Factors influencing the viewership of local television content in Kenya: a case of Nairobi County

Abstract

This study’s main aim was to determine factors that influence the viewership of local content in Kenya. Companies are interested in knowing about consumer preference towards their products because attitudes influence consumers’ purchase and consumption intentions. By measuring the factors that influence viewer’s preferences, television stations can develop marketing strategies that are responsive to customer’s needs and wants thus gaining a competitive advantage. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and the population for this study was 3,138,295 people living in Nairobi. Using multistage stratified random sampling a sample size of 385 individuals was surveyed, and this study managed to get 120 responses, which were analyzed. A semi-structured questionnaire was used in the data collection and analyzed using descriptive statistics methods such as the frequencies, means and the standard deviations. The findings revealed that a positive relationship exists between viewership of local TV content and the following independent variables: Content quality, consumer perceptions and demographics while a negative relationship exists between viewership of local TV content and distribution platforms. The study recommended duplication of this study in other areas in Kenya particularly rural areas to look at more factors like the effects of culture on viewership of local TV content.