The Week

What The Week does

The Week is a news aggregation and commentary publication that curates content from 200+ global and local sources into a single weekly read. Originated in the UK in 1995 and expanded to the US in 2001, it now operates under Future US, Inc., a subsidiary of UK-listed Future plc, an international media group. The brand is delivered across multiple surfaces: a 35-page weekly print magazine, a daily-updated website (theweek.com), weekly digital editions on iOS and Android with offline reading, and a free daily email newsletter ("Today's Best Articles") with 350,000+ subscribers. The core product is the magazine itself, treating curation and editorial compression as the primary value-add over the raw news cycle.

The Week's platform architecture is best characterized as a content publishing stack spanning editorial CMS, web content delivery, mobile app distribution, email automation, and a podcast feed. Sub-brands (The Week Junior for younger readers, The Week Unwrapped podcast, The Blend journal, The Explainer long-form section, The Week Recommends affiliate hub) operate as part of the same brand family. The Week does not expose any APIs, SDKs, or MCP integrations, and there is no documented proprietary AI/ML layer; aggregation and editorial selection appear human-driven.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring subscriptions (digital-only starting at less than $2.50/week, print starting at less than $3/week, with print+digital bundles and student discounts), display and sponsored advertising on web and print, and affiliate referral commissions embedded in editorial product reviews. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and self-serve via theweek.com and the mobile app stores, with print fulfillment via USPS. Target customers are adult general-news consumers seeking concise, balanced, multi-perspective coverage in lieu of ideologically slanted daily news reading; the customer base is a long-tail of individual subscribers rather than enterprise accounts, with no named logo customers disclosed.

Name

The Week

Legal name

Future US, Inc.

Website

https://theweek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Week is a multi-platform news aggregation publication operating under Future plc that curates coverage from 200+ global sources into a weekly print magazine, daily website, mobile apps, newsletter, and podcast for adult readers seeking balanced current-affairs coverage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News & Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ), National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

Keywords

• Weekly news magazine
• News aggregation service
• Current affairs digest
• Digital news subscription
• Balanced news commentary

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The Week generates primary revenue through magazine subscriptions, both digital and print formats. Subscriptions feature automatic renewal and are available as individual or bundle packages combining print and digital access.
2. Advertising: The Week monetizes its digital and print content through display advertising and sponsored content placements. The company transparently distinguishes advertising from editorial content.
3. Affiliate Revenue: The Week earns commissions through affiliate links embedded in editorial content, particularly in product reviews and recommendations, where readers purchase products through partner retailer links.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Week publishes a weekly print and digital news magazine that curates and aggregates news, opinion, and commentary from over 200 global sources into a 35-page concise, balanced read covering world news, politics, business, culture, science, health, and lifestyle. It distributes this content through theweek.com website, iOS and Android mobile apps with offline reading, daily and topic-specific email newsletters, and a weekly podcast, all gated behind subscription paywalls with advertising-supported free content surfaces.

Product overview

The Week is a multi-platform news publication offering curated news aggregation and commentary through a unified magazine and digital ecosystem. The core product is The Week Magazine (print and digital editions), complemented by TheWeek.com website for daily breaking news, and The Week Newsletters for email delivery. Additional offerings include The Week Unwrapped podcast, The Week Junior (younger readers), and content features like The Explainer and The Week Recommends. All digital products are accessible via iOS and Android apps with offline reading capability, while subscription management is available through an online account portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Week Junior: A publication for younger readers
• The Week Recommends
• The Explainer
• The Blend
• The Week Unwrapped

Products and services

• The Week Magazine A weekly print and digital magazine of approximately 35 editorial pages that curates news, business, arts, leisure, cartoons, and puzzles from 200+ global sources into a balanced, concise read for adult news consumers. Available via subscription in print-only, digital-only, or print+digital bundle formats.
• The Week Digital Editions (Mobile Apps) Digital magazine editions distributed as mobile apps for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android devices, providing offline reading, account-based login, and early access to each weekly edition every Thursday. Sold via app stores as digital subscriptions to subscribers.
• The Week Newsletters Free and topic-specific email newsletters delivering curated articles, morning and evening news summaries, key commentary, daily puzzles, and topic briefings (e.g., politics, business) directly to subscriber inboxes. The flagship 'Today's Best Articles' newsletter has 350,000+ subscribers and is offered free.
• The Week Unwrapped Podcast A weekly podcast featuring discussions, analysis, and special features on news stories and current topics. Distributed free via major podcast platforms and complements The Week's print and digital news offerings.
• The Week Junior A separate publication and sub-brand targeting younger readers (children), offering age-appropriate news, educational content, and current affairs coverage in a child-friendly format. Operated as a distinct publication with its own website (theweekjunior.com).

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Future US Inc (Parent Company)coreOthersThe Week is owned by Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The Week UK edition operates separately under The Week UK team.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Atlantic: Multi-format magazine and digital publication covering politics, business, culture, and ideas with a strong subscription business. Overlaps with The Week in target reader (educated, curious adults) and in the magazine + newsletter + digital ecosystem model.
• The Economist: A long-running weekly print and digital news and current-affairs magazine with a similar 'global, multi-perspective' positioning. Targets the same time-poor, intellectually curious professional reader with a comparable subscription-based model and a broader news-and-analysis scope.
• Time: Iconic weekly news magazine with both print and digital editions covering politics, business, culture, and current affairs. Operates a subscription + advertising hybrid model and targets a general-interest adult readership overlapping with The Week's audience.

Direct peers

• The Daily Beast: Digital news and opinion site aggregating and curating news across politics, pop culture, and world affairs. Comparable to TheWeek.com in daily-updated digital newsroom format and in aggregating third-party reporting with original commentary.
• The New Yorker: Weekly magazine offering curated reporting, commentary, and analysis across news, politics, and culture. Competes with The Week for the same subscription-paying, multi-perspective news reader, particularly in print+digital bundle form.
• Newsweek: Weekly news magazine with both print and digital editions covering politics, world affairs, business, and culture. Closely comparable in format (weekly news magazine), target reader (general-interest adult), and monetization (subscriptions + advertising).
• Politico: Politically-focused news outlet covering policy and politics with newsletters as a core product. While more politically focused than The Week, it competes in the 'policy-curious professional reader' segment with overlapping newsletter and subscription monetization.

Emerging players

• The Skimm: Daily newsletter and digital media brand delivering concise, curated news digests targeted at time-constrained readers. Competes with The Week's 'Today's Best Articles' newsletter for the same audience of busy, multi-source news consumers.
• Axios: Digital-first news media company built around 'Smart Brevity' curation of political, business, and tech news with strong newsletter franchises. Overlaps with The Week in the curated news + newsletters category and in targeting busy professional readers.
• Morning Brew: Daily business and news newsletter business that built a massive free subscriber base and converted into paid subscriptions and events. Closely comparable to The Week's newsletter-driven funnel and business-focused content positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theweek
• Xx.com/TheWeek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1430316

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Week