The New York Times

What The New York Times does

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), founded in 1851 and headquartered at 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, operates a multi-product digital subscription platform anchored by its flagship news journalism and complemented by NYT Games, NYT Cooking, Wirecutter, and The Athletic. The technology stack comprises owned-and-operated web and mobile properties (nytimes.com, cooking.nytimes.com, wirecutter.com, theathletic.com) with dedicated apps, a proprietary games portfolio including Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, the Crossword family, and Strands, plus AI-driven personalization and recommendation systems used across news and cooking surfaces. Revenue is generated primarily through digital and print subscriptions (12.5M digital-only subscribers out of 13M+ total), third-party advertising across digital properties, and ancillary streams including games licensing (e.g., Wordle TV show with NBC), merchandise, and commerce integrations (Instacart). Customer segments span general news consumers, puzzle/game enthusiasts, sports fans, and group-license enterprise buyers (schools, universities, libraries, corporations). The Ochs-Sulzberger family retains voting control through a dual-class share structure while Berkshire Hathaway has emerged as the largest institutional shareholder at ~9.4%.

Name

The New York Times

Legal name

The New York Times Company

Website

https://nytimes.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) is a 175-year-old digital-first subscription media business serving 12.5M+ digital-only subscribers with news, games (Wordle, Crossword, Connections), cooking, product reviews (Wirecutter), and sports (The Athletic) bundled behind paywalled web and mobile platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News and Media Subscriptions

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA), Gaming & Interactive Entertainment (Digital Goods, Subscriptions) (CRAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Digital news subscriptions
• Daily journalism
• Word puzzle games
• Product review service
• Sports journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Primary revenue driver with 12.5 million digital-only subscribers out of more than 13 million total subscriptions. Revenue from digital-only subscriptions reached $389.04 million in Q1 2026. The company offers All Access, Games-only, Cooking, and Wirecutter subscription products.
2. Print/Home Delivery: Traditional print newspaper delivery service. The company continues to serve print subscribers alongside its digital transformation.
3. Advertising: Third-party advertising across digital properties, including display ads, targeted advertising, and sponsored content. The company uses Google for ad services and works with various advertising technology providers.
4. Games and Licensing: Revenue from games subscriptions, merchandise (apparel, accessories, puzzles, books), and licensing of Wordle brand for TV show production with NBC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The New York Times is a digital-first subscription media company that produces and distributes original journalism, lifestyle content, and entertainment. Its core news subscription provides breaking news, in-depth reporting, opinion, audio, and video across politics, business, world news, and lifestyle. The subscription bundles in-house lifestyle products: NYT Games (Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Crossword, Strands, and more), NYT Cooking (recipes with Instacart grocery ordering), Wirecutter (product reviews), and The Athletic (sports journalism). Digital subscriptions are sold on a recurring basis and complemented by print home delivery, advertising, and licensing.

Product overview

The New York Times operates a multi-product digital subscription platform with a core news product and complementary lifestyle and entertainment offerings. The flagship NYT Games suite includes Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, The Crossword (daily, mini, midi), and Strands, all accessible via subscription. NYT Cooking provides recipes with Instacart grocery integration. Wirecutter offers product reviews, while The Athletic (acquired 2022 for $550M) delivers sports journalism including a Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. The portfolio includes over 13 million total subscriptions with 12.5 million digital-only subscribers. Games are available via the NYT Games app, individual subscriptions, or All Access bundles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Athletic: Sports journalism subscription service acquired by NYT in 2022 for $550 million, providing in-depth personalized sports coverage
• NYT Games
• NYT Cooking
• Wirecutter
• The New York Times Games

Products and services

• The New York Times Core News Subscription Flagship digital news subscription providing breaking news, US and world news, politics, business, arts, lifestyle, opinion, video, and audio content to individual readers seeking authoritative journalism.
• NYT Games Subscription-based portfolio of daily word and logic puzzles including Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, The Crossword, Mini Crossword, Midi Crossword, Strands, Tiles, Letter Boxed, Sudoku, and Pips, accessible via web and mobile apps for puzzle enthusiasts.
• NYT Cooking Recipe and cooking platform providing daily recipes, cooking advice, and inspiration, with grocery ordering integrated via Instacart for individual cooking enthusiasts and home chefs.
• Wirecutter Product review and recommendation service providing real-world testing and recommendations to help consumers choose products confidently, monetized through affiliate relationships and bundled in the All Access subscription.
• The Athletic Sports journalism platform offering in-depth, personalized sports coverage including team reporting, athlete profiles, game analysis, and a Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for sports enthusiasts.
• NYT Audio and Podcasts Audio content offering including podcasts and narrated articles available through the digital subscription for on-the-go listeners.
• Print Newspaper Home Delivery Traditional print newspaper delivered to subscribers' homes in the United States, with multi-copy options available for organizations, serving readers who prefer the physical newspaper.
• NYT Games Puzzle Books Physical puzzle books featuring NYT Games content including Mini Crosswords, Classic Crosswords, Sunday Crosswords, and special editions, sold via the NYT Store to puzzle enthusiasts.
• Group and Site License Subscriptions Annual volume-licensed subscriptions to The New York Times digital content for schools, universities, libraries, and corporations, providing centralized site-wide access for members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12.5 million digital-only subscribers with 19.7% year-over-year growth
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and flagship.

• Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media (ARIAM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026NYT joined the Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media (ARIAM), a new AI-focused content coalition dedicated to responsible and sustainable AI innovation and human creativity. Initial members include Disney, Adobe, Condé Nast, Financial Times, ITV, BBC, and other major publishers. The coalition advocates for legal and policy guardrails around AI usage.
• NBC / Universal Television Alternative Studio / Electric Hot DogflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026The New York Times partnered with NBC and Jimmy Fallon's Electric Hot Dog production company to develop Wordle into a primetime TV game show hosted by Savannah Guthrie. The deal took roughly two and a half years to develop, with the Times insisting on co-producing rather than simply licensing the brand. Production planned for Manchester, England, for 2027 premiere.
• Josh Wardle (Wordle Developer)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 31 January 2022The New York Times acquired Wordle from developer Josh Wardle for a low-seven-figure sum. The game joined The New York Times Games portfolio and will remain free and unchanged in gameplay. Wordle has been popular since October 2021, and the acquisition aims to expand the Times' daily puzzle offerings and digital subscription services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Wall Street Journal (News Corp): News Corp's WSJ is NYT's closest direct competitor in paid digital news subscriptions for general-interest, business, and politics coverage, operating the same subscription-paywall model with bundled add-on products.
• The Washington Post: The Washington Post competes directly with NYT in national/international news, politics, and investigative journalism for paying digital subscribers, including via its own bundled lifestyle products.
• Financial Times: Financial Times is a global subscription news competitor with a similar digital-paywall model targeting business and politics readers; also a fellow ARIAM coalition member with NYT on AI policy.
• The Guardian: The Guardian competes with NYT in digital English-language general news and uses a hybrid freemium/subscription model for reader revenue, overlapping strongly on international and U.S. political coverage.
• Gannett (USA TODAY Network): Gannett is the largest U.S. newspaper chain (USA TODAY and 200+ local papers), comparable as a multi-outlet news publisher pursuing digital subscription and advertising, though with a heavier local/print skew.

Emerging players

• Substack: Substack is an emerging subscription-news platform that competes for subscriber dollars and independent journalist talent, posing a long-tail disruption threat to traditional news bundles like NYT's All Access.
• Vox Media: Vox Media operates digital-first news and lifestyle brands (Vox, The Verge, SB Nation) competing for advertising and subscription share in the same digital media categories as NYT.

Broad incumbents

• Disney: Disney is a broad incumbent in subscription content (Disney+, ESPN+) and fellow ARIAM coalition partner; comparable as a large diversified subscription-content operator investing in direct-to-consumer streaming bundles.
• Netflix: Netflix is a comparable large-scale digital subscription business demonstrating the unit economics and engagement benchmarks relevant for assessing NYT's subscription flywheel and valuation multiple.
• BBC: BBC is a global public-service news competitor and ARIAM coalition partner with NYT, comparable in news journalism reach, podcasting, and digital distribution across international markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nytimes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nytimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/nytimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-new-york-times
• Instagraminstagram.com/nytimes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A15 records

Investments38 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The New York Times