Nairobi’s Newest Newspaper Trumps Old Traditional Newspapers

The launch of Kenya’s first ever free, daily newspaper, X News, is bucking African media trends with a surge in circulation that has seen the new Nairobi evening newspaper emerge as the third largest newspaper in Kenya within just three months of its launch.

Launched on March 11th, XNews has already become the country’s third largest newspaper, by circulation, running only behind longstanding industry leaders Nation and Standard. The paper is now distributing over 25,000 copies a day, with an expected rise to 35,000 by the end of June, and 50,000 a day before year end.

By the end of 2014, XNews is set to be the second largest newspaper in Nairobi, running behind only Nation, which was launched in 1963.

The rapid rise of XNews has been driven by news mix that has departed radically from traditional Kenyan print content in tightly targeting Nairobi’s youth aged 19 to 40 years, which is the age set that forms the majority of the city’s population.

The country’s paid-for print publications have struggled to capture this city youth audience, which is predominantly well educated, opinionated and tech-savvy.

This has led to a steady decline in traditional print circulations. According to recent research from the African Media Barometer, national newspapers in Kenya have seen their circulation drop steadily in recent years, from around 800,000 copies a day a few years ago to a joint circulation of between 350,000 and 500,000 today.

The research reports that the country is facing a generation that is unwilling to pay for news, generating a growing need for local newspapers to cover issues that are pertinent and improve readers’ lives, as opposed to the political and event reportage that still consumes local daily pages. A recent Consumer Insight survey found that Kenyan youths’ interest in politics is negligible, and is, instead, firmly centred on lifestyle, tech, music, sports and relationship topics.

XNews has stepped into this gap with a fresh news mix that is inspiring, informative, credible and consumer-driven, giving little space to mainstream personality politics, and focusing on social issues and practical ways of improving readers’ wellbeing. The aim has been to bridge an information gap that sees the youth constantly searching for practical information and entertainment.

The new newspaper is distributed free across the city in the late afternoon and early evenings at key matatu and bus termini within the Nairobi Central Business District, targeted office buildings and along key major roundabouts and highways in the city. It is also circulated in parts of the Industrial Area, Westlands, Kilimani, and Upper Hill. XNews also distributes over 2,000 copies daily to the University of Nairobi (UoN), the largest university in the country, and will soon expand its circulation to other major universities such as the United States International University (USIU).