The 2026 Ranked Report has indicated the nation’s media landscape is not declining, but evolving into a more complex, AI-mediated ecosystem where trust, credibility, and influence matter more than ever.

Ranked Report, organised by Squirrel PR, analyses leading digital news platform across African markets, delivering data-driven intelligence for PR professionals, media strategies and marketers.

Speaking at the launch of the report in Lagos recently, co-founder SquirrelPR, Jonah Solomon, observed the model of digital media is evolving.

He disclosed the nation’s digital media ecosystem recorded a 26.2 per cent decline in total readership traffic in 2025, signalling a major shift in how audiences consume news and how influence is measured across the industry.

He added the report indicates traffic across the nation’s digital media platforms fell from over 1.04 billion visits in 2024 to 769 million in 2025, marking one of the most significant structural changes in the country’s media landscape in recent years.

To him, “the decline does not reflect reduced relevance, but AI-powered search overviews are increasingly answering user queries directly, reducing need to visit publisher websites while still relying on those same publishers as primary sources.

Today, influence is defined by authority, trust, and the ability to shape conversations—even when users don’t click through.”

In his keynote address, Chief Executive Officer and Lead Strategist at KT Communication, Keni Akintoye, noted, “influence has not declined, but has evolved. People are still consuming content, but increasingly without arriving at the source. In that reality, traffic is no longer a complete measure of relevance. Trust is.”

He added that media platforms are transitioning from destinations to sources of authority within a broader information ecosystem, where credibility determines whether content is referenced and amplified.

There was also a panel discussion who dissected the issue. The panellists include, Chief Executive Officer of Businessfront, Muyiwa Matuluko; Group Head of Brand Marketing and Communications at Polaris Bank, Rasheed Bolarinwa; online editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Olufemi Ajasa and a communications professional, Damilola Bright-Ukwenga.

Matuluko said media organisations must prioritise depand relevance over scale.

Bolarinwa suggested that brands should focused on conversion, trust, and audience quality.

Ajasa emphasised that credibility and quality journalism remain central to relevance.

Bright-Ukwenga highlighted the growing role of creators and micro-influencers in shaping narratives.

The moderator Ifeanyi Abraham, PR Director at CIG Motors described the shift as seismic, urging industry players to reposition for resilience.

SquirrelPR also unveiled SquirrelPR 2.0, an AI-powered PR management platform built for Africa, and SMT Monitor, a media monitoring and social listening platform designed to support more data-driven communication strategies.

The report concludes that traffic alone is no longer a sufficient performance metric, calling for a more strategic, authority-led approach to media visibility.