Radio listening habits in Mayotte

Nestled in the Indian Ocean Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Mozambique is the tiny collection of islands known as Mayotte. It’s 300,000 residents all have access to local radio, but fewer seem to be listening. 

It’s a matter of concern for French broadcasters. Mayotte is one of the 18 regions of France, with the same status as the departments of metropolitan France. In an audience survey on media conducted on Mayotte between March 7 and April 3 this year, the cumulative audience for radio on an average day of the week vs. other platforms is just 2%.

According to the survey, radio records a cumulative audience of 58.1% of the total target audience — 104,200 listeners — and an average listening time of three hours 13 minutes per day. That’s worrying for the island’s broadcasters, but also not surprising. Radio in Mayotte has been generating lower audiences for almost two years. In October 2020, radio recorded a cumulative audience of 63.9%, for a total of 106,300 listeners, even though the average listening time was shorter — two hours 21 minutes per day.

One audience point in Mayotte’s audience survey corresponds to 1,793 persons aged 13 and over. The biggest station is Mayotte La 1^ère, a public station with a cumulative audience of 44.6 points — four points down on the last measure in October 2020 — or 80,000 listeners, and a time spent listening of two hours 25 minutes per day.