Across Central Africa, more people watch video on a phone than on a television set. Broadcasters still sell advertising as if the opposite were true.

The television business in the region was built on an assumption: a household, a set, an evening audience. That assumption is dissolving. Data costs are falling slowly, smartphones spread quickly, and the most watched screens are held in the hand.

What changes when the screen shrinks

• Formats. Vertical video, short episodes and content that works without sound.
• Distribution. WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube distribute to audiences no terrestrial transmitter reaches.
• Advertising. Mobile inventory is sold globally, mostly by non-African platforms, at prices broadcasters cannot match.
• Measurement. Panel-based audience measurement, where it exists, was designed for households.

Why broadcasters are stuck

A national broadcaster carries the cost of transmitters, studios and staff. A YouTube channel carries none. The economics favour the newcomer, but the newcomer does not produce news, cover parliament or broadcast in national languages. If broadcasters collapse, something that matters disappears with them.

What to report

• Data on mobile versus television viewing, by country, from the regulators and from mobile operators.
• What the main channels in Douala, Libreville and Brazzaville are doing with their digital output.
• Whether any broadcaster in the region has sold advertising on a digital-first basis, and at what rate.