Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Five Kenyan bloggers have joined forces to kick start a Kenyan technology podcast called the 24BIT and the aim is to grow the podcast landscape in the country and move it mainstream.
The bloggers Nixon Kanali (TechTrendske.co.ke), Emmanuel Chenze (AndroidKenya.com), Kaluka Wanjala (TechArena.co.ke), David Gitonga (E-Labz.info) and Kevin Kimani (MobiTrendske.co.ke) explained that the 24Bit podcast will mainly cover technology trends across Kenya and around the globe.
They will also discuss weekly tech happenings as well as conduct interviews with industry leaders to give listeners a deep understanding of the local and global tech ecosystem.
“Unlike other countries, podcasting has not been taken up seriously in Kenya and we want to change this. We believe podcasting is a way to open Kenyan media which is already being done through blogs” Kaluka Wanjala said.
He said the bloggers have already build a good online presence and audience through their different blogs but now intend to use these numbers to grow 24BIT.
So far, the bloggers have done four episodes of the podcast which are available on the 24BIT YouTube and SoundCloud channel.
In 2018, the bloggers intend to grow this number by doing weekly episodes and also work closely with different brands that would like to reach out to larger audiences.
“The idea of a 24BIT Podcast is something we want to build working as a team. We want to partner with more local companies, and influencers to ensure we reach out to more listeners. Audience can listen to us while in traffic, at the office or even at home” Nixon Kanali disclosed.
Globally, podcasting is a growth trajectory and is set to boom in 2018. Although it remains much smaller than other media sectors such as films, TV or music, it is set to attract more and more advertisers. According to a report from the IAB in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers US, podcast ad revenue in the United States grew by 85 percent since 2016 and was on track to reach more than $220 million in 2017.
“With this rapid growth, the audio format is proving quite lucrative. It is for marketers to crystallize the sense that podcasting is an important and powerful marketing platform.” Emmanuel Chenze stated.
