The Sunday Times

What The Sunday Times does

The Sunday Times is a national Sunday newspaper founded in 1822 and published in the United Kingdom by News Corp, the global media conglomerate that owns it as a subsidiary. Headquartered in London with 251-500 employees, the publication provides investigative journalism, political and business reporting, lifestyle coverage, and editorial opinion across politics, business, technology, and culture. Distribution spans UK newsstands, retail outlets, and subscriptions for the print Sunday edition, alongside digital access through The Times and Sunday Times online platforms and apps.

The publication has built a portfolio of recurring annual franchises that function as high-profile media events and reference points in UK public discourse. These include the Sunday Times Rich List (ranking Britain's wealthiest individuals and families), the Best Places To Live guide (ranking 72 UK locations on quality-of-life criteria), the 100 Tech list (ranking the UK's fastest-growing private technology companies), the Scotland Fast 50 (Scottish growth companies), the Alternative Rich List supplement (health, wealth, and wellness businesses), and the Sikuvile Journalist of the Year awards in South Africa, where the title also operates through Arena Holdings.

Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed at the unit level but draw on three principal streams: print and digital subscriptions to The Sunday Times (bundled with The Times in digital), advertising and branded-content partnerships with financial-services sponsors (HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Standard Bank) attached to annual editorial franchises, and ancillary commercial activities. Customer segments span the UK general public (primary readers), high net worth individuals and families (Rich List audience), UK growth-stage technology companies (100 Tech), and UK employers and businesses (Best Places to Work, Scotland Fast 50, 100 Tech).

Name

The Sunday Times

Legal name

The Sunday Times

Website

https://thesundaytimes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1822

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Sunday Times is a UK national Sunday newspaper founded in 1822, published by News Corp, offering investigative journalism and recurring editorial franchises such as the Rich List, Best Places to Live, and 100 Tech to general UK readers, high net worth individuals, and growth-stage UK businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (51312)

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 industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

Keywords

• National newspaper publishing
• Investigative journalism
• Weekly print media
• News subscriptions
• Annual business rankings

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Sunday Times publishes a national Sunday newspaper providing investigative journalism, news coverage, and opinion pieces across politics, business, technology, and culture. The publication also operates annual signature lists and guides including the Rich List, Best Places to Live, 100 Tech, and Scotland Fast 50 rankings, alongside special supplements such as the Alternative Rich List.

Product overview

The Sunday Times is a national Sunday newspaper offering investigative journalism and news coverage. The publication operates several notable sub-brands and products including the annual Rich List (ranking Britain's wealthiest individuals), the Best Places To Live Guide (evaluating UK locations), the 100 Tech list (ranking fastest-growing tech companies), the Scotland Fast 50 (Scottish companies), and the Alternative Rich List supplement. The Sunday Times also manages journalism awards including the Sikuvile Journalist of the Year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Sunday Times Rich List: Annual ranking of the UK's wealthiest individuals and families
• The Sunday Times Best Places to Live
• The Sunday Times Best Places to Work
• The Sunday Times Scotland Fast 50
• The Sunday Times 100 Tech

Products and services

• The Sunday Times (Sunday Newspaper) A weekly national Sunday newspaper providing investigative journalism, news coverage, and opinion pieces spanning politics, business, technology, and culture, targeted at UK general readers.
• The Sunday Times Rich List Annual ranking of Britain's wealthiest individuals and families, published with detailed wealth assessments, profiles, and analysis.
• Best Places to Live Guide Annual guide evaluating and ranking the best places to live in the UK, assessing factors including schools, transport links, broadband speeds, green spaces, and high street vitality.
• 100 Tech Annual ranking of the UK's 100 fastest-growing private technology companies, featuring growth metrics and company profiles.
• The Sunday Times Scotland Fast 50 Annual list recognising Scotland's fastest-growing private companies based on sales growth and employee count.
• Alternative Rich List Supplement featuring UK businesses recognized for contributions to health, wealth, and wellness, developed in partnership with HSBC.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Lloyds Banking GroupminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Lloyds Banking Group sponsored The Sunday Times 2026 Best Places To Live guide, which assessed 72 locations across the UK. The guide evaluated factors including schools, transport links, broadband speeds, green spaces, and high street vitality.
• Standard BankminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Standard Bank sponsors the annual Sikuvile Journalist of the Year awards, where Sunday Times photographer Sandile Ndlovu won the 2026 top prize. This is the second photographer to win the top prize in the event's 16-year history.
• HSBCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 May 2025HSBC partnered with The Sunday Times to create the Alternative Rich List supplement, published on May 25, 2025, featuring 18 UK businesses recognized for contributions to health, wealth, and wellness. The supplement was developed with HSBC's media agency PHD x OMG and supports HSBC UK's Premier account proposition, highlighting mental health support and wellness benefits.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Times: The Times is The Sunday Times's sister daily title, both published by News Corp UK. They share the same subscriber base, distribution infrastructure, and digital platform, making them the closest comparable operating model.
• The Daily Telegraph: The Daily Telegraph is a UK national broadsheet competing for the same quality journalism, business, and politics readership as The Sunday Times, with overlapping subscription and premium advertiser pools.
• Mail on Sunday: Mail on Sunday is the direct Sunday print competitor in the UK mass-market segment, sharing the same distribution footprint and competing head-to-head on newsstands every Sunday.
• The Observer: The Observer is the UK's other major Sunday print newspaper, publishing the day before The Sunday Times and competing for the same Sunday readership of politics, business, and culture coverage.
• Financial Times: Financial Times competes directly with The Sunday Times for the same affluent, business-engaged UK readership and overlapping sponsorship inventory tied to Rich List-style wealth and corporate coverage.
• The Guardian: The Guardian is a UK national news outlet that competes with The Sunday Times for premium digital subscribers and brand-aligned advertisers seeking quality journalism audiences.

Broad incumbents

• The Sun: The Sun is a News Corp UK tabloid title and sister paper under the same corporate parent, sharing operational infrastructure and offering comparable mass-market national news distribution in the UK.
• Reach plc: Reach plc publishes the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and other UK national and regional titles, making it a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping print advertising and Sunday newspaper distribution.
• Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT): DMGT owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, the mass-market UK newspaper titles that directly overlap with The Sunday Times in newsstand, subscription, and advertising markets.
• News Corp: News Corp is the corporate parent of The Sunday Times and operates a global portfolio of news brands (Wall Street Journal, Times, Sun, Herald Sun) that share corporate strategy, capital allocation, and digital platform investment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesundaytimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/timesandsundaytimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sunday-times

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Sunday Times