Hoopla
Hoopla (Hoopla Digital) is a U.S. digital media service that partners with public libraries to provide free eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and music to library cardholders, generating revenue through subscription contracts with municipal and public library systems.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersHolland, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Hoopla does
Hoopla (operating as Hoopla Digital) is a U.S. digital media services company that partners with public library systems to provide patrons with free access to eBooks, audiobooks, movies, streaming video, and music. Founded in 2013 by Jeff Jankowski and headquartered in Holland, Ohio, the company operates a single, unified digital lending platform that library cardholders access at no direct cost, with content borrows tracked through library circulation systems. The platform aggregates licensed content across multiple formats within one integrated service and integrates with library infrastructure to enable seamless patron access.
The company's business model is B2B2C: Hoopla generates revenue by charging subscription fees to public library systems and municipal governments, which in turn provide free access to their patrons. Pricing is negotiated directly through multi-year contracts rather than publicly disclosed; for example, the Santa Ana City Council approved a $75,000 deal in February 2026 to expand digital lending services. Hoopla has built partnerships with over 10,000 U.S. public library systems, representing broad domestic distribution, though it operates exclusively in the United States and has no disclosed international footprint. The company is private with 251–500 employees, has raised one disclosed funding round from J-Ventures in 2019, and operates without major leadership changes or M&A activity on record. Emerging risks include contract churn at the municipal level (e.g., the Bayside Council termination effective July 2026) and the absence of documented AI/ML capabilities that could differentiate discovery and personalization features versus competitors.
Hoopla firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hoopla
- Website
- https://hoopladigital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Hoopla (Hoopla Digital) is a U.S. digital media service that partners with public libraries to provide free eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and music to library cardholders, generating revenue through subscription contracts with municipal and public library systems.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hoopla industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Library Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries) (EDAFACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)
Keywords
Where Hoopla is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Holland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Hoopla business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Library Subscription Services: Hoopla generates revenue by charging public libraries and municipal governments subscription fees for access to its digital content catalog. Libraries pay to provide free streaming and lending services to their patrons.
- Digital Content Licensing: The company licenses digital media content and earns revenue from library subscriptions that provide access to this licensed content
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Library subscription plans - terms not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Hoopla product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hoopla operates a digital content lending platform that public libraries subscribe to in order to provide their patrons with free access to eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV series, and music albums. End users authenticate with their library cards to borrow and stream content through a single integrated multi-format service, with libraries paying subscription fees to Hoopla for catalog access.
Product overview
Hoopla Digital operates as a single unified digital content platform designed for public libraries. It provides library patrons with free access to digital media including streaming video (movies and TV series), music albums, audiobooks, and e-books. Users access the platform using their library cards, with content borrows tracked through library circulation systems. The platform aggregates content across multiple formats within one integrated service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hoopla Digital A digital lending platform that provides public library members with free access to streaming movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, and e-books through their local library subscriptions. Patrons borrow and consume content using their library cards at no direct cost, while the underlying library pays Hoopla a subscription fee for catalog access.
Quantifiable outcome
- Expanded digital lending services for library patrons
Companies that use Hoopla
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hoopla technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Hoopla partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Santa Ana City CouncilminorSanta Ana City Council approved a $75,000 deal with Hoopla to expand digital lending services through its public library system. The partnership aims to provide access to movies, music, audiobooks, and e-books amid reduced federal and FCC funding for digital programs.
- U.S. Public Library SystemscoreHoopla has established partnerships with over 10,000 U.S. public library systems, providing digital content lending services to library patrons across the country. Libraries pay subscription fees to provide free content access to their members.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hoopla competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OverDrive: OverDrive is the dominant library digital lending platform in North America, offering e-books, audiobooks, and streaming video to public and school libraries through the Libby and Sora apps. It is Hoopla's largest and most direct competitor in library-embedded digital content distribution.
- Kanopy: Kanopy is a library-embedded streaming service offering films and documentaries free to library patrons through institutional subscriptions. It competes head-to-head with Hoopla for library streaming budgets and patron mindshare, and is frequently cited alongside Hoopla as a leading free streaming alternative.
- Libby: Libby is OverDrive's consumer-facing app for borrowing e-books, audiobooks, and magazines from public libraries. It is the most widely used library digital lending interface and the primary competitor to Hoopla's patron-facing experience.
- cloudLibrary: cloudLibrary (by Bibliotheca) is a digital lending platform that delivers e-books and audiobooks to public library patrons through library subscriptions. It is a direct competitor to Hoopla's e-book and audiobook formats in the library channel.
- Freegal: Freegal is a library music streaming and download service offered to public library patrons through subscription. It directly overlaps with Hoopla's music format for library patrons.
- Odilo: Odilo is a digital library platform serving public libraries, schools, and corporations internationally with e-books, audiobooks, video, and courses. It competes with Hoopla for multi-format library digital lending contracts, with stronger international exposure.
- BiblioBoard: BiblioBoard (by BiblioLabs) is a library digital content platform offering e-books, audiobooks, and streaming media to public library patrons through subscription. It directly competes with Hoopla for library digital lending budgets in the U.S.
Emerging players
- Sora: Sora is OverDrive's digital lending app for K–12 and post-secondary schools. It addresses an adjacent vertical (school digital lending) that Hoopla could plausibly extend into, and represents the dominant school-library incumbent.
Broad incumbents
- Rakuten OverDrive: Rakuten owns OverDrive and operates it alongside broader consumer content and commerce businesses. It is a broad incumbent parent whose OverDrive subsidiary is Hoopla's primary competitive threat.
Regional players
- Axis 360: Axis 360 (originally by Baker & Taylor) is a library digital lending platform offering e-books and audiobooks to public libraries. It is a direct competitor in the U.S. library digital lending market, though with narrower format coverage than Hoopla.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hoopla social profiles
Digital presenceHoopla financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hoopla leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hoopla funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hoopla 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 Hoopla
What does Hoopla do?
Hoopla operates a digital content lending platform that public libraries subscribe to in order to provide their patrons with free access to eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV series, and music albums. End users authenticate with their library cards to borrow and stream content through a single integrated multi-format service, with libraries paying subscription fees to Hoopla for catalog access.
Is Hoopla a public or private company?
Hoopla is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hoopla founded?
Hoopla was founded in 2013. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Hoopla based?
Hoopla is headquartered in Holland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hoopla make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Library Subscription Services are the primary driver. The others are digital Content Licensing.
Who are Hoopla's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OverDrive, Kanopy, Libby, cloudLibrary, Freegal, Odilo and BiblioBoard. Sora is listed as an emerging player. Rakuten OverDrive is listed as a broad incumbent. Axis 360 is listed as a regional player.
Does Hoopla have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hoopla.
What industry is Hoopla in?
Hoopla's product category is Digital Library Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFACAH, Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries), with a secondary code of EDAEAGAK, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations.