The Times

What The Times does

The Times, operating through Times Media Limited, is a daily British national newspaper founded in 1785 by John Walter and headquartered at 1 London Bridge Street, London. It publishes alongside The Sunday Times under the umbrella brand "The Times and The Sunday Times," owned by News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS) since 1981. The business runs a platform-plus-modules subscription model centered on digital access to journalism, with a stated promotional price of $1 per month for 12 months and a self-serve consumer acquisition flow via thetimes.com, mobile apps, e-Paper, and a Times+ membership tier. The product surface extends well beyond the daily newspaper: Times Radio and podcasts, Times Puzzles (including the Times Crossword Club), multiple weekly magazines (Times Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, Culture Magazine, Style Magazine, LUXX), Times Travel, The Sunday Times Wine Club, Times Bookshop, Times Appointments, the Best Schools Guide, Good University Guide, The Sunday Times Rich List, The Sunday Times 100 (Fast Growth), and the historical Times Archive. Revenue is generated from two principal streams: recurring digital subscriptions and advertising, the latter increasingly executed through AI-driven programmatic channels. Distribution combines owned digital properties with strategic embedded channels, most notably a British Airways partnership providing complimentary access on Starlink-equipped aircraft (June 2026) and a Reddit Max campaigns beta participation (January 2026) that delivered a twofold conversion uplift and 26% CTR improvement.

Name

The Times

Legal name

Times Media Limited

Website

https://thetimes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1785

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Times is a UK-founded (1785) daily newspaper operating as a Times Media Limited subsidiary of News Corp, delivering digital news, magazines, radio, podcasts, puzzles, and subscription add-ons (Times+, Travel, Wine Club) to individual readers globally, monetized through recurring digital subscriptions and AI-optimized advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• National newspaper
• Digital news subscription
• Investigative journalism
• News magazine
• Media subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times content via website, e-paper apps, and Times+ membership. Customers pay recurring fees for access to journalism, puzzles, and exclusive content.
2. Advertising: Display and programmatic advertising revenue from thetimes.com website, leveraging AI-driven Max campaigns for improved campaign performance and targeting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Times publishes a daily national newspaper and the companion Sunday edition, delivered through digital subscriptions, an e-paper app, and a broad portfolio of sub-brand products including Times Radio, podcasts, multiple magazines (Times Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Culture, Style, LUXX), a premium crossword club, Times+ membership, the historical Times Archive, and ancillary commerce services such as the Sunday Times Wine Club, Times Bookshop, and Times Travel Services. The core proposition is credible, comprehensive UK and international news, political analysis, business and economic coverage, sport, culture, and lifestyle journalism sold primarily on a recurring subscription basis to individual readers.

Product overview

The Times is a British national newspaper offering a multi-platform news and media portfolio centered around its flagship digital newspaper products The Times and The Sunday Times. The publication operates a platform-plus-modules architecture, with core subscription products supplemented by specialized vertical offerings including Times Radio, podcasts, puzzle subscriptions (Times Crossword Club), magazine sub-brands (The Times Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, Culture Magazine, Style Magazine, LUXX Magazine), and membership programs (Times+). Additional services include travel booking, wine club, bookshop, recruitment advertising, university and school guides, events, and a historical archive. Content spans UK and world news, politics, business, economics, sport, culture, lifestyle, and luxury.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Sunday Times Magazine: Weekly magazine supplement to The Sunday Times
• The Times Magazine
• Times Radio
• Times+
• Times Archive
• Times Crossword Club
• LUXX

Products and services

• The Times Digital Newspaper The flagship daily digital newspaper providing breaking news, political coverage, business, sport, culture, and lifestyle content delivered through subscription-based access on thetimes.com and mobile apps for individual readers.
• The Sunday Times Digital Newspaper The Sunday edition companion publication offering in-depth news analysis, investigative journalism, and lifestyle features for digital subscribers.
• Times e-Paper Digital replica of the print edition available as a separate subscription for readers who want the traditional newspaper reading experience on digital devices.
• Times Radio Digital radio service delivering news, current affairs, and talk content alongside broadcast programming for listeners.
• The Times Podcasts Collection of audio podcast programs covering news, politics, business, and culture topics for on-demand listening.
• Times+ Membership Premium membership program offering exclusive benefits, events, and subscriber-only content for Times subscribers.
• Times Crossword Club Premium crossword puzzle subscription service with access to archived puzzles and exclusive crossword content.
• Times Magazine Weekly lifestyle magazine featuring long-form journalism, interviews, fashion, and cultural commentary for general readers.
• The Sunday Times Magazine Weekly Sunday magazine edition with investigative features, interviews, and lifestyle content for Sunday Times readers.
• Culture Magazine Dedicated culture and arts magazine covering film, music, theatre, books, and art for culturally engaged readers.
• Style Magazine Fashion and style publication covering trends, designers, and luxury fashion for style-conscious subscribers.
• LUXX Magazine Luxury lifestyle magazine focusing on high-end travel, fashion, and premium experiences for luxury consumers.
• The Sunday Times Wine Club Curated wine purchasing service with exclusive deals and wine recommendations for Times subscribers and wine enthusiasts.
• Times Bookshop Online book retail service featuring Times-reviewed and recommended titles for book-buying readers.
• Times Travel Services Holiday booking and travel advisory services including destinations, hotels, cruises, and travel inspiration for travellers.
• Times Appointments Recruitment advertising and job listing platform connecting employers with Times readership for hiring purposes.
• The Times Archive Historical newspaper archive allowing access to past editions and articles for researchers, historians, and general readers.
• Times Events Exclusive subscriber events including talks, conferences, and networking opportunities for Times+ members and subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Twofold conversion rate improvement through Reddit Max campaigns
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• British AirwayscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026The Times and The Sunday Times expanded partnership with British Airways to provide complimentary digital access to passengers on aircraft equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi. British Airways is the first UK airline to deploy Starlink technology, offering free high-speed connectivity across its short-haul and long-haul network. The collaboration enables Times Media to reach business and leisure travelers while enhancing British Airways' inflight customer experience with premium journalism content.
• RedditcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 January 2026The Times participated in Reddit's Max campaigns beta launch, achieving significant performance improvements including twofold increase in conversion rate and 26% increase in click-through rate. Max campaigns are fully automated AI-driven advertising tools that optimize creative assets and targeting in real-time to improve campaign efficiency with minimal manual effort.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Telegraph: UK national daily newspaper with a similar paid digital subscription model, premium positioning, and broad news + politics + business coverage. The Times' most direct UK paid-news competitor.
• The Guardian: Major UK national newspaper with digital-first operations, broad politics/business/culture coverage, and a large subscriber base. Closely comparable in audience and topic mix, differing mainly in reader-revenue model.
• Daily Mail (MailOnline): UK national tabloid with global digital reach and a rapidly growing Mail+ subscription product. Direct competitor for mass-market UK news subscriptions and digital advertising inventory.
• Financial Times: Premium paid-subscription news brand serving business professionals. Overlaps with The Times' business coverage and competes for the same affluent subscriber base in UK and global markets.
• The Independent: UK digital-native national newspaper covering politics, business, and lifestyle. Competes for the same subscription and advertising pool as The Times, especially in the UK generalist news segment.

Broad incumbents

• The Wall Street Journal: Sibling News Corp title with paid digital subscription model and similar journalist-investigation depth. Comparable in business model, prestige positioning, and the broad incumbent category of paid national newspapers.
• BBC News: UK's dominant general-interest news provider with free access funded by the licence fee. Sets the competitive floor on UK news distribution and is the principal alternative to Times subscription for general readers.
• Reuters: Global news wire and digital publisher covering world affairs, business, and markets. Comparable in news publishing operations and overlapping with The Times in business/politics reporting verticals.

Emerging players

• Bloomberg: Subscription-driven business and financial news brand with expanding general-interest coverage. Increasingly competes with The Times for paying professional readers in business and economics.
• Substack: Subscription newsletter platform increasingly used by independent journalists for direct paid-news distribution. Represents a structural disruptor to legacy publisher subscription economics for niche politics and business verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/thetimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/timesandsundaytimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-times
• Instagraminstagram.com/thetimes
• TikToktiktok.com/@thetimes
• Xx.com/timesonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Times