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In May 2024, GeoPoll conducted the GeoPoll Media Viewership Survey, a comprehensive survey of Afghanistan’s media landscape, offering a detailed understanding of TV, radio, and digital media consumption across the country, as a follow up to the Dec 2023/Jan 2024 Media Audience Landscape report.
The results offer deep insights into Afghanistan’s evolving media landscape and how millions of Afghans consume television, radio, and digital content in 2024, which can help businesses, broadcasters, and organizations understand the audience landscape in this unique market.
Here, we highlight some key findings from the study and provide free access to the report.
Key Findings
Television Remains Dominant
Television continues to be a significant source of information and entertainment, with 67% of Afghan adults watching TV at least monthly. Key findings include:
- Tolo, Tolo News, and Ariana lead terrestrial TV channels.
- Among satellite channels, Afghanistan International dominates with 47% reach, followed by GEM Bollywood at 36%.
- Female viewership notably exceeds male viewership for several major channels.
- Prime time viewing peaks during the 6 PM-10 PM slot
- Politics, sports, and drama are the most-watched programming genres.
Radio’s Continued Relevance
While radio reaches a smaller audience than television, it remains an important medium, with 38% of adult Afghans tuning in monthly, mostly adults over 18. Here are some findings:
- BBC maintains the highest listenership with 27.35% reach.
- Arman and Azadi follow with 20.69% and 19.33% reach respectively.
- Education, news, and politics are the most popular radio programming genres.
Digital Media’s Growing Impact
The digital transformation in Afghanistan is evident through solid engagement with online platforms:
- 60% of Afghans access the internet on an average day.
- 61% use social media platforms daily.
- 28% consume television or video content online.
Digital Platform Preferences:
- YouTube leads video streaming platforms with 69% usage
- Facebook dominates social media with 47% usage, followed by Instagram.
- Emerging platforms like TikTok and Snapchat show growing adoption at 7% each
Download the FREE Report
Want to dive deeper into Afghanistan’s media landscape? Download our comprehensive report to get insights into:
- Media audience universe estimates, with detailed demographic breakdowns.
- Top Terrestrial and Satellite TV Stations by reach and gender, with hour-by-hour audience tracking.
- The most watched TV programme genres.
- Radio station rankings by reach and gender.
- Top radio genres.
- Internet access and usage.
- Top social media platforms
- Top Streaming Video OnDemand (SVOD) platforms.
Fill out this form to get the free report:
Implications for Media Stakeholders
Reliable audience data is crucial for sustaining a functioning media ecosystem, especially in a complex environment like Afghanistan. The GeoPoll Media Viewership Survey provides broadcasters, advertisers, and organizations with insights to optimize programming, allocate resources effectively, and understand what content resonates most with the public.
For example, the data suggests a multi-platform approach may be practical, combining traditional broadcast media with digital channels to maximize reach.
Overall, despite ongoing challenges, Afghanistan maintains a diverse and active media ecosystem, with audiences engaging across traditional and digital platforms. This further points to the continuing importance of media in Afghan society and its role in keeping the population informed and connected.
To learn more about this study and our work in Afghanistan and across the world, please contact us.