traditional television revenue is declining. Meanwhile, Kenya and Nigeria continue to record growth, although at a slower pace than OTT.
The story is therefore not simply about streaming replacing traditional television. Instead, the industry is experiencing a changing video landscape. Digital formats are growing rapidly, while traditional television continues to play an important role.
Affordability also creates room for further expansion. By 2030, average annual OTT revenue per subscription is forecast at US$76 in South Africa, US$54 in Kenya and US$42 in Nigeria. By comparison, the global figure exceeds US$100. This relatively affordable positioning creates further growth opportunities. Combined with the potential to attract more subscribers, it gives the sector considerable room to expand.
Mobile puts gaming within reach of more consumers
Gaming provides another example of Africa’s distinctive growth trajectory. All three markets covered by the Outlook are forecast to grow faster than the global gaming market through 2030.
Nigeria leads the three markets. Its gaming revenue is forecast to increase from US$286 million in 2025 to US$431 million in 2030. This represents an 8.5% CAGR. Social and casual gaming already accounted for 77% of the country’s gaming segment in 2025. This demonstrates the importance of smartphones in making gaming accessible to broader audiences. Consumers can participate without purchasing consoles or dedicated gaming computers.
Nigeria’s momentum is being driven by a large, youthful and increasingly connected audience, but what makes the opportunity particularly exciting is its breadth. Growth is taking place across gaming, streaming, advertising, cinema, music and television. Mobile access is lowering barriers to participation and giving businesses and creators new ways to build relationships with audiences and develop sustainable revenue models.
– Udochi Muogilim, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Leader at PwC Nigeria
Human connection remains at the heart of E&M
Even as audiences spend more time online, physical and shared experiences continue to hold significant value.
Music, cinema, sport and other live experiences remain powerful expressions of culture and community across Africa. Meanwhile, digital platforms increasingly help audiences discover and engage with these experiences. Rather than diminishing their value, digital growth can extend their reach. It can also create new points of connection between creators, audiences and communities.
South Africa’s music, radio and podcasts market, for example, is forecast to grow from R8.0bn in 2025 to R10.6bn in 2030. Local music remains an important part of this growth. Local artists accounted for 70% of the ten most-streamed artists in the country in 2025.
Nigeria’s cinema market provides another example. Revenue is forecast to rise from US$10m in 2025 to US$29m by 2030. This represents a 22.8% CAGR, although the category remains relatively small in absolute terms. Local films represented almost half of Nigeria’s total box office revenue in 2025.
These trends highlight how digital discovery and physical experiences can reinforce one another. Together, they extend opportunities beyond direct media revenue. These opportunities include sponsorship, tourism, hospitality and commerce. They also underline a wider theme running through the outlook. Technology can transform how audiences access entertainment and media, but culture, creativity and shared experiences remain essential to building meaningful audience relationships.
AI can help African stories travel further
AI presents another opportunity to expand the reach and relevance of African entertainment and media. Through translation, subtitling and localisation, AI can help content cross language barriers and reach wider audiences. Meanwhile, recommendation and discovery tools can make African stories easier to find. Media businesses and advertisers can also use AI to support greater personalisation, audience understanding and campaign performance.
Yet, AI’s potential in E&M ultimately depends on how effectively technology supports and amplifies human creativity and connection. Africa has extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity. These tools could therefore help more African creators, languages, stories and perspectives connect with audiences at home and around the world.
However, the industry must build this opportunity on trust. Rights, attribution, privacy, data governance, transparency and human oversight will remain important as AI becomes more deeply embedded across E&M.
Ultimately, the future of African entertainment and media is not a story of traditional versus digital, nor of local versus global. Instead, it is a story of convergence. Connectivity, technology, creativity and culture are increasingly working together to create richer experiences, stronger businesses and more sustainable growth.
The organisations best positioned for the years ahead will recognise several important principles. Technology is most powerful when it strengthens human connection. Data is most valuable when it builds trust. Africa’s greatest competitive advantage lies not in replicating global models, but in harnessing the creativity, diversity and dynamism that make its markets unique.
As digital growth accelerates across Africa’s entertainment and media markets, businesses must turn this potential into lasting value. The next chapter of African entertainment and media will belong to those who understand how to combine technological innovation with meaningful human experiences.
