The outlook for the South African digital publishing industry is positive with excellent results being recorded in the first quarter of 2010. According to Nielsen Online Market Intelligence for quarter one 2010, 9.1 million South Africans visited sites registered with the Online Publishers Association (OPA) each month. This is an impressive 51% increase compared to Q1 2009 when just over 6 million South Africans visited OPA sites.
‘The data is undeniable’, says Josh Adler, Head of Measurement for the OPA and CEO of Prefix, ‘the local online industry is both growing and maturing through every meaningful metric’.
Adler is also pleased by the signs which indicate that digital publishers are increasingly cogniscent of the dual nature of an online audience and supply chain. ‘Content can be read from anywhere in the world and as a result local digital publishers are developing content for high-bandwidth, ‘always-on’ global audiences. Publishers are also equally more aware of the local audience profile and working on content and delivery ideas that suit the South African audience. From the supply chain side, we are able to use technologies from both local and international vendors and blend it together into a unified experience’.
Adrian Hewlett, Chairperson of the OPA and CEO of The Habari Group is equally as optimistic about the maturation of the industry, ‘While the growth in digital usage in South Africa is really exciting, it is the evident maturing of players in the industry that is most exciting. The level and standard of digital publishing has taken an enormous leap forward in the last twelve months. There is increased digital appreciation from the general brand manager and company CEO, and indeed advertising agencies have realised a need to really gear up. One only has to look at initiatives like the ODMA (Ogilvy Digital Marketing Academy) which is run internally to gear up all mid to senior staff on digital matters, to realise that the key players are really serious’.
Hewlett is equally optimistic on the outlook for revenue growth for the sector.
‘With real adoption by leading minds we will see the medium justified. So if one takes into account the huge user growth, the general standard of work being produced, and the increase in talented participants to the digital industry, don’t be surprised to see more than 100% growth in revenue during the course of 2010. Bullish, sure, but why not?’.
Interesting Stats from Quarter 1 of 2010
(These stats are based on the unofficial Q1 2010 results as per Nielsen Online Market Intelligence)
Did you know …
1. 9.1 million South Africans visit OPA websites each month.
2. 827 000 South Africans (enough to fill the Green Point stadium more than 11 times) visit OPA websites each day.
3. South Africans look at over 340 million pages on the internet each month.
4. South Africans spend 7 minutes and 55 seconds online each time they visit the internet.
5. Close to 1.6 million visitors access the South African mobile internet each month.
What South Africans up to when we’re online (based on March 2010 stats from Nielsen Online)
• 41% of us use the internet to search for jobs
• Only 2.9% of us admit to gambling online.
• 37% of us use the internet for social networking
• 86% of us it for email
• 20% are using the net to download music
• 24% of us are shopping online
• 67% are banking online
• 60% are reading the news or magazines online