Entertainment Monitoring Africa

Entertainment Monitoring Africa (EMA) is a South African entertainment-monitoring and charting service focused on measuring music airplay. Formerly known as Mediaguide South Africa, the organization gathers broadcast data and publishes rankings intended to show which songs are receiving the greatest exposure on radio and, more broadly, television. Its best-known public output is a weekly South African top-10 airplay chart, while subscribers can access a larger top-100 chart through the company's website. EMA's charting operation became publicly visible under the Entertainment Monitoring Africa name in 2013. The first chart dated May 21, 2013 placed Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams, at number one. By 2014, the charts were described in South African media as an industry-standard reference for tracking radio play. The service therefore occupies an intermediary position between broadcasters, record companies, artists, music marketers, journalists and policy observers: it does not primarily sell recorded music, but supplies measurement and reporting that can be used to assess market reach and programming patterns. EMA monitors 48 radio stations and eight television stations, according to the cited reference material. Its data has also been used to discuss the performance of South African music against local-content rules. South African public radio stations were subject to a 40% local-music quota, while commercial stations were subject to a 25% quota under rules associated with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. EMA's 2013 year-end analysis reported that local songs accounted for 28 of the year's top 100 tracks, producing a 28% share of the measured list. Mafikizolo's "Khona" was the highest-ranked local song at number five, while "Blurred Lines" led the overall ranking. The same analysis highlighted the influence of independent South African music companies. Kalawa Jazmee reportedly represented more than 7% of all airplay in the top 100 and approximately 30% of local airplay in the measured year. The results were also used to describe a shift in genre popularity, with house, Afro-pop and hip-hop gaining ground while gospel, traditional music and kwaito were reported to be in decline in the 2013 dataset. In 2015, EMA introduced a publicly viewable local chart online without requiring registration. Like the main chart, this service provides a weekly top 10, but concentrates on South African music. The local chart expanded the public-facing role of EMA by making a dedicated local-music reference available to artists, labels, broadcasters, journalists and listeners. EMA's published chart records include historical measures of sustained success. Future Fue featuring Kuntra Gandhi's "Memeza" and DJ Clock featuring Beatenberg's "Pluto (Remember You)" are listed as having spent 19 weeks at number one. Beatenberg's "Rafael" reached 15 weeks, Mi Casa's "Jika" reached 13, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" reached 11, and Zakes Bantwini and Kasango's "Osama" reached 10. The chart archive also records Justin Bieber as having four number-one songs, while Pharrell Williams and Rihanna each had three. These statistics illustrate how EMA functions as a longitudinal record of South African broadcast popularity, although the available material does not establish the company's current ownership structure, leadership, revenue, or present operating condition in detail.

Entertainment Monitoring Africa is the name used for a South African broadcast-monitoring operation formerly identified as Mediaguide South Africa. The service gathers information about music played across monitored broadcasters and turns those observations into recurring charts. Its public-facing weekly top 10 provides a concise view of current airplay, while a more extensive top 100 is available to users with subscriptions. The available reference material identifies the business as a member of Times Media Group through Entertainment Logistics Services. The first top-10 chart issued under the EMA name carried the date May 21, 2013. Its inaugural leader was Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams. EMA subsequently became a recognized source for South African radio-airplay information. In 2014, reporting described the charts as an industry-standard tool for identifying what songs were being broadcast. The monitoring footprint cited for the organization consists of 48 radio stations and eight television stations. EMA's work also became relevant to debates about South Africa's local-music quotas. Rules associated with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa required public stations to devote at least 40% of their music programming to local material, while commercial stations faced a 25% requirement. EMA's 2013 annual analysis indicated that local artists accounted for 28 of the year's top 100 songs, or 28% of the list. Mafikizolo's "Khona" was the highest-ranked local track at number five, with more than 5,500 reported spins, whereas the year's overall leader, "Blurred Lines," exceeded 7,200 spins. The analysis prompted discussion about whether broadcasters were meeting the policy objectives of local-content rules. The same data illustrated the importance of independent labels in domestic music. Kalawa Jazmee was reported to account for more than 7% of all airplay represented in the top 100 and roughly 30% of local airplay. The annual results also suggested changing genre patterns: house, Afro-pop and hip-hop were increasing in prominence, while gospel, traditional music and kwaito were described as declining within the measured rankings. In 2015, EMA broadened its public service by placing a local chart online without registration. This chart followed the structure of the main product, offering a weekly top 10 focused on local music. The organization consequently served both as a source of industry intelligence and as a public cultural record of South African broadcast preferences. Its chart archive contains records of sustained number-one runs and artists with multiple chart-topping songs. Future Fue featuring Kuntra Gandhi's "Memeza" and DJ Clock featuring Beatenberg's "Pluto (Remember You)" are listed with 19 weeks at number one. Other long-running leaders include Beatenberg's "Rafael," Mi Casa's "Jika," Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," and Zakes Bantwini and Kasango's "Osama." The reference material does not provide a verified founding date, named founder, current executives, financial information or a detailed account of later corporate developments.

• 2015

  Local chart made available without registration

  [1]Entertainment Monitoring Africaen.wikipedia.org

  EMA launched an online weekly top-10 chart dedicated to local music and made it available for public viewing without requiring registration.

• 2013

  First chart published under the EMA name

  [1]Entertainment Monitoring Africaen.wikipedia.org

  The first dated EMA top-10 airplay chart was issued for May 21, 2013, with Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams at number one.

• 2013

  First annual local-airplay analysis cited

  [1]Entertainment Monitoring Africaen.wikipedia.org

  EMA's year-end review reported that 28 of the 100 most-played songs were by South African artists and identified Mafikizolo's "Khona" as the highest-ranked local song.

A broadcast-monitoring and music-intelligence service positioned as a reference point for South African airplay performance, local-content analysis and chart-based industry reporting.

• Music chart and broadcast-monitoring service · 2013

  South African Airplay Chart

  EMA's principal public chart ranks songs according to measured broadcast airplay in South Africa. A weekly top 10 is available for general viewing, while the service also provides a larger top 100 for subscribers. The chart is used by media and music-industry participants to follow song exposure and comparative performance.

• Local-music chart · 2015

  EMA Local Chart

  Introduced online in 2015, the local chart presents a weekly top 10 centered on South African music. Its open access made it a public reference for domestic artists, labels, broadcasters and listeners interested in local airplay.

• Entertainment data service

  Broadcast Monitoring

  The organization monitors music exposure across a cited network of 48 radio stations and eight television stations. The resulting observations support recurring charts and analysis of national and local-content performance.

• 2015

  Launch of the public local-music chartProduct launch

  Background

  The main EMA chart provided a public top 10 and a subscription-based top 100, while debate about domestic music exposure created demand for clearer visibility into local performance.

  Action taken

  EMA introduced a local weekly top-10 chart online and made it viewable without registration.

  Aftermath

  The initiative gave South African artists, labels, broadcasters, journalists and listeners a dedicated public reference for local airplay.

  Source

1. 1Entertainment Monitoring Africaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Media Monitoring Africamediamonitoringafrica.org