Zimbabwe’s largest integrated media group, Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited, recorded a 25 percent jump in digital audience in the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, as it pushes ahead with its digital transformation strategy.
According to a trading update for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the company’s digital footprint increased to 12,4 million followers from 10 million in the comparable period last year, driven by the implementation of the digital and mobile-first digital transformation initiatives.
Chief executive officer Mr William Chikoto said the growth reflected the success of the company’s aggressive digital migration strategy as media consumption increasingly shifts online.
“The converged HeraldOnline platform website traffic increased by 28,6 percent from 1,4 million to 1,8 million users, exceeding the company’s target of 1,5 million visitors for the quarter. Within the publishing division, social media audiences grew by 2,9 percent from 5,8 million to 5,967 million followers, while the broadcasting division registered a stronger 12 percent increase from 4,1 million to 4,6 million followers,” he said.
Mr Chikoto said the broadcasting segment’s growth was largely driven by the steady rise in Facebook followers and live online radio listeners across its stations.
Star FM accounted for more than 1,5 million followers on Facebook, while Diamond FM, Capitalk FM and Platinum FM also posted significant gains across their digital platforms.
Mr Chikoto said while audience growth was encouraging, the next phase of the company’s transformation agenda would focus on converting digital traffic into sustainable revenue streams.
“While the company is proud of the digital audience growth, the next and most critical phase of the transformation programme is digital revenue growth. This growth is essential to offset losses in traditional volumes and revenues and secure Zimpapers’ long-term financial sustainability,” he said.
As part of this strategy, Mr Chikoto said the group has remodelled the television business towards Over the Top (OTT) platforms that can be accessed anywhere and on any device.
The ZTN OTT platform now offers a Video-on-Demand service, with a pay-per-view feature, targeting premium content consumers as the company intensifies efforts to monetise digital content.
“The ZTN OTT platform offers a simple ‘Video on Demand’ platform with a pay-per-view (PPV) feature for premium content to support the digital revenues. Similarly, a paywall has been set up on the website, where premium and investigative journalistic stories will be available on subscription,” he said.
During the quarter under review, the company’s Digital and Publishing Division recorded a 23 percent increase in advertising volumes, supported by strong native advertising demand, although print circulation declined by 19 percent in line with global shifts in newspaper consumption patterns.
However, digital advertising volumes rose 7 percent year-on-year, underscoring the growing contribution of online platforms to the group’s revenue mix.
Mr Chikoto said the company continued to defend its traditional print business by repositioning newspapers as premium products while integrating them with digital offerings.
“The division is defending print by repositioning it as a premium product, bundling print with digital access and leveraging heritage value to stabilise loyal readership while accelerating digital monetisation,” he said.
The Broadcasting Division also delivered a solid performance, with volumes rising 18 percent on the back of stronger advertising spend and sustained demand across radio and television platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commercial Printing Division remained under pressure due to equipment-related challenges that constrained production volumes during the period under review.
Mr Chikoto said a machine stabilisation programme currently underway is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026 and should help restore production capacity and improve output recovery. Turnover reached ZiG146 million during the quarter, which translated to a net loss before tax of ZiG12.2 million.
Despite the loss, the net loss margin improved significantly to 9 percent compared to 20 percent recorded during the same period last year, reflecting progress in cost containment and operational efficiency measures.-herald
