From streaming to staging: Real experiences, real people
The live and in-person events sector in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa is set to consolidate its steady recovery and growth following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, live music ticket sales in South Africa generated $76m (R1.4b) in revenue, with a projected CAGR of 5.9% through 2029. Both Kenya and Nigeria generated $1m in live music ticket sales revenue, but Kenya is edging ahead with a projected CAGR of 2.1%, slightly outpacing Nigeria’s 1.8%. This continued expansion is being driven by rising disposable incomes, a growing youth demographic and increased urbanisation. Live music events are thriving across the continent, with South Africa continuing to lead the way thanks to its well-established entertainment infrastructure. The country regularly hosts internationally renowned artists and festivals such as Ultra South Africa—Africa’s edition of the iconic EDM festival. Featuring world-class DJs such as Armin van Buuren, David Guetta and South Africa’s own Black Coffee, these events deliver high-energy performances with cutting-edge visuals, reinforcing South Africa’s position as the region’s live entertainment hub.
Kenya and Nigeria are also stepping up their investment in live music and festival culture, driven by expanding middle-class populations and a growing appetite for Afrobeat and regional genres. Both markets have surpassed pre-pandemic revenue levels, indicating a strong rebound in in-person entertainment. This resurgence is increasingly amplified by digital platforms and social media, which help drive attendance, fan engagement and visibility for local and international acts.
This revival of live entertainment is complemented by the rapid growth of music streaming across the region. In South Africa, consumer streaming revenue accounted for 36% of total consumer music income, with platforms like Spotify and YouTube Music leading the market. This will grow to approximately 40% by 2029. African artists are gaining increased royalties and international recognition, although challenges around income distribution and piracy persist.
Nigeria and Kenya are also seeing strong momentum in music streaming, driven by rising smartphone penetration and high youth engagement. The integration of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram is helping artists reach wider audiences, build fanbases, and monetise their content more effectively blurring the lines between live performance and digital reach.
Game on: The future of play
South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are among the fastest-growing gaming markets in Africa, driven by rising smartphone access, expanding connectivity and a digitally engaged youth population.
In 2024, South Africa recorded the highest consumer spend on gaming across the three markets, reaching $296m (R5.5b) with a CAGR of 4.6%. Nigeria followed with $176m in consumer spend and a higher projected CAGR of 7.4%, while Kenya posted $153m with a projected CAGR of 6.9%, indicating strong growth momentum in all three regions.
South Africa remains a regional hub for gaming content creation and esports events, supported by better-developed infrastructure and gaming communities. Nigeria’s gaming sector is rapidly evolving, driven by mobile gaming’s accessibility, with growing interest in casual and competitive games, and investments from both local startups and international players. Kenya’s gaming market is emerging, with mobile games dominating due to infrastructure limitations, but rising interest in esports and gaming personalities is expected to promote market expansion. Across these markets, mobile gaming is projected to remain the primary platform, with increasing monetisation through in-app purchases and advertising contributing to revenue growth forecasts.
Esports across the continent remain in its early stages, lagging global leaders, but the potential is clear. As infrastructure and investment improve, Africa is well-positioned to close the gap and unlock new opportunities in competitive gaming.
Africa’s OTT boom: Streaming, scaling and shaping demand
OTT streaming platforms are expected to continue their robust growth across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, progressively gaining ground in relation to traditional broadcast TV.
The OTT segment will continue to contribute to E&M revenue growth across the African market. The OTT market in South Africa is set to grow at a 6% CAGR to produce consumer revenue of $226m (R4.2b) in 2024 rising to $302m (R5.6b) by 2029. This growth rate outpaces the industry’s overall CAGR. Kenya’s OTT market is steaming ahead with consumer revenue of $9m, poised to grow at a robust 8.5% CAGR. Meanwhile, Nigeria commands a larger slice of the digital pie at $19m, expanding steadily with a CAGR of 8.3%.
This growth is fuelled by expanding internet penetration, improved mobile network coverage (particularly 4G and emerging 5G deployments) and increasing consumer preference for on-demand, flexible content consumption. The ongoing urbanisation and rising middle-class populations in these countries will drive broader adoption of OTT services, on mobile devices, although smart TV adoption will also increase.
In Kenya and Nigeria, OTT platforms will see increased market penetration but face persistent challenges around data affordability and inconsistent internet infrastructure, especially outside major urban centres. Notably, the introduction and expansion of ad-supported OTT tiers—a monetisation model already well-established in many global markets—are likely to take hold more broadly through 2029. This will enable platforms to attract price-sensitive users who may not afford subscription fees, broaden access and accelerate penetration. The gradual rollout of these ad-supported options will also help OTT providers maintain competitive pricing, limiting frequent subscription price hikes despite inflationary pressures seen globally.
Affordability remains a key barrier to OTT adoption in Africa compared to global markets. While platforms in the US and Europe have widely adopted ad-supported tiers to attract budget-conscious users, only a handful of African streaming services currently offer such models. Local content production is set to scale, supporting customer retention and differentiation from global competitors.
In South Africa, financial constraints are a major reason for subscription cancellations, prompting platforms like Disney+ to introduce promotional pricing—such as a four-month subscription for R49 (less than $3)—to retain users. Mobile-specific plans have also gained traction, with 75% of South African users consuming content via smartphones. However, bundling with telecom providers, a common strategy in markets like Latin America and North America, remains underutilised in Africa³.
In 2024, the combined OTT subscription base across the three key African markets exceeded 5m, with South Africa maintaining a dominant lead—representing over 75% of total subscriptions. By 2029, this figure is projected to grow by an additional 1.9m subscriptions.
South Africa is expected to maintain a more mature OTT ecosystem through 2029, supported by higher broadband availability and smart TV penetration compared to its regional peers. Connected TV (CTV) devices will see significant uptake, especially in urban and affluent households, leading to greater consumption of streaming content on large screens.
Broadcast meets broadband: The hybrid future of African TV
Mobile first, on-demand content is setting the pace, but traditional TV still matters particularly with respect to live events in the world of sport, news and politics. Traditional TV continues to play a vital role across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, especially during high impact moments like live football, political debates and national elections. In South Africa, broadcasters are evolving with hybrid models that blend traditional channels with digital extensions, while Kenya’s rural and semi-urban communities still rely on traditional TV as a trusted source of information. Nigeria’s digital surge has not displaced traditional’s dominance either, with millions tuning in for real-time coverage of major events. At the same time, rising smartphone adoption and network upgrades, including 5G pilots in South Africa and Nigeria, are unlocking new opportunities for OTT platforms, enabling richer, more flexible streaming experiences.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.pwc.com ’
