According to a study issued by the Broadcasting Board of Governorsand Gallup, “Nigeria Media Use 2012,” mobile phone usage across Nigeria has increased noticeably, and the media gap between Hausa speakers and others has narrowed.
“The big takeaways today are the rise of mobile web along with the continued dominance of radio and TV for news,” said Bruce Sherman, director of the BBG Office of Strategy and Development.
The new data, which results from findings about Nigerian media consumption habits from a multilingual, national survey conducted in the country between March 9 and April 7, shows that the Nigerian media market is dominated by radio and television, though mobile and Internet technologies are increasing in importance.
According to the BBG release, almost 9 in 10 Nigerians (87.4%) say they listened to radio in the past week, and nearly three-quarters (72.5%) say they watched TV. Mobile device ownership continues to grow; almost three-fourths of Nigerians (73.1%) now say they have their own mobile device, compared with 62% in late 2010.
It also said that the results indicate that Nigerians are using mobile devices to access other media platforms. Overall, about four in 10 past-week listeners say they used a mobile phone to listen to the radio, with Hausa speakers somewhat less likely than non-Hausa speakers to have done so.
