ADVERTISING & MEDIA

Despite its small population, Namibia has a diverse media landscape served by public, commercial and community media houses that operate in an environment free of statutory control. Freedom of the press and other media is enshrined in Article 21 (1) (a) of the Namibian Constitution.

Namibia regained its top spot for press freedom in Africa with a ranking of 22 out of 180 countries on the 2023 Word Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The index aims to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and the media in 180 countries.

South Africa was placed second in Africa with a ranking of 25 and Cape Verde third with a ranking of 33. Seychelles, which took top spot in Africa in 2022 with a ranking of 13, dropped to fourth place in Africa with a ranking of 34 on the 2023 index.

Namibia’s global ranking dropped from 18 in 2022 (81.84) to 22 in 2023 (80.91) but it is still higher than that of the United Kingdom (26), France (24), Belgium (31) and the United States of America (45). Norway was ranked first for the seventh consecutive year with a global score of 95.18.

Annual media consumption in Namibia is measured by MediaMetrics. The graph to the right depicts the results of the survey conducted in 2022, indicating that the most preferred media consumption medium firmly remains radio (1,053,667 listeners).

Radio listenership was followed by television (908,849) in second position. Social media (760,520) was ranked as the third most preferred medium for media consumption, with the internet coming in at fourth (687,562).

RADIO AND TELEVISION

The state-owned Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) dominates the broadcasting media in terms of its radio and television footprint and audience. Radio broadcasts are provided by National FM, which broadcasts in English and nine additional language services. The corporation was allocated N$310 million for the 2023/24 financial year for operational costs while a further N$82 million was made available for its development budget to upgrade remote rural broadcast networks and replace dilapidated studios and equipment.

Listeners, however, have a choice of over 30 commercial and community radio stations licensed by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN). These stations cater for a wide range of audiences with content ranging from music, entertainment and news to current affairs, religious and community broadcasts. Four of the largest commercial stations, Radiowave, Omulunga Radio, Fresh FM and NOVA 103.5 are owned and operated by Future Media.

Future Media and TribeFire Studios announced in December 2022 that the two companies have agreed to merge, subject to regulatory approval. The merger, if approved by CRAN, will bring OneAfrica and 99FM under the same roof as Future Media’s brands, namely Radiowave, Fresh FM, NOVA 103.5 and Omulunga Radio.

NBC has an extensive reach with its three television channels, namely NBC 1 (news and current affairs), NBC 2 (international news) and NBC 3 (movies). Viewers also have a choice of three private television broadcasters. OneAfrica Television and Network Television (NTV) are broadcasted on DStv and GOtv. MultiChoice Namibia offers two pay TV services: DStv, a digital satellite service and GOtv, a digital terrestrial service providing affordable family entertainment.

PRINT MEDIA 

The print media continues to be under severe pressure from price increases in printing paper which nearly doubled in a year, steep fuel price increases, a drop in advertising revenue and declining circulation. As a result, the country’s largest media house, Namibia Media Holdings, increased the cover prices of the three main newspapers in its stable by N$2.00 in August 2022. The Namibian, which last increased its cover price to N$5.00 in November 2019, has retained its cover price at N$5.00. 

Print newspapers have, however, shown great resilience and readers have a choice of print editions of two privately owned English dailies (The Namibian and the Namibian Sun), one Afrikaans daily (Republikein) and one German daily (Allgemeine Zeitung). There are also two English weekly newspapers: the Namib Times, a community newspaper published for the central coastal region, and Confidante. In addition to print editions, these newspapers have also increasingly relied on social media platforms and online editions to disseminate news to their readers. Four newspapers, Informante, the Windhoek Observer, the Namibia Economist and The Villager are only available online or on social media platforms.

The state-owned media enterprises continue to enjoy government subsidies to sustain their operations. The subsidy to New Era Publication Corporation, the publisher of the English daily New Era, was increased from N$10 million to N$27 million, while the subsidy to NAMPA, the government-owned news agency, nearly doubled to N$27.5 million for the 2023/24 financial year.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT

The Access to Information Act was gazetted on 28 December 2022, but is yet to become operational. The act provides for an enforceable right to information held by a public or a private entity if the information may assist in the exercise or protection of any fundamental human right or freedom. It also sets out instances in which public and private entities are permitted to refuse access to information requests under specific categories of justification.

The act requires the president to appoint “an independent and impartial person as Information Commissioner to promote, monitor and protect the right of access to information in Namibia”. An amount of N$20 million has been allocated in the government’s 2023/24 budget for the establishment of the Information Commissioner’s Office to prepare for the full implementation of the act.

ADVERTISING

Namibia’s advertising industry is served by a small but competitive and creative industry. Services range from multi-platform campaigns, brand marketing and events to media planning covering traditional and online media. Advertising spending is split between electronic media (radio and television), print media, online and social media, as well as outdoor advertising. The industry has, however, been hit hard by the declining circulation of print newspapers and the downturn in the economy.

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