SECTOR 2

Scores:
Individual scores:
1

Country does not meet indicator

2

Country meets only a few aspects of indicator

3

Country meets some aspects of indicator

4

Country meets most aspects of indicator.

5

Country meets all aspects of the indicator

Average score:

1.7 (2005 = 1.3; 2007 = 2.4; 2009 = 1.1)

2.11 The advertising market is large enough to
support a diversity of media outlets.
It is generally agreed that the advertising ‘cake’ is very small: government is the
main advertiser, followed by parastatals (an extension of the state), followed by
big business (arguably, a further state extension). Sometimes, private newspapers
have just three main advertisers = the country’s three mobile phone companies,
BMobile, Orange and Mascom.
In an attempt to try and stay afloat, some private print publications have been
known to undercut their competitors in terms of advertising costs.
“A big problem in Botswana is the lack of market analysis. Some media entities
take a greater share of the market just because of perception. There is no scientific
targeting of the market, no living standards measurements (LSMs) on which to
base marketing strategies, and so the advertisers and the media don’t know about
their audiences. They’re shooting in the dark.”
It is argued that if BTV was transformed into a proper public broadcaster, it would
not need to rely on commercial advertising revenue.

36

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BOTSWANA 2011

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