Football game broadcasts caused Kenya’s levels of television viewership to jump 81.8% between January and March this year as compared to the previous quarter.

This is according to statistics from the Communication Authority of Kenya’s (CA) quarterly report for the financial year’s third quarter.

The CA notes that average weekly television viewership figures between January and March were recorded at 654,600, up from 360,000 during the second financial quarter (October to December 2013).

Previously, in quarter two, the CA recorded a drop in television viewership which was attributed to more viewers concentrating on online media.

“The growth in television viewership could be attributed to the increased number of premier league games especially the English Premier League (EPL) which were aired live during the period under review,” CAK said.

The CA is also in a bid to compel MultiChoice’s DStv, the lone English Premier League broadcaster in Kenya, to resell the exclusive content to other players in the Kenyan market and end its monopoly.

The commission is also planning to introduce regulations to compel broadcasters to agree to resell exclusive content in order to be licensed in the country.

Meanwhile, the CA report also notes growth of radio listenership during the period.

The weekly average listenership was at 4,465,500, up from 3,725,441 in the previous quarter and recording a growth of 19.9%.

“The increase in radio listenership could have been driven by the numerous radio competition shows run during the quarter,” the report said.