El Universal
El Universal is a Colombian regional newspaper publisher headquartered in Cartagena, operated by Editora del Mar S.A., delivering print and digital news, ePaper subscriptions, advertising, and classifieds across the Bolívar department and broader Colombia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersCartagena, Colombia
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Universal does
El Universal is a Colombian regional news media company headquartered in Cartagena and operated by Editora del Mar S.A., a privately held Colombian corporation. Founded in 1948, El Universal serves as the primary news outlet for Cartagena and the Bolívar department, with additional coverage of Atlántico, national Colombian affairs, and international news. Under Editora del Mar S.A., the company operates three regional newspaper brands — El Universal, Q'hubo, and El Teso — sharing an in-house rotativa printing press for physical distribution in Cartagena and Bolívar. Affiliated wholly-owned entities Edimar Libros y Revistas S.A.S. and Grupo Medios S.A. extend the group into adjacent publishing and media services.
The company's product stack consists of a daily print newspaper, a multimedia digital news portal at eluniversal.com.co (covering Cartagena, Colombia, Política, Regional, Deportes, Económica, Farándula, Mundo, Opinión, Turismo, Tecnología, Tendencias, and additional sections), an ePaper digital subscription product, an official WhatsApp news channel, podcast content, and a separate classifieds marketplace at eluniversalclasificados.com. Underlying technology is conventional digital news delivery: web CMS, ePaper rendering, podcast production, and multimedia distribution. No public API, developer platform, or proprietary AI/ML system is disclosed.
El Universal monetizes across four revenue streams: (1) recurring print newspaper subscriptions and newsstand sales in Cartagena and Bolívar, (2) ePaper digital subscriptions priced in Colombian Pesos across 30-, 180-, 362-, and 541-day tiers bundled with Club Vital benefits, (3) advertising on website and print editions, and (4) transaction-fee revenue from classifieds. Go-to-market is sales-led via traditional print circulation plus self-serve digital subscription sign-up, with content sourced partly through partnerships with Colombian press agency Colprensa and EFE. Customer segmentation is geographic — primary readers in Cartagena and Bolívar, secondary national Colombian audience.
El Universal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Universal
- Legal name
- Editora del Mar S.A.
- Website
- https://eluniversal.com.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- El Universal is a Colombian regional newspaper publisher headquartered in Cartagena, operated by Editora del Mar S.A., delivering print and digital news, ePaper subscriptions, advertising, and classifieds across the Bolívar department and broader Colombia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Universal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG), Regional/Local Market Publishers & Distributors (Territory Rights, Localization-led Publishing) (MPAFABAH)
Keywords
Where El Universal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cartagena
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
El Universal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print Newspaper Sales and Subscriptions: Traditional print newspaper circulation revenue through physical delivery and subscription services to readers in the Cartagena region and broader Colombian market.
- ePaper Digital Subscriptions: Digital subscription model offering ePaper editions with tiered pricing plans (1-month, 6-month, 12-month, 18-month options) providing access to digital content and Club Vital benefits.
- Advertising Revenue: The newspaper generates revenue from advertising placements on its website and print editions. Terms and conditions explicitly reference advertiser relationships and disclaim responsibility for advertiser content quality and delivery.
- Classifieds: Revenue from classified advertisements through eluniversalclasificados.com, a separate classifieds platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 1-month ePaper subscription with Club Vital benefits |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 6-month ePaper subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | 12-month ePaper subscription with event invitations |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 18-month ePaper subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
El Universal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Universal publishes a daily regional newspaper covering Cartagena, Bolívar, and Colombian national and international news across categories such as politics, sports, economics, entertainment, and world affairs. It distributes content via print newspaper delivery, a free online news portal (eluniversal.com.co), and a tiered ePaper digital subscription product. The company also operates a separate classifieds platform and produces podcasts and multimedia editorial content.
Product overview
El Universal operates as a news media platform with a primary online news portal offering breaking news, investigative journalism, and regional coverage across multiple sections including Cartagena, Colombia, Politics, Sports, Technology, and Entertainment. The company offers a digital subscription product called ePaper, which provides access to digital editions of the newspaper. The core product and digital add-on are distributed through the eluniversal.com.co domain and associated subscription portals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ePaper: Digital edition subscription service for El Universal
- El Universal Clasificados
Products and services
- El Universal Print Newspaper Daily regional print newspaper covering Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombian national, and international news across categories including politics, sports, economics, entertainment, opinion, and culture. Delivered to subscribers and distributed at newsstands in the Cartagena and Bolívar region.
- El Universal Digital News Portal Free online news portal at eluniversal.com.co providing breaking news, investigative journalism, regional coverage, multimedia content including podcasts and photo galleries, and sections on Cartagena, Colombia, Mundo, Deportes, Sucesos, Economía, Farándula, Opinión, and Tecnología for Colombian readers.
- ePaper Digital Subscription Subscription-based digital edition of El Universal newspaper, available in 1-month, 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month plans. Includes Club Vital card benefits, EU Training School discounts, up to 3 simultaneous sessions, and personalized event invitations for the 12-month tier.
- El Universal Clasificados Dedicated classifieds platform operating at eluniversalclasificados.com where individuals and businesses can place job, real estate, and service advertisements. Functions as a standalone portal within El Universal's media portfolio.
Companies that use El Universal
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
El Universal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
El Universal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ColprensaminorColprensa is a Colombian press agency that provides news content to El Universal. Multiple articles on the website are co-authored with Colprensa.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
El Universal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- El Tiempo: El Tiempo is Colombia's largest national newspaper and the most direct comparable to El Universal, operating a similar print + digital subscription model, ePaper product, and Colombian news coverage. Both are household-name legacy newspapers competing for advertising and reader attention in the Colombian market, with El Tiempo operating at significantly greater national scale.
- El Espectador: El Espectador is one of Colombia's oldest and most recognized national newspapers, with a comparable print heritage and digital subscription model. It competes for the same national audience, advertisers, and digital subscription spend as El Universal, and serves as a benchmark for the Colombian legacy press transition to digital.
- El Colombiano: El Colombiano is the dominant regional newspaper in Medellín/Antioquia, mirroring El Universal's role in Cartagena. Both serve as the default local news source for a major Colombian regional market, operate print + ePaper + advertising + classifieds, and compete for national advertising budgets through their respective regional strongholds.
- El Heraldo: El Heraldo is the leading regional newspaper in Barranquilla, Colombia's other major Caribbean coastal city. It is highly comparable to El Universal in format, audience type (regional Colombian Caribbean), revenue model (print, digital, classifieds), and competitive positioning as a dominant regional title in its metropolitan market.
- La República: La República is Colombia's leading business and economics newspaper, operating print and digital editions with a subscription model comparable to El Universal's ePaper. It is directly comparable as a Colombian paid-news title, though it targets a more niche business audience versus El Universal's general-interest local audience.
- Vanguardia Liberal: Vanguardia Liberal is the leading regional newspaper in Bucaramanga/Santander, with a comparable legacy print heritage, ePaper subscription, classifieds, and regional news focus. It is a structurally similar mid-sized Colombian regional newspaper competing in the same print and digital subscription markets.
Regional players
- Diario del Norte: Diario del Norte is a regional newspaper serving the Colombian Caribbean coastal region overlapping with El Universal's Bolívar geography. Comparable as a print + digital regional title competing for advertising and readers in adjacent Caribbean Colombian cities, with similar content categories and subscription pricing models.
Emerging players
- Publimetro Colombia: Publimetro Colombia is a free-distribution daily newspaper part of the global Metro International network, serving major Colombian cities including Cartagena. It competes for advertising dollars and reader attention in the same Cartagena market as El Universal but with a different (free, commuter-focused) model.
Broad incumbents
- Semana: Semana is Colombia's leading news magazine with a strong digital presence and paid subscription model. While magazine-format rather than daily newspaper, it is comparable as a Colombian legacy paid-news brand competing for the same national advertising and reader attention budget that El Universal pursues.
Others
- Colprensa: Colprensa is a Colombian press agency that supplies news content to multiple regional newspapers including El Universal. It is comparable as a strategic partner and content supplier, representing both a cost-efficient content source and a structural dependency that shapes El Universal's national coverage economics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
El Universal social profiles
Digital presenceEl Universal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Universal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
El Universal subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
El Universal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Universal 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 El Universal
What does El Universal do?
El Universal publishes a daily regional newspaper covering Cartagena, Bolívar, and Colombian national and international news across categories such as politics, sports, economics, entertainment, and world affairs. It distributes content via print newspaper delivery, a free online news portal (eluniversal.com.co), and a tiered ePaper digital subscription product. The company also operates a separate classifieds platform and produces podcasts and multimedia editorial content.
Is El Universal a public or private company?
El Universal is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was El Universal founded?
El Universal was founded in 1948. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is El Universal based?
El Universal is headquartered in Cartagena, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does El Universal make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Print Newspaper Sales and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are ePaper Digital Subscriptions, advertising Revenue and classifieds.
Who are El Universal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are El Tiempo, El Espectador, El Colombiano, El Heraldo, La República and Vanguardia Liberal. Diario del Norte is listed as a regional player. Publimetro Colombia is listed as an emerging player. Semana is listed as a broad incumbent. Colprensa is listed as an others.
Does El Universal have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Universal.
What industry is El Universal in?
El Universal's product category is Regional Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAA, National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJADAG, Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.