The Spinoff
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
The Spinoff firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Spinoff
- Legal name
- The Spinoff
- Website
- https://thespinoff.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Spinoff industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online News and Media
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)
Keywords
Where The Spinoff is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Spinoff business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsored Content: The Spinoff generates revenue through advertising and sponsored content partnerships. The website features sponsored partner content sections and branded content including documentary series.
- Membership and Subscriptions: The platform offers membership programs where readers can donate or subscribe to access premium content and support the publication.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Spinoff product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Spinoff is an independent New Zealand digital media platform that publishes original journalism, criticism, interviews, videos, and podcasts. It organizes content into topic-specific sections (Politics, Pop Culture, Books, Kai, Ātea, Science, Society, Sports, Media, Business) and monetizes via advertising, sponsored partner content, and reader memberships.
Product overview
The Spinoff is a New Zealand digital media platform offering a multi-format content portfolio spanning written articles, video series, podcasts, and curated newsletters. The core offering is independent journalism and cultural commentary organized into topic-specific sections (Politics, Pop Culture, Ātea, Books, Kai, Science, Society, Sports, Media, Business). The platform operates a membership/subscription model alongside advertising-supported free content, with additional revenue from sponsored partner content. Video content includes original documentary and comedy series produced with NZ On Air funding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Spinoff Video Content Digital video content featuring documentary series, comedy shows, news explainers, and cultural programming. Includes original series produced with NZ On Air support.
- The Spinoff Podcasts Audio podcast content covering media industry insights, comedy, and current affairs. Includes titles like 'At Large with Toby Manhire', 'Bryn & Ku's Singles Club', and industry-focused series.
- The Spinoff Newsletters Curated email newsletters including The Bulletin (morning NZ news wrap), The Daily (all daily content), The Weekend (best of Saturday), The Boil Up (kai stories), and Rec Room (culture/entertainment recommendations).
- The Spinoff Membership Paid membership program offering exclusive content, advertising-free reading experience, and support for independent journalism. Includes donate and sign-in options.
- Partner/Sponsored Content Sponsored editorial content and partner features presented in designated sections, with disclosures for sponsored content related to food, culture, and lifestyle topics. Offered to brands and advertisers seeking engagement with NZ audiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- Record 17.03 minutes per user engagement in Q2 2025
Companies that use The Spinoff
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Spinoff technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Spinoff partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PHD AotearoacorePHD Aotearoa partnered with The Spinoff to launch a five-part podcast series discussing the evolving media landscape, including generative AI's impact on search, market reshaping through strategic media deals, audience fragmentation, and media revenue fluctuations. The series aims to share insights with industry professionals and clients.
- Woolworths New ZealandcoreThe Spinoff partnered with Woolworths New Zealand to produce the documentary series 'A Little Better Every Day', sharing stories of Kiwi resilience and community support. The series focuses on food insecurity, community connection, and youth development, supported by Woolworths through grants and partnerships.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
The Spinoff competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Daily Beast: US-based independent digital media outlet built around news, opinion and pop-culture commentary. Closely comparable to The Spinoff in editorial mix (politics + pop culture + society), newsletter-and-video content model, and reliance on digital advertising and membership revenue.
- The Conversation AU/NZ: Independent, non-profit digital publication featuring expert-authored analysis on news, science and society. Comparable to The Spinoff in independent editorial positioning, opinion/analysis-led content mix, and predominantly direct/digital distribution to readers in Australia and New Zealand.
- Metro (NZ): New Zealand feature magazine covering society, culture and lifestyle. Highly comparable in editorial tone and topic mix to The Spinoff's Books, Society and Pop Culture sections, and serves as a direct talent feeder (e.g., former Metro editor Henry Oliver joined The Spinoff).
- Newsroom: Independent New Zealand digital news publication focused on long-form journalism, opinion, and analysis. Highly comparable to The Spinoff in audience (NZ general readers), editorial positioning (opinion and analysis-led), and digital-only distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- Newshub: New Zealand broadcast and digital news operation (Discovery-owned). Overlaps with The Spinoff on NZ politics and current affairs coverage and competes for the same New Zealand digital ad and audience share, though delivered via broadcast infrastructure as well as online.
- Vice Media: Global digital media company covering culture, politics, and lifestyle through written, video and documentary formats. Comparable in tone and content breadth to The Spinoff, but operates at significantly larger scale and across multiple geographies.
- NZ Herald (NZME): New Zealand's leading newspaper and major digital news destination operated by NZME. Overlaps with The Spinoff on news, opinion, lifestyle and business coverage and competes directly for NZ advertisers and digital subscribers.
- Stuff: New Zealand's largest digital news publisher, operating Stuff.co.nz across news, lifestyle, sport, and business. Competes with The Spinoff for NZ reader attention and advertising spend but operates at much larger scale and across more verticals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Spinoff social profiles
Digital presenceThe Spinoff financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Spinoff leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Spinoff funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Spinoff M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Spinoff
What does The Spinoff do?
The Spinoff is an independent New Zealand digital media platform that publishes original journalism, criticism, interviews, videos, and podcasts. It organizes content into topic-specific sections (Politics, Pop Culture, Books, Kai, Ātea, Science, Society, Sports, Media, Business) and monetizes via advertising, sponsored partner content, and reader memberships.
Is The Spinoff a public or private company?
The Spinoff is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Spinoff founded?
The Spinoff was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Spinoff based?
The Spinoff is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does The Spinoff make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Sponsored Content is the primary driver. The others are membership and Subscriptions.
Who are The Spinoff's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Daily Beast, The Conversation AU/NZ, Metro (NZ) and Newsroom. Broad incumbents are Newshub, Vice Media, NZ Herald (NZME) and Stuff.
Does The Spinoff have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Spinoff.
What industry is The Spinoff in?
The Spinoff's product category is Online News and Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 7812.