Global Media Intelligence 2019: Egypt

Key Features

TV viewing is widespread in Egypt—but smartphones enjoy greater reach and attention.

  • Nearly 86% of internet users in Egypt ages 16 to 64 polled in Q1 2019 watched traditional TV in the previous month, according to GlobalWebIndex/Publicis Media. Usage was even higher among females, older respondents and those in more affluent households. In addition, 53.1% of those surveyed viewed TV shows via broadcasters’ on-demand/catch-up services. Some 48.3% said they had recorded live TV programming to watch later.
  • Nearly eight in 10 internet users had watched video-on-demand (VOD) in the prior month. Penetration was higher among respondents ages 16 to 34 than in older age groups. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) is much more limited, however, with fewer than 41% of the sample identifying as recent viewers. Egypt, like most countries in the Middle East and Africa, has not been a top priority for the major global SVOD providers. These have so far focused on building audiences in more fully developed economies with better infrastructure, such as those in Western Europe.
  • Smartphone ownership is nearly universal in Egypt, reaching 97.1% of internet users ages 16 to 64, including 98.0% of those living in the top 25% of households, ranked by income. Nearly 17% of internet users also owned a feature phone. The centrality of mobile devices is reflected in time spent figures. Mobile activities accounted for 4 hours, 7 minutes (4:07) per day, on average. Only seven of the 41 countries polled by GlobalWebIndex in 2019 posted a longer average mobile time spent.
  • PCs and tablets were not far behind mobile, however, averaging 3:48 daily. Though many consumers used a mobile phone long before they had access to a larger digital screen, a significant number (71.4%) had a PC. One in four internet users had a tablet, with a higher concentration among affluent respondents, females and 35- to 44-year-olds.

authors

Karin von Abrams

Contributors

Joanne DiCamillo
Kathleen Hamblin
Chart Editorial Manager
Dana Hill
Director of Production
Stephanie Meyer
Senior Production Artist
Heather Price
Deputy Editor
Hilary Rengert
VP, Research Strategy
Amanda Silvestri
Senior Copy Editor