What Daily Maverick does

Daily Maverick is a South African digital-first news publication founded in 2009 and headquartered in Johannesburg. Operating under the tagline "Defend Truth," it publishes independent journalism, analysis, opinion, and multimedia content across vertical sections covering politics, business (Business Maverick), social justice (Maverick Citizen), environment (Maverick Earth), lifestyle (Maverick Life), and sport, supplemented by an investigative journalism unit branded Scorpio and a specialized health-journalism unit, Bhekisisa. The platform is built on a proprietary content management system and distributed via the dailymaverick.co.za website, seven podcast shows on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Pocket Casts, email newsletters, webinars hosted on events.dailymaverick.co.za, social media, and a dedicated e-commerce storefront (DM Shop).

The business model is reader-funded and diversified. The primary revenue stream is the Maverick Insider membership program, which had reached 32,000+ paying members contributing monthly or annual subscriptions at publicly undisclosed price points. Secondary streams include sponsored content with brands such as Glacier by Sanlam, Yoco, and Nedbank; sales of the DM168 weekly e-newspaper and merchandise via DM Shop; and paid webinars. Partnerships with amaBhungane (joint investigative reporting), News24 (collaborative Scorpio investigations), and Groundup (content syndication via Maverick Citizen) extend editorial reach without diluting brand control. The company has 11-50 employees, is privately held with no disclosed parent company, and recorded two minor funding events: an ~$842,730 round in September 2016 and a 2018 event involving the Media Development Investment Fund.

Name

Daily Maverick

Legal name

Daily Maverick

Website

https://dailymaverick.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South African digital-first news publication providing independent investigative journalism and analysis across politics, business, social justice, and environment verticals, supported by 32,000+ paying Maverick Insider members, a weekly e-newspaper, and a seven-show podcast network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News & Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Independent journalism
• Investigative reporting
• Digital news
• Subscription media
• Business news

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

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. Maverick Insider Subscriptions: Monthly and annual membership subscriptions from readers supporting independent journalism. The site references '32,000 Maverick Insiders' who contribute monthly or annually.
2. Sponsored Content: Sponsored content sections including branded articles and partnerships with companies like Glacier by Sanlam, Yoco, Nedbank, and others
3. Shop/Merchandise: DM Shop selling newspaper editions, merchandise, and delivery services

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Daily Maverick is a South African digital-first news publication that produces and distributes independent investigative journalism, news reporting, analysis, opinion, podcasts, and webinars across verticals including politics, business, social justice, environment, international news, and sport. It monetizes primarily through reader-funded Maverick Insider subscriptions, sponsored content, and e-newspaper (DM168) sales, and operates multiple topic-specific sub-brands (Scorpio, Business Maverick, Maverick Citizen, Maverick Earth, Maverick Life).

Product overview

Daily Maverick is a South African digital-first investigative journalism publication operating under the tagline 'Defend Truth.' Its product portfolio consists of a unified core digital platform (dailymaverick.co.za) supplemented by multiple topic-specific sub-brands and vertical sections: Scorpio (investigations), Business Maverick (finance/business), Maverick Citizen (social justice, including the Bhekisisa health unit), Maverick Earth (environment/climate), and Maverick Life (lifestyle/books/food). The company also produces a weekly e-newspaper under the DM168 brand, operates seven distinct podcast shows distributed via major podcast platforms, hosts webinars, and maintains a membership programme (Maverick Insider). Geographically focused local editions cover Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay. The publication generates revenue through Maverick Insider subscriptions, DM168 e-newspaper sales, and sponsored content, while maintaining integrations with Binance/CoinMarketCap for cryptocurrency price widgets, major podcast distribution platforms, and Google Sign-in for authentication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scorpio: Investigations unit of Daily Maverick focused on in-depth investigative journalism
• Business Maverick
• Maverick Citizen
• Maverick Earth
• Maverick Life
• Maverick Insider

Products and services

• Daily Maverick (Main Platform)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• amaBhunganecoreStrategic or Co-development PartneramaBhungane is a South African investigative journalism non-profit that collaborates with Daily Maverick's Scorpio unit on major investigations. Joint investigations include coverage of Eskom, state capture, and corruption matters. The partnership combines amaBhungane's non-profit investigative capacity with Daily Maverick's distribution platform.
• News24minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNews24 collaborates with Daily Maverick's Scorpio unit on specific investigative projects, particularly around Thembi Simelane investigations and VBS-related matters. Joint bylines appear on significant accountability journalism.
• GroundupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGroundup is a community journalism outlet whose content appears syndicated/distributed through Daily Maverick's Maverick Citizen section, expanding reach for community-focused stories.
• Bhekisisa (Health Journalism Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBhekisisa is a specialized health journalism unit operating within Daily Maverick, focusing on HIV/AIDS, TB, and health policy. It represents an internal but branded health journalism center with its own identity and donor funding.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reuters: Global wire service and digital news publisher. Overlaps with Daily Maverick on international news coverage, business reporting, and supply of news content to other outlets, and competes for high-end subscriber and advertising dollars.
• The Guardian: Major international digital-first news publisher with a reader-funded model and strong investigative brand. Comparable in its subscription-/membership-driven approach, opinion-driven verticals, and podcast network, serving as a global reference point for Daily Maverick's model.
• BBC News: Global public-service newsroom with a large South African and African bureau. Competes for international English-speaking readers in South Africa and sets the benchmark for digital newsroom structure, multimedia production, and subscription/paywall models.

Emerging players

• Substack: Newsletter-based publishing platform that has become a leading destination for independent and subscription-funded journalism. Comparable in its subscription-first, writer-led publishing model and represents a structural alternative for independent journalists targeting the same paying-reader segment.
• GroundUp: South African community-journalism non-profit whose content is syndicated through Daily Maverick's Maverick Citizen section. Comparable in editorial focus on social justice and human rights, and competes for the same reader and donor pool.
• amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism: South African investigative-journalism non-profit that is both a Daily Maverick partner (joint Scorpio investigations) and a partial competitor for grant funding, donor support, and recognition in the accountability-journalism space.

Direct peers

• News24: South Africa's largest digital news publisher, part of Media24/Naspers. Directly competes with Daily Maverick for South African news readership, advertising budgets, and subscription sign-ups across politics, business, and current affairs coverage.
• The South African: Large South African digital news and lifestyle publisher with broad news, entertainment, and viral content. Competes with Daily Maverick for South African online readership and digital advertising spend, though with a more mass-market editorial stance.
• Mail & Guardian: Long-standing South African independent weekly newspaper and digital publisher with a similar investigative-journalism orientation. Comparable in subscription model, editorial focus on accountability reporting, and target reader profile to Daily Maverick.
• Daily Dispatch (and other Arena Holdings titles): South African regional and national news brands under Arena Holdings. Compete with Daily Maverick's local-edition strategy in metros like Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay, and for national digital subscribers and advertisers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dailymaverick
• Facebookfacebook.com/dailymaverick
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/532520

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Daily Maverick