By Oluchi Omai
LAGOS, Nigeria — SquirrelPR, a public relations management software provider, has published its annual RANKED2025 report, offering a comprehensive analysis of digital news platform performance across five major African media markets: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Ghana. The report evaluates over 300 platforms based on web traffic, categorizing them by content verticals and levels of influence.
Drawing on 12 months of data from Similarweb and platform-specific engagement metrics, RANKED2025 provides media professionals, advertisers, and communication strategists with a tiered classification of platforms, along with insight into evolving audience behavior and cross-border media influence.
Nigeria’s Digital Media Landscape: Vanguard and Punch Lead Local Rankings
In Nigeria, the report analyzed 130 digital news platforms, revealing that the News & Current Affairs category dominated national readership, attracting 81% of the country’s 1 billion total web visits in 2024.
Five platforms emerged in Tier 1, each surpassing 50 million visits annually and collectively accounting for 517.7 million visits. Among these, Vanguard Online and Punch Online led the pack in audience reach and engagement, citing consistency in editorial quality and high trust among Nigerian readers.
Tiered Performance Highlights Emerging Media Players
RANKED2025 groups platforms into three influence tiers:
Tier 1: Over 50 million annual visits
Tier 2: Between 10 million and 49 million
Tier 3: At least 1 million visits
Nigeria’s Tier 2 platforms garnered 270.8 million visits (32% of traffic), while Tier 3 platforms, though more niche, collectively recorded 55.7 million visits. The report points to these emerging outlets as important voices in investigative journalism and regional storytelling.
Sector Insights: Entertainment Gains, Tech and Business Underperform
The Entertainment & Lifestyle category showed noticeable growth, comprising 10% of national web traffic. Business and Tech News categories, however, lagged with 6% and 3% respectively, indicating areas of opportunity for both publishers and advertisers.
Social Media Drives Digital Visibility
The report underscores the role of social media in amplifying platform visibility. News outlets with strong social media presence and audience interaction ranked higher, reaffirming the value of integrated engagement strategies.
Pan-African Ranking: Nigeria Faces Continental Competition
On the continental stage, Nigeria’s top platforms are recognized but face increased competition from outlets in Egypt and South Africa. Platforms had to surpass 10 million visits annually to qualify for the Africa-wide rankings, and only 150 out of over 300 platforms across the continent made the cut.
The findings indicate that while Nigerian platforms perform well locally, influence at the continental level requires broader reach and content strategies tailored for cross-border audiences.
Strategic Relevance for PR and Media Planners
For communications professionals, RANKED2025 serves as a tool for strategic decision-making. It offers actionable intelligence on media selection, campaign targeting, partnership negotiations, and crisis communication. With data-driven insights, PR practitioners can better align messaging with audience engagement trends.
The RANKED2025 report highlights the dynamic state of Africa’s digital media ecosystem. As digital consumption habits shift and media competition intensifies, platforms across Nigeria and beyond must continue to innovate in content, distribution, and engagement to maintain and grow influence.
Click HERE to download RANKED2025.
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