Study | AUDIMATIC

AFCON 2025: How Real-Time Audience Data Reveals TV Power Dynamics Across Africa

20 January 2026

AFCON 2025 offered more than football drama. It provided a rare opportunity to observe television audiences under maximum pressure, across multiple African markets, using real-time measurement.

Through AUDIMATIC’s Public Daily TV Audience Dashboard, audience behavior was tracked minute by minute across key countries, revealing clear structural patterns that matter directly to broadcasters, advertisers, and rights holders.

Algeria: national broadcaster dominance and post-match authority
In Algeria, audience concentration was particularly strong.
On key AFCON match days, ENTV consistently ranked first across all channels over a 24-hour period, reaching 8.5%+ daily share, and peaking at 45.6% during live match moments.
Among national sports channels, OnTime Sports reached a 24.7% peak during matches, confirming strong competition at live-event level.
Equally important, post-match analysis reshaped the audience landscape. Channels specializing in debate and commentary regained leadership once the match ended, extending engagement well beyond live play.
Insight for broadcasters:
Owning live rights anchors the day, but editorial depth after the match secures long-tail audience value.

Senegal vs Morocco (1–0) — AFCON 2025 Final TV Audience Analysis

19 January 2026

The AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco generated strong and sustained TV audiences in Morocco, reflecting both national engagement and competitive broadcast dynamics.

According to AUDIMATIC data, Al Aoula led TV viewing throughout the day, reaching 12.51% among all channels and 36.45% among national broadcasters.
This performance highlights the channel’s structural leadership during major sporting events.

Nigeria vs Morocco (0–0, Morocco wins 4–2 on penalties) — Semi-Final TV Audience Analysis

15 January 2026

The AFCON 2025 semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco ended in a dramatic penalty shootout, with Morocco advancing after a 4–2 victory.
Beyond the sporting outcome, TV audience data reveals clear viewing patterns throughout the day.

All-day viewing overview
Across all national and international channels, Al Aoula maintained the leading position for the entire day, reaching an audience share of 10.66%.
Among national channels only, its leadership was even more pronounced, with 32.43% audience share.

Senegal vs Egypt (1–0) — Semi-Final TV Audience Analysis

15 January 2026

The AFCON 2025 semi-final between Senegal and Egypt, played on January 14, delivered a tense sporting contest and a clear shift in TV audience behavior.

Daytime viewing overview
Across all national and international channels, ENTV emerged as the most-watched channel of the day, reaching 8.58% audience share.
Among national broadcasters, OnTime Sports took the lead with 8.70%, confirming its strong positioning ahead of the match.

Egypt vs Ivory Coast (3–2) — Quarter-Final Audience Analysis

11 January 2026

The quarter-final clash between Egypt and Ivory Coast on January 10 delivered both sporting drama and a highly competitive TV audience landscape throughout the day.
Thanks to AUDIMATIC’s Public Audience Dashboard, we observed how viewing habits evolved from daytime consumption to intense match-time concentration.

Full-day viewing landscape (All channels)
Audience leadership was unusually balanced, with three channels sharing the top positions across national and international broadcasters:

MBC Masr: 5.26%
ENTV: 5.25%
OnTime Sports: 5.02%

This tight distribution reflects a fragmented daytime viewing environment, with no single channel clearly dominating before kickoff.

Algeria vs Nigeria (0–2) — Quarter-Final Audience Analysis

11 January 2026

Algeria’s quarter-final defeat against Nigeria on January 10 did little to dampen audience engagement. On the contrary, TV viewing figures once again reached record levels, confirming the exceptional pull of the Algerian national team on local television.

Data from AUDIMATIC’s Public TV Audience Dashboard shows a familiar — yet remarkable — pattern.

All-day dominance
Throughout the entire day, ENTV stood as the clear audience leader:

16.53% audience share among all national and international channels
33.51% audience share among national channels

These figures underline ENTV’s role as the primary reference channel for national events in Algeria.

Morocco vs Cameroon (2–0) — Quarter-Final Audience Analysis

10 January 2026

Morocco’s 2–0 victory against Cameroon in the AFCON 2025 quarter-final on January 9 was both convincing on the pitch and highly predictable in terms of TV audience behavior in Morocco.

AUDIMATIC’s Public TV Audience Dashboard once again highlights how major national team matches structure viewing habits across the entire day — with intensified competition during live match moments.

All-day audience leadership
Throughout the day, Al Aoula remained the undisputed leader on Moroccan television:

10.82% audience share among all national and international channels
31.12% audience share among national channels

This confirms Al Aoula’s central role as the primary destination for national events, particularly during AFCON fixtures involving the Moroccan national team.

AFCON 2025 – Mid-Tournament Audience Check: What TV Data Is Already Telling Us

08 January 2026

As AFCON 2025 moves beyond the group stage, TV audience data is beginning to reveal clear directional signals — without locking in final conclusions.
Through AUDIMATIC’s Public TV Audience Dashboard, we continue to observe how viewing behaviour evolves match by match across key markets.

Early audience signals

Kick-off remains the strongest audience trigger, with several matches showing audience levels doubling — and sometimes tripling — compared to daytime viewing.
National broadcasters continue to anchor attention, often reaching match-time peaks above 20% and, in some cases, surpassing 50% of total TV viewing.
Audience concentration varies sharply by country: some matches drive near-total convergence, while others remain highly competitive and fragmented.

Algeria vs Congo (1–0, Extra Time): A Night of Tension and Collective Emotion

07 January 2026

What a night of tension and emotion!
A last-minute goal in extra time sealed Algeria’s 1–0 victory against Congo on January 6 — and TV audiences reflected every second of that suspense.

One clear viewing destination
Audience data from the day reveals a very clear and stable pattern.
ENTV stood out as the single, undisputed leader, holding the top position throughout the entire day:

18.09% audience share among all national & international channels
34.45% audience share among national channels

As the match unfolded, ENTV’s leadership became even more pronounced.
Peak audiences during the match:

51.76% among all channels
77.43% among national channels

Unlike more fragmented viewing days, this match generated a strong and sustained convergence of viewers around one broadcaster, confirming ENTV’s central role during major national football events.

Egypt vs Benin (3–1, Extra Time): An Unusually Fragmented Audience Landscape

06 January 2026

Congratulations to the Egyptian national team on a convincing 3–1 victory against Benin after extra time on January 5!
Beyond the final scoreline, TV audience data reveals a particularly eclectic and fragmented viewing landscape in Egypt — both before and during the match.

A highly diversified viewing day
Across all national and international channels, daytime viewing showed no clear dominant broadcaster.
Instead, audience attention was distributed across several channels, with four broadcasters each exceeding 4% audience share: SK1, Rotana Cinema, 5 Kids et MBC Masr.
This diversity reflects a strong engagement with entertainment and thematic content outside match hours, even on a national team matchday.