NTV Kenya, the broadcast arm of Nation Media Group, has hit one million followers on TikTok, marking a milestone in the broadcaster’s growing digital footprint.
The achievement places NTV among Kenya’s leading traditional media brands that have successfully transitioned to the evolving digital content landscape, where audiences, particularly younger viewers, consume news, entertainment and current affairs through mobile-first platforms.
The broadcaster’s TikTok platform has also recorded an impressive 459 million views in the past year, with the leading video recording over 11 million views.
Addressing staff at Nation Centre to celebrate the milestone, Group Managing Director and CEO Geoffrey Odundo said NTV’s growth on TikTok reflects changing audience behaviour and the increasing need for media houses to rethink how they distribute content.
“The attention span for young people and the amount of content competing for their mind share is a lot, and TikTok is one of the futuristic platforms that will take our audiences to a different level,” said Mr Odundo.
He added that Kenya ranks among the top African countries in TikTok usage, making the platform a strategic space for audience growth and engagement.
“This is a great performance in how we are repurposing content and one of the many ways we are capturing young audiences alongside the changing habits across different age groups,” he said.
The milestone comes amid intensified competition among broadcasters and digital creators for online attention, as TikTok continues to emerge as one of the most influential platforms shaping the global news consumption habits.
NMG’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Ageyo said the newsroom had deliberately integrated Gen Z content creators into its digital teams to help shape content that resonates with younger audiences.
He said the young creators work with newsroom teams to identify stories and transform them into engaging short-form videos tailored for TikTok audiences.
“We have learned that audiences on TikTok do not consume news the same way they do on television. The short, instant and easily understandable news clips perform better,” said Dr Ageyo.
“The young audience responds strongly to relatable and authentic content. Some stories that perform moderately on the web can become high-performing TikTok videos when repackaged visually,” he added.
NTV’s TikTok growth has largely been driven by a mix of breaking news clips, lifestyle content, human-interest stories, entertainment updates and behind-the-scenes newsroom moments tailored for younger audiences.
Reina Kimeu, the editor, native & user-generated content at NMG, said they experimented with digital-first content by bringing onboard young content creators who were not limited by language or broadcast style.
“Their task was to create relatable news content that was for mobile-first audiences. We discovered that our audience appreciated content in Sheng and seeing relatable faces on our NTV TikTok account. After a year, we have grown the team and have successfully created our very own newsfluencers who helped shape our voice on TikTok,” she said.
