Africa’s greatest competitive advantage lies not in replicating global models, but in harnessing the creativity, diversity and dynamism that make its markets unique. The next chapter of African entertainment and media will belong to those organisations that recognise that technology is most powerful when it strengthens human connection, and that data is most valuable when it builds trust.
AI presents another opportunity to expand the reach and relevance of African entertainment and media, says PwC’s Africa Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–2030 (Image source: © 123rf
123rf)
This is according to PwC’s Africa Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–2030, which shows that digital growth is reshaping Africa’s entertainment and media (E&M) industry in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Artificial Intelligence
On a continent characterised by extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity, AI presents another opportunity to expand the reach and relevance of African entertainment and media as it could help more African creators, languages, stories and perspectives connect with audiences at home and around the world.
Through translation, subtitling and localisation, AI can help content cross language barriers and reach wider audiences, while recommendation and discovery tools can make African stories easier to find.
For media businesses and advertisers, AI can also support greater personalisation, audience understanding and campaign performance.
Yet the potential of AI in E&M ultimately lies in how effectively technology can support and amplify human creativity and connection.
The opportunity must, however, be built on trust. Rights, attribution, privacy, data governance, transparency and human oversight will remain important as AI becomes embedded more deeply across E&M.
Ultimately, the future of African entertainment and media is not a story of traditional versus digital, nor of local versus global.
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.
Digital advertising turns connection into commercial value
As Africa’s connected audience grows, advertising is becoming an increasingly important way of translating digital participation into commercial value.
Internet advertising is forecast to grow across all three markets, but again the trajectory differs.
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$313m in 2025 to US$603m in 2030, representing a 14.0% CAGR.
The nature of digital advertising growth is also changing.
In Kenya, video internet advertising is forecast to grow at 18.2% CAGR, supported by social media platforms and connected TVs.
In Nigeria, retail paid search is projected to grow at 17.2% CAGR and overtake traditional paid search in size by 2028.
In South Africa, connected television is expected to contribute more significantly to internet advertising revenue towards 2030.
These shifts demonstrate that the opportunity is increasingly moving beyond reach alone towards understanding audiences, measuring outcomes and connecting media investment more closely to commercial results.
In an increasingly digital environment, the ability to build trusted and relevant relationships with audiences 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,” says Michael Mugasa, entertainment and media partner, 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.
Across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, over-the-top (OTT) video is a major growth driver, although 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, compared with 15.9% in Kenya and 20.4% in Nigeria.
The difference lies in how traditional television is evolving alongside this growth. In South Africa, traditional television revenue is declining, while in Kenya and Nigeria it continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace than OTT.
The story is therefore not simply one of streaming replacing traditional television, but of a changing video landscape in which digital formats are growing rapidly while traditional television continues to play an important role.
Affordability also provides room for further expansion. By 2030, average annual OTT revenue per subscription is forecast at $76 in South Africa, $54 in Kenya and US$42 in Nigeria, compared with more than $100 globally.
This relatively affordable positioning, combined with the potential to attract more subscribers, creates further runway for the sector.
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, with gaming revenue forecast to increase from S$286m in 2025 to $431m in 2030, representing an 8.5% CAGR.
Social and casual gaming already accounted for 77% of the country’s gaming segment in 2025, demonstrating the importance of smartphones in making gaming available to broader audiences without requiring 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,” says Udochi Muogilim, technology, media and telecommunications leader, 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, while digital platforms increasingly help audiences discover and engage with them.
Rather than diminishing these experiences, digital growth can extend their reach and 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, with local artists accounting 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 $10m in 2025 to $29m by 2030, 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, extending opportunities beyond direct media revenue into areas such as sponsorship, tourism, hospitality and commerce.
They also underline a wider theme running through the Outlook: while technology can transform how audiences access entertainment and media, culture, creativity and shared experiences remain essential to building meaningful audience relationships.
Connectivity activates the audience
Connectivity remains at the heart of Africa’s E&M story. Mobile and fixed services provide the infrastructure on which streaming, gaming, digital advertising and other digital experiences depend.
But the opportunity is increasingly about more than simply getting people connected.
The quality, reliability and affordability of those connections will influence how quickly audiences embrace richer and more data-intensive experiences.
As connectivity improves, the opportunity is also shifting towards how effectively businesses 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 the three markets, strengthening 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,” says Nana Madikane, Africa technology, media and telecommunications industry leader, PwC.
Different starting points
The Outlook shows that South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, have different starting points, as stronger connectivity, growing digital audiences and changing consumer behaviour reshape where value is created.
Rather than pointing to a single growth model for Africa, the Outlook highlights how differences in market maturity, connectivity, affordability and consumer behaviour are shaping 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.
As 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,” says Charles Stuart, Africa entertainment and media leader, PwC.
