Kenya's online ad market is set to nearly double. Why creators still earn less per view
Advertisers are pouring money into Kenya's internet, but a view from Nairobi earns a fraction of a view from New York.
PwC expects Kenya's internet advertising market to grow from US$313 million in 2025 to US$603 million by 2030, about 14% a year. That is nearly double the global growth rate PwC forecasts for the same period, 7.2%. Video advertising is the fastest-growing part, at 18.2% a year.
So why do Kenyan creators earn so little from ads?
Because advertisers pay according to how much they expect a viewer to spend. One tracker of YouTube earnings put the typical creator payout for the Middle East and Africa at US$0.75 per 1,000 views in October 2026, against US$5.12 in the United States. The same video can earn almost seven times more from an American audience.
The lesson for African media: ads alone rarely pay the bills. Sponsorships, paid memberships, services for organisations and courses matter more, and all of them depend on trust.
What is changing
- As more Kenyans come online and spend digitally, advertisers will value Kenyan audiences more.
- Local brands, banks and telcos increasingly sponsor creators directly instead of buying generic ads.
- Mobile money makes it simple for audiences to pay creators they value.
Prefer to watch? Nchiwise explains it on videoShort videos on how countries develop and scale.
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