CNN dominates EMS Africa results

24 June 2010

CNN International leads the international TV players in the inaugural EMS Africa survey results released by Synovate today.

CNN leads the pack with a weekly reach of 49%, followed by National Geographic’s 39.9% reach which narrowly beat out BBC World News’ reach of 39%. Discovery and Sky News round-out the top five with reaches of 35.9% and 32.2%, respectively.

CNN also leads the daily race with a reach of 27.1%, followed by BBC World News’ daily reach of 17%.

The Financial Times dominates the international daily print arena with an average issue readership (AIR) of 2.7%. Trailing the FT, and tied for second place, are the International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal with AIR’s of 0.6%. USA Today finishes in fourth with 0.5%.

Things are more evenly spread in the international weekly print category, which Time leads with an AIR of 9.6%. The Economist follows at 7.6%, while Bloomberg Businessweek and Newsweek battle it out for third and fourth with AIR’s of 5.7% and 5.3%.

National Geographic has a stronghold in the monthly print category with an AIR of 11.2%. African Business comes in a distant second at 4.6%, followed by African Banker and New African with AIR’s of 3.5% and 2.4%, respectively.

South African Airways’ Sawubin leads in-flight with an AIR of 8.8%, followed by BA’s Business Life, 3.9% and Emirates’ Open Skies which rounds-out the top three with an AIR of 2.5%. 

EMS Africa is the first cross-market survey to measure the media consumption habits of Africa’s most affluent people. The top 15% of income earners in 12 cities across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco and Cameroon were polled for the survey.

EMS Africa is the latest expansion of the EMS survey which includes CEMS and EMS Middle East.

Martina Lacey, London