Coconuts

What Coconuts does

Coconuts Media Limited was a privately held digital media company founded in Bangkok in 2011 and headquartered in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It operated a network of eight city-specific news and lifestyle editions — Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bali, and Yangon — published on coconuts.co and distributed via iOS and Android apps, social media channels, and email newsletters. The product surface spanned a metered-paywall website, the COCO+ paid membership program (pay-what-you-want from US$5/year), the Coconuts TV original-video library, the Coconuts Podcast ('WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong'), the Grove branded-content studio, and the Coconuts Directory of events and venues. The target audience was English-speaking urban young adults in major Asian cities, with editorial positioning around irreverent local coverage and award-winning investigative reporting (three Society of Publishers in Asia awards over three consecutive years).

The business model combined four revenue streams: display and sponsored-content advertising (described by the company as a key revenue stream), recurring COCO+ membership subscriptions, content licensing of Coconuts TV originals to broadcast and streaming partners (Netflix, iflix, ABS-CBN, RTL Germany, and Fusion), and one-time patron contributions processed via Stripe and PayPal. Go-to-market was community-led and direct-to-consumer, relying on organic social distribution and email to convert readers into COCO+ members and to package brand audiences for advertisers. The company employed 11-50 people and operated without disclosed institutional funding or parent ownership.

On December 19, 2023 Coconuts announced it would cease publishing on December 31, 2023, ending a 12-year run. The closure announcement noted the company had grown to 'millions of unique visitors per month' across its eight-city footprint before winding down. Operating status in the source data is recorded as closed.

Name

Coconuts

Legal name

Coconuts Media Limited

Website

https://coconuts.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coconuts was a Hong Kong-headquartered, multi-city digital media company (founded 2011 in Bangkok) that published eight city-specific news and lifestyle editions across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, monetized via advertising, COCO+ subscriptions, and Coconuts TV content licensing. The company ceased publishing on December 31, 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News and Lifestyle Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Digital media publishing
• Online news platform
• Content licensing
• Paid membership subscriptions
• Branded content studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Wan Chai

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Primary revenue stream from display advertising and sponsored content on the platform. The company describes advertising as a 'key revenue stream' and notes that COCO+ membership will benefit advertisers through new direct marketing opportunities to members.
2. COCO+ Membership Subscriptions: Paid membership program offering unlimited content access starting at US$5/year. Membership provides additional benefits including giveaways, event sponsorships, and exclusive newsletter content. The company aims to develop a direct revenue stream from audience to reduce dependence on advertising.
3. Content Licensing: Original Coconuts TV video content is licensed to leading broadcast and streaming networks including Netflix, iflix, ABS-CBN, RTL Germany, and Fusion.
4. Coconuts Patron/Donations: One-time patron contributions accepted at various levels ($10, $20, $50, $100 or custom amounts) to support independent journalism and editorial operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coconuts operated a network of city-specific digital news and lifestyle websites covering eight Asian markets, supported by a metered paywall and a paid COCO+ membership tier. It produced original journalism, video content (Coconuts TV), podcasts, and newsletters, and licensed Coconuts TV video content to major broadcast and streaming networks such as Netflix, iflix, ABS-CBN, RTL Germany, and Fusion. Revenue was generated from advertising, COCO+ subscriptions, content licensing, and patron donations.

Product overview

Coconuts is a multi-city digital media company operating a network of regional news and lifestyle websites across eight Asian cities (Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, KL, Jakarta, Bali, and Yangon). The core product is the Coconuts.co website, which functions as a unified platform with city-specific editions. The portfolio includes paid subscription (COCO+ Membership for unlimited content access), original video content (Coconuts TV licensed to Netflix, iflix, ABS-CBN, RTL Germany, and Fusion), a podcast, email newsletters, a branded content studio (Grove), and an events/venues directory. The site operates a metered paywall with membership as the primary revenue model alongside advertising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grove: Coconuts Brand Studio: Brand studio providing branded content services

Products and services

• Coconuts.co Website Primary digital news and lifestyle media platform delivering city-specific content across eight Asian markets (Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, KL, Jakarta, Bali, Yangon). The site operates a metered paywall with full access granted to COCO+ subscribers; aimed at urban English-speaking readers seeking local news, food and drink, and lifestyle coverage.
• COCO+ Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Won three Society of Publishers in Asia awards over three years for original reporting
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• StripeminorOthersPayment processing partner for COCO+ membership payments. Processes credit card transactions securely. Coconuts does not store payment details.
• PayPalminorOthersPayment processing partner for COCO+ membership payments. Alternative payment method alongside Stripe.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLicensing partner for Coconuts TV original video content. Coconuts documentaries and videos distributed on Netflix streaming platform.
• iflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLicensing partner for Coconuts TV video content distribution in Southeast Asia and Middle East markets.
• ABS-CBNcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPhilippine broadcast network licensing partner for Coconuts TV content.
• RTL GermanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman broadcast network licensing partner for Coconuts TV content.
• FusioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS-based network licensing partner for Coconuts TV video content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The ASEAN Post: Regional digital media outlet covering ASEAN news, business, and lifestyle. Comparable to Coconuts in pan-Southeast Asia editorial coverage, English-language publishing, and digital subscription and advertising monetization.
• Asian Boss: Digital media company producing street-interview style video content across Asian markets. Comparable to Coconuts in multi-market Asia coverage, English-language audience, and original video content licensed to global platforms.
• South China Morning Post: English-language digital news publisher covering Asia with a paywalled subscription model, headquartered in Hong Kong. Directly comparable to Coconuts in audience (English-speaking Asia-focused readers), monetization mix (ads + subscriptions), and content verticals (news, lifestyle, features).
• Tech in Asia: Digital media company covering Southeast Asia's tech and startup ecosystem across multiple markets. Comparable to Coconuts in multi-city Southeast Asian coverage, English-language digital publishing, community-driven audience, and advertising-led monetization with events and subscriptions.
• Rappler: Philippines-based digital news outlet covering Southeast Asian news, investigative journalism, and lifestyle content. Comparable to Coconuts in digital-native publishing, focus on Southeast Asian audiences, mix of news and lifestyle content, and reliance on reader subscriptions and advertising.
• The Diplomat: Asia-Pacific focused digital magazine covering news, politics, and culture. Comparable to Coconuts in Asia-focused English-language digital publishing, multi-market editorial coverage, and subscription/display advertising revenue model.
• Mashable: Digital media company producing news, culture, and lifestyle content for a young global audience. Comparable to Coconuts in digital-native publishing, social-media-driven distribution, mix of editorial verticals, and reliance on display advertising and content partnerships.

Regional players

• Mothership: Singapore-focused digital media company producing news, lifestyle, and viral content for young urban audiences. Comparable to Coconuts' Singapore edition in tone (irreverent, social-media-driven), target demographic (young urban adults), and content format mix, though concentrated in one city.

Broad incumbents

• Channel News Asia: Major Asian digital and broadcast news outlet owned by Mediacorp. Overlaps with Coconuts in coverage of Southeast Asian and Hong Kong news, lifestyle content, and digital subscriptions, though it is a much larger incumbent with broadcast assets.
• Coconuts-style Vice Asia: Global digital media company with an Asia presence targeting young audiences with irreverent editorial and original video. Comparable to Coconuts in tone, target demographic, and video-first content strategy, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coconutsmedia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/coconutstv
• Facebookfacebook.com/coconutskl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2897491

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 Coconuts