A presentation of the new study “Determining the Media Preferences of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan: TV, Radio, Print Publications, Websites, Social Networks, and Messengers – 2022” was held in Dushanbe. This research clearly shows which TV channels, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, websites, and more the population of Tajikistan prefers to watch, listen to, or read.
The study involved almost two and a half thousand citizens of the country – 2,497 people from all regions of the republic. The survey itself was conducted in January-February 2022.
“This study is being conducted for the third time,” said Nabi Yusupov, director of the NGO “Media Consulting.” “The first two studies were conducted in 2018 and 2019. In the new survey conducted in January-February of this year, we were able not only to learn the media preferences of the country’s population but also to compare data from previous and current years and understand how the situation has changed. For example, new technologies have introduced new trends, which are not yet fully studied. Based on this, a significant part of this research concerns determining the extent to which the population of Tajikistan is using new types of mass media and communication – the internet, messengers, and e-mail.”
“The research showed a steady increase in internet users,” continued Kahramon Bakozoda, founder of the Sociological Research Center “Zerkalo.” “The growth in the share of internet users is occurring, although the pace is slower compared to neighboring countries. However, the dynamics of change are obvious. This is primarily related to the insufficient penetration of the internet in the country and its high cost. But one of the main reasons for this is the lack of diversification in the economy, the limited and traditional sources of income for the population.”
TV, Radio, Newspapers
The study showed that television is the most in-demand medium among the population – the most mass-accessible and available in Tajikistan. 96% of respondents are consumers of TV content.
In the ranking of central TV channels, the leading position is held by TV “Safina” (63%), with last year’s leader, TV “Tojikiston,” now in second place (59%). Completing the top three is TV “Sinamo” (37.6%), which had not ranked higher than 5th place in previous studies.
According to the Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Tajikistan, the country has:
- 15 state TV channels
- 18 private TV channels
- 14 cable TV channels
- 3 IP-TV
- 14 studios for audiovisual production
- 10 state radio stations
- 22 non-governmental radio stations
In the ranking for the city of Khujand, where a large number of independent TV stations are concentrated, the first place was taken by the “Tajikistan” TV channel (60%), with the leading Sogdian TV stations SM-1 (46.3%) and TV Asia (42%) in second and third place.
Overall, Tajik TV channels are in demand among 92% of respondents, followed by Russian channels at 32%, Uzbek TV at 27.4%, Iranian (Persian-language) channels at 24.9%, and Afghan channels at 8.8%.
Compared to 2019, radio stations have lost nearly 1% of their audience. Today, 39.7% of all respondents listen to the radio.
For the third consecutive time, the state radio station “Sadoi Dushanbe” leads the ranking with 38.8%. Among independent radio stations, “Vatan” radio takes the top spot nationwide for the first time with 14.5%. The previous leader, “Imruz,” dropped one place. The third place traditionally belongs to “Asia-Plus” radio. In the Dushanbe ranking, the top three remained the same as the national ranking – “Vatan,” “Imruz,” “Asia-Plus.”
In Khujand, where there is also a significant concentration of independent radio stations, the first place is taken by “Tiroz” radio (32.9%). The second and third places are held by Khujand’s radio stations “Love Radio” (23.7%) and “Sadoi Khujand” (23.1%).
According to the Ministry of Culture of Tajikistan, the following media outlets are currently registered and operating in the republic:
- 376 newspapers (112 state-owned and 264 non-state)
- 245 magazines (114 state-owned and 131 non-state)
- 10 news agencies (1 state-owned and 9 non-state)
Among state-owned print media, the top spot is held by “Jumhuriyat,” while among independent media, it is “Oila.” However, the situation with print media has worsened, and the number of newspaper consumers has now dropped to 32.4%, which is 11% less than in 2019.
New Technologies
Among websites and social networks, respondents indicated that they visit YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook the most. One of the former ranking leaders, “Odnoklassniki.ru,” dropped from second to fifth place. Among domestic websites, the top three are the advertisement website somon.tj and the news websites “Ozodi” and “Asia-Plus.”
The results of the study provide answers to important questions and show the direction in which traditional media should move and the potential opportunities for new media. The study identifies the audience by media type and can be used both for choosing priority directions in industry development and for individual types of media.
“As expected, the youth are more advanced in using the internet, though mainly for entertainment purposes,” says Kahramon Bakozoda. “We are observing a process of qualitative transformation in the media. For example, the consumption of media on social networks is becoming more active. But the potential of messengers is still not fully realized.”
K. Bakozoda also noted that the results of the research will be of interest to industry professionals such as marketers, journalists, media managers, and bloggers.
The results of the research will be refined over the next 10 days, after which they will be made available to users free of charge in both electronic and print formats. To obtain a copy, simply send an email to mediaconsulting@inbox.ru, introduce yourself, and specify the individual or organization that requires the research. This is done solely to determine the audience of interested parties and organizations, so their interests can be considered in the design of future surveys.
Source: nuqta.info
