Spreading the word: While print remains dominant, other segments are gaining influence

Rising incomes and improvements in providing access to internet platforms are having a positive impact on Gabon’s overall media environment. Despite its relatively small size, the market for novel media products is gaining dynamism, though the sector remains heavily dependent on a traditionally established print media segment and continues to be driven by government-owned broadcasters.

A number of new opportunities are also opening up for independent projects with targeted audiences. A solid expansion in premium television offers over the past few years has made international channels accessible to large swathes of the population. The growth of internet outlets remains limited by the slow expansion of internet access and unreliability of connections, but some new online media outlets are showing the way in terms of content delivery, if not advertising revenues. On the whole, market forces are creating a multi-platform sector, where different media outlets are slowly starting to combine to enhance their range of offerings.

NEWSPAPER DRIVE: Despite the relatively small population of 1.5m, newspapers are perhaps the most established segment of the media market. Overall newspaper and magazine sales remain constant, despite the fact that a very dispersed market – with more than 30 daily and weekly titles that publish on a regular basis – means that no one title can secure a high level of sales.

The largest daily newspaper is L’Union, which sold an average of 17,430 copies per day in 2012, increasing sales by 5% over 2011. It remains Gabon’s most established and best-selling newspaper. The second-most-popular paper is Gabon Matin, a government paper jointly managed by the Gabonese News Agency (Agence Gabonaise de Presse). The printed newspaper was founded in 2009 as a weekly title, but moved on to publish daily by 2010. It prints about 10,000 copies daily and is distributed through selling points in Libreville, Port-Gentil and Franceville.

Publishers face a low level of sales compared with other markets in region, so daily newspapers focus on special editions to try to increase sales on specific dates such as national Independence Day, or other historically relevant days. Unpredicted events of general appeal also mean increased printing numbers and better sales: during the previous Cabinet reshuffle in 2012, L’Union newspaper sold 39,000 copies of its special edition covering the change.

READERSHIP TRENDS: Other elements influence readers’ interest in and ability to buy newspapers. The end of the month usually sees a fall in daily sales because of reduced availability of cash. Price is an important element and can impact sales immediately. When L’Union raised its cover price, it also increased the number of pages. Each newspaper is generally read by six to seven people, as in some areas newspapers are shared between extended family members, as well as among neighbours.

DISTRIBUTION: The biggest issue for newspaper publishers, however, is distribution. The country’s low population density outside the major metropolitan areas and difficult road connections make it hard for publishers to establish a system of regular daily deliveries outside of the capital.

Around 70-75% of L’Union’s daily print is sold in Libreville, roughly proportional to the city’s share of the overall population. In Port-Gentil, meanwhile, newspaper deliveries are carried out by airplane from Libreville, which means that the daily edition can be read on the same day in the country’s second city. This has led L’Union to set up a team of contributors in the city to cover events in Port-Gentil, and now includes a full page on its daily events. In most other areas of the country, newspapers arrive a few days after printing, though they are still sold.

Despite the crowded market, which comprises the two main dailies as well as a score of weeklies and monthly publications, market players believe there is potential for new entrants. “There is definitely room to do more. Every time a new newspaper comes out, people are very curious and it generally sells well,” says Olivier Moucketou Moucketou, director of Gabon Matin. “The trick is understanding how to successfully maintain readers’ interest and keep the title going in terms of sales.”

However, the market for a new daily remains tight. “There is probably room for specialised new media titles, covering subjects such as sports, for example. A third generalist daily I think would be hard to implement, unless it had a very different approach from L’Union and Gabon Matin,” Léonard-Brice Mba Assoume, the editor-in-chief at L’Union, told OBG.

OUTSIDE SUPPORT: The government maintains an annual subsidy for print media, which reached a total of €750,000 in 2012 under the National Fund for the Development of the Press. The money is allocated according to each publication’s periodicity and number of units printed. In a small market, with modest daily sales and an array of competing titles, the government aid helps compensate for rising printing costs. It is unclear at this point how the new communications code might affect the level of government support for print outlets.

The financial challenges of maintaining a newspaper are not easy to overcome. Ink and paper need to be imported, salaries are higher than in several other countries in the region, and Gabon’s small population limits the opportunities for newspapers to increase their readership. The result of this environment is that only about 30 of the country’s 94 recognised publications were able to fulfil their targeted scheduled frequency in 2012.

Some of the smaller papers have been associated with specific political groups. This has put into question their independence and the professionalism of some journalists. Besides the issue of ethics, market forces also play a part in skimming through the quality and seriousness of media products. “Most advertisers do not want to be connected with some of the smaller newspapers with a specific political agendas,” said Louis Edgar Mayila, director at Emergence, a communications company in Libreville.

In an attempt to increase the level of professionalism in the sector, the Gabonese Media Observatory (Observatoire Gabonais des Médias, OGAM), a sector organisation made up of members of print, broadcasting and online sectors, has been putting together training seminars for journalists. OGAM has also been working to strengthen its role as an advisory and monitoring body. In late 2012 it came out with a new professional chart for journalists and media professionals, which aims to unify standards and practices across different mediums.

BROADCASTERS: The main television and radio broadcaster is state-owned Radiodiffusion Télé vision Gabonaise (RTG), which operates television channels RTG 1 and RTG 2. It manages several radio stations covering a range of subjects, which are directed to different regions of the country. The government is putting in place a plan to separate the television and radio units into different entities. Private group Bo Communications owns the popular television channel TV+ and Radio Nostalgie. Religious broadcaster Nazareth and TéléAfrica are the other popular private television broadcasters.

NEW COMPETITION: The sector has become more difficult to navigate for local television operators. Foreign channels are competing directly with Gabonese broadcasters. The expansion of satellite television has brought heavyweight media groups with a track record of international expansion into the market. This has underlined the differences in the quality of programming between local broadcasters and international offerings. Furthermore, it has gradually been exposing Gabonese audiences to a much wider choice of viewing options.

According to a survey by TNS Africascope, TV5MONDE was considered the most-viewed channel in Libreville, earning a cumulative weekly audience of 36% in 2012. A 2012 report by consultancy Balancing Act states that the surge of international channels such as TV5MONDE reflects the decline of national television options in Gabon due to the rising offerings of foreign – and especially thematic information – channels. This has changed the spectrum of offerings on the market, and premium television channels have become popular in many Gabonese households.

The premium segment is currently divided between two satellite providers and one DTTV provider. The satellite providers, CanalSat Horizons and Satcom, have been present in the market for more than 10 years, while DTTV provider TNT Africa began operations in the country in 2009.

CanalSat is the current market leader, with a market share of about 60%, followed by Satcom and TNT Africa, which each have 20% market share. “Most consumers will mainly watch about eight to 10 channels, but they still want to have dozens of options,” Morgan Juteau, the director for development at TNT Africa, told OBG. “And they want them at a cheap price. So this has been bringing prices down.”

PRICE CUTS: The expansion of television packages has accelerated over the past few years and the market has most likely reached saturation point, especially in Libreville. This has halved average prices, which have fallen from CFA20,000 (€30) per month in 2010, to CFA10,000 (€15) in 2013, according to Juteau. Film and sports channels remain important anchors for any mixed offer, followed by programming that targets younger audiences.

A challenge to the premium segment might come from the Gabonese government itself. By 2015, as UHF analog signals are turned off, the government wants to switch all national television channels to digital. However, in an effort to make proper use of the expensive infrastructure it will need to put in place to make digital television accessible around the country, it is planning to add other channels to its digital offer. This means that in a way, authorities will be competing directly with private operators.

Furthermore, there is still not a clear understanding in the market of who is leading the switch to digital. “The Ministry of Communications says it is their role, but the National Agency for Digital Infrastructure and Frequencies also says it is their prerogative, so there is a certain administrative confusion about it at this point,” Juteau said.

Although a large majority of households in Libreville are already accessing some type of premium offer, international players are still trying to expand into other areas of the country. In May 2013 Sogapresse signed a cooperation deal with Agence Satelis, representatives of Canal+ in Gabon, to distribute the French channel’s recharge cards through the publisher’s network of kiosks. This will allow subscribers to recharge their Canal+ accounts more easily and comes on the back of a similar deal signed in 2011 to allow for Canal+ recharge cards to be sold through Total’s petrol stations.

ONLINE NEWS PROVIDERS: In a market dominated by traditional media – especially print outlets, radio and television – a handful of internet-based news platforms have been taking steps to establish themselves. These are driven more by an attempt to circumvent production costs associated with print media, than in response to a burgeoning demand for online content. Internet access is nonetheless opening up the scope for internet-based news site.

One of the oldest online platforms is Gabon News, which has been operating since 2005 and currently employs a team of 20 people, mostly journalists. Starting off with only printed articles, it has since moved on to include television and radio programmes and reports, including a daily scheduled evening news block. It currently gets an average of 125,000 visitors a month and is expecting to spin off part of its content into a fully fledged cable news channel before the end of 2013.

Another news provider, Gabon Review, is an online newspaper that opened in 2012. It covers politics, sports and business news, and also includes other sections about environment and regional current events. With a heavy component of diaspora readers, it has about 12,000 visitors a day.

A third online platform, Gabon Eco, mixes current events with more practical information, including beauty and health news articles and entertainment suggestions. Agence Gabonaise de Presse also has a website, in which it includes some of the content from Gabon Matin alongside its more frequently updated agency feeds.

BARRIERS TO ACCESS: All these online news providers sell advertising space on their websites, but still have a handicap when competing with print media in attracting investment. The level of internet access also poses a challenge for online news providers. According to figures by the Ministry of Digital Economy, Communication and Postal Services, only about 18% of Gabonese had access to internet services in 2011. This shows that online ventures have significant growth potential, but it also means that investors wanting to grow in this market will most likely need to secure enough start-up investment for the slow climb. The relatively slow average speed of internet service is also a challenge. “The internet connection is not very fast, so this precludes an easy and regular access to websites, deterring readers and potential advertisers,” Desire Clitendre Dzonte, a journalist at Gabon Review, told OBG.

Online news platforms also face procedural issues. Some journalists have complained of difficulties in getting proper journalistic accreditation or accessing certain events or venues to perform their professional duties because there is no provision for online news platforms within the communications code. However, the new draft currently under discussion might clarify the status of this emerging blend of professionals.

Some reticence in adopting the new media might also be coming from audiences themselves. “It is hard to start off as an online newspaper. People are still stuck to the idea that the news must either come from a print newspaper, television or radio,” Dzonte said. It is clear however, that rising expansion of internet access, coupled with rising incomes, is set to open up the market for a larger number of internet-based publications. The convergence between radio, press and video as a form of delivering news will greatly increase online outlets’ chances of reaching a larger audience, and securing a regular readership and advertising money.

ADAPTATION: Recognising that the full rise of internet titles is still some steps away, traditional press titles have nonetheless been trying to adapt print products to a changing audience.

L’Union has been making efforts to make its articles shorter and is preparing to update its online presence with a new website that will include an online subscription system for readers. However, with the current conditions for accessing internet in need of improvement, L’Union’s online subscription system will be mostly geared towards the Gabonese diaspora.

Gabon Matin has also sought to shorten headlines to make them more direct and appealing. “There is more and more competition from online content providers, and so we have to be able to make a transition from being only newspapers to offering products that can captivate readers, both in print and online,” Assoume said.

Remaining barriers to internet access and slow connection speeds are still deterring some advertisers from spending money on online ads, which in turn makes it hard for online news platforms to finance themselves. “Advertising online is increasing but slowly, and the average quality of websites in Gabon is not very good,” Dzonte told OBG. “This means that advertisers are not naturally inclined to online newspapers as an advertising medium.”

RADIO: With the national reach of print media limited by distribution challenges and insufficient availability of television signals in certain areas of the country, radio remains Gabon’s most universal medium. It is especially relevant for the rural areas, which have widely dispersed populations. There are about 30 public and private radio stations in the country.

RTG is a particularly important player, and is in charge of a network of six regional radio channels in various cities throughout the country: in Franceville, Port-Gentil, Tchibanga, Koulamoutou, Oyem and Makokou. The sector is set to change in the short term, however, with a separation between television and radio broadcasting under way. A new interim general director has already been appointed for Radio Gabon, which will hold most of the government’s radio broadcasting capabilities. It is expected that the separate radio broadcaster will be divided into two generalist radio stations, Gabon Info and Gabon 9, as well as third themed radio station called Gabon Culture. The regional stations are expected to continue operations despite the changes.

Radio Africa Nº1 remains the main francophone radio station on the continent, since its creation in 1981. The project came to life out of a partnership between the Gabonese government and French radio holding SOFIRAD as part of a plan to take advantage of Gabon’s central geographic position to create a pan-African station. Then-president Omar Bongo Ondimba ordered the establishment of a technically advanced relay centre with regional reach 600 km south of the capital in the town of Moyabi.

Problems arose after the 2011 Libyan war and the consequent inability of Libya African Portfolio, the Libyan government’s investment fund, which owned 52% of Radio Africa Nº1, to pay an outstanding debt of more than €300,000 to Eutelsat. Gabonese authorities have been looking for a new investor to revive the broadcaster, but have so far been unsuccessful. The radio has an estimated audience of around 30m listeners across the world.

GLOBAL REACH: Increasingly, Gabonese broadcasters have had to contend with greater competition from a score of international radio stations.

Extremely popular and with an established profile across several African countries, Radio France Internationale (RFI) is a regular stop for a majority of radio listeners in Libreville. BBC Afrique, the French-language service for the continent, has offices in London and Dakar, and covers African current events through a host of correspondents.

A new entrant to the sector is private Moroccan broadcaster Hit Radio, aimed at young audiences. Focusing its programming on a mix of music and entertainment, the Casablanca-based station has been expanding in Africa, and has gained licences to operate in Bangui, Libreville and Dakar.

WAITING FOR A NEW CODE: Changes in the regulatory framework might soon impact the strategies of operators across all media. The National Communications Council (Conseil National des Communications, CNC) is the overseer of the media sector in Gabon, and its directory is made up of nine representatives from both the private and public sectors. The council has the role of protecting and upholding freedom of the press while ensuring operators work in accordance with the country’s communications code and other national laws.

The new communications code has been under discussion for some time. It is expected that the CNC will make provisions to modernise the 2001 code – specifically, laws to govern new media platforms, such as online newspapers and blogs, are expected to bring some clarity to the market.

The media sector is also hoping that a new code might soften the weight of criminal charges for some media-related offences. After a visit to Libreville in early 2013, Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international media freedom watchdog, suggested Gabon should rewrite a new communications law from scratch, as opposed to just making amendments on the existing 2001 code. The draft for the new law code, RWB claimed in a report on the visit, is “unsuited to Gabon’s new media landscape, and to the new democratic practices desired by the Gabonese public and media.”

OUTLOOK: Driven by gradual if modest growth, newspaper sales reflect the important place print media has been able to maintain in the country since independence. New, more targeted print titles might help bring more dynamism to the newspaper segment in the coming years, although any new ventures will have to be prepared to deal with the high costs of production involved.

Online ventures are gaining more ground, but their rapid expansion remains restricted by limited access to internet connections and advertisers’ reluctance to embrace the internet as an efficient communications platform. This is tilting most online platforms to focus part of their strategy on attracting readership from the Gabonese living abroad as a way to supplement the slow-growing local online readership. Additionally, as foreign channels in television and radio become more and more sought after, local broadcasters are finding the need to design content that can combine both local flavour and enough quality to compete with overseas offers.

Much change is also expected to come out of the new communications law. It will be especially important to take into account the changes that have occurred in Gabon’s media landscape. If these are reflected in a new communications code, it will ease the process for establishing new media ventures.