THISDAY
THISDAY, founded in 1995 in Lagos, is a Nigerian newspaper publisher operating daily print editions with satellite-enabled simultaneous printing across Lagos, Abuja, and the Niger Delta, plus the thisdaylive.com digital platform, ARISE Magazine (sold in 150 countries), and the THISDAY DOME events venue, serving Nigeria's political, business, and diplomatic elite.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersLagos, Nigeria
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What THISDAY does
THISDAY is a privately held Nigerian news media company founded on 22 January 1995 by Nduka Obaigbena and headquartered at 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. It publishes a daily newspaper, plus Saturday and Sunday editions, distributed through an editorial and sales network spanning all 36 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory. Its core operational technology is a proprietary satellite-enabled file transfer system that supports simultaneous printing from three plants located in Lagos, Abuja, and the Niger Delta — a capability that materially underpins its nationwide same-day print model and first-mover advantage in colour printing (introduced nationally in 1997). The group also publishes the digital platform thisdaylive.com and several subsidiary titles and properties.
The product portfolio extends beyond news print into adjacent media businesses. In October 2008 the company launched ARISE, a global style and culture magazine now distributed in 150 countries. It also produces AFRICAN MARKETS, the official publication of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, and the Sunday STYLE Magazine. The company owns and operates the THISDAY DOME, an events centre in Abuja's Central Business District that hosts the annual THISDAY Awards for Excellence. The legal entities are THISDAY Newspapers Limited and Leaders & Company Limited, both incorporated in Lagos.
The revenue model is advertising-led and targeted at corporate and political advertisers seeking access to Nigeria's political, business, professional, and diplomatic elite. Subscription pricing is not publicly disclosed. Editorial distribution has been built around authoritative coverage of politics, business, markets, and breaking news, with the brand positioned as "Nigeria's newspaper of record." Strategic ties — including the chairman's seat on the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders Nominating Committee and the IMF/World Bank publication partnership — extend the business into an institutional convening role rather than pure publishing.
THISDAY firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- THISDAY
- Legal name
- THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD
- Website
- https://thisdaylive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- THISDAY, founded in 1995 in Lagos, is a Nigerian newspaper publisher operating daily print editions with satellite-enabled simultaneous printing across Lagos, Abuja, and the Niger Delta, plus the thisdaylive.com digital platform, ARISE Magazine (sold in 150 countries), and the THISDAY DOME events venue, serving Nigeria's political, business, and diplomatic elite.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
THISDAY industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- 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 industries
- Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC), Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)
Keywords
Where THISDAY is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lagos
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
THISDAY business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
THISDAY product offering
Product offeringCore offering
THISDAY publishes a national daily newspaper plus Saturday and Sunday print editions, operates the thisdaylive.com digital news platform, and produces branded magazines including ARISE (global style and culture, sold in 150 countries), AFRICAN MARKETS (IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings publication), and STYLE Magazine. The company delivers news, business, politics, lifestyle, sports, and editorial coverage targeting Nigeria's elite and broader readership, with advertising as its primary revenue driver.
Product overview
THISDAY is a Nigerian newspaper and digital news media platform published by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd. (also operating as Leaders & Company Limited). It publishes news across multiple channels including the print edition (THISDAY, The Sunday Newspaper, The Saturday Newspaper), the digital platform thisdaylive.com, and related publications including STYLE Magazine. The organization operates as a traditional news media company without distinct software products, SaaS platforms, or technology products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ARISE Magazine: Global style and culture magazine launched in 2008, sold in 150 countries around the world
- AFRICAN MARKETS
- THISDAY Awards
- THISDAY DOME
Products and services
- THISDAY Daily Newspaper Nigeria's flagship daily print newspaper, distributed nationwide through offices in all 36 states plus FCT, with satellite-enabled simultaneous printing from Lagos, Abuja, and Niger Delta plants. Targets Nigeria's political, business, professional, and diplomatic elite and broader middle classes with news, politics, business, and lifestyle coverage.
- THISDAY, The Sunday Newspaper Sunday print edition of THISDAY, including the 24-page STYLE glossy pullout that has become a fashion and society reference for Nigerian readers. Targets upscale readers and includes in-depth features, analysis, and lifestyle coverage.
- THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper Saturday print edition of THISDAY featuring interviews with senior political leaders, governors, and top business CEOs. Distributed through the same nationwide network as the daily edition.
- THISDAYlive.com Digital News Platform Online news portal providing breaking news, business, politics, international, health, education, lifestyle, and sports coverage, accessible globally with sections covering Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world.
- ARISE Magazine Global style and culture magazine published by THISDAY, distributed in 150 countries worldwide. Launched with a debut issue at the Africa Rising concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in October 2008.
- AFRICAN MARKETS Magazine IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings publication produced by THISDAY, serving as a platform for international economic dialogue and coverage during the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings.
- STYLE Magazine Style and lifestyle magazine within THISDAY's portfolio, edited by Ruth Osime, featuring as a 24-page glossy pullout in the Sunday paper and serving as a fashion and society reference for Nigerian readers.
- THISDAY DOME Events Centre Events centre in Abuja's Central Business District that hosts major events including the annual THISDAY Awards for Excellence, attracting world leaders, statesmen, and senior corporate executives.
Companies that use THISDAY
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
THISDAY technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
THISDAY partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- IMF/World BankcoreTHISDAY publishes AFRICAN MARKETS magazine as an IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings publication, serving as a platform for international economic dialogue and coverage.
- World Economic ForummajorNduka Obaigbena serves as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Young Global Leaders Forum and regularly attends and moderates sessions with world leaders at WEF forums in Davos, Dalian, and Cape Town.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
THISDAY competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Daily Maverick: Leading South African independent digital news outlet. Comparable as an African digital-first news brand with a paid subscription model — relevant benchmark for THISDAY's potential digital subscription evolution.
- Nation Media Group: East Africa's largest media group (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania). Comparable as a multi-title, multi-country newspaper and digital media group; relevant for understanding regional media scale and diversification benchmarks.
Direct peers
- The Sun Nigeria: Nigerian national newspaper with strong political and business coverage. Comparable as a privately-held national daily competing in the same print and digital news segments.
- The Guardian Nigeria: Nigerian national daily newspaper focused on news, business, and politics. Comparable audience overlap with THISDAY's elite business/political readership and competing directly in print and digital advertising.
- Daily Trust: Nigerian national newspaper with strong presence in northern Nigeria. Comparable as a national daily with parallel business/political coverage competing for advertisers targeting Nigerian elites.
- Vanguard Newspapers: Nigerian national daily newspaper with broad readership. Competes with THISDAY for general-interest advertising dollars and audience attention across print and digital.
- The Punch Newspapers: One of Nigeria's largest-circulating newspapers with a strong digital presence (punchng.com). Directly comparable as a national, general-interest Nigerian newspaper competing for the same advertising and readership base.
- Leadership Newspaper Group: Nigerian national newspaper group with print and digital editions. Directly comparable as a national daily targeting similar political and business readership with similar advertising revenue model.
Emerging players
- Premium Times: Nigerian digital-native investigative news platform. Comparable as a competitor for elite readership and breaking political/business news, but operates without print overheads — represents the digital disruption facing THISDAY.
Broad incumbents
- The Guardian (UK): Global legacy newspaper that has successfully transitioned to a digital-first, reader-revenue model. Comparable as a benchmark for the brand-driven, politically engaged newspaper category and for digital monetization strategies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
THISDAY social profiles
Digital presenceTHISDAY financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
THISDAY leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
THISDAY subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
THISDAY funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
THISDAY 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 THISDAY
What does THISDAY do?
THISDAY publishes a national daily newspaper plus Saturday and Sunday print editions, operates the thisdaylive.com digital news platform, and produces branded magazines including ARISE (global style and culture, sold in 150 countries), AFRICAN MARKETS (IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings publication), and STYLE Magazine. The company delivers news, business, politics, lifestyle, sports, and editorial coverage targeting Nigeria's elite and broader readership, with advertising as its primary revenue driver.
Is THISDAY a public or private company?
THISDAY is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was THISDAY founded?
THISDAY was founded in 1995. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is THISDAY based?
THISDAY is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
Who are THISDAY's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Daily Maverick and Nation Media Group. Direct peers are The Sun Nigeria, The Guardian Nigeria, Daily Trust, Vanguard Newspapers, The Punch Newspapers and Leadership Newspaper Group. Premium Times is listed as an emerging player. The Guardian (UK) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does THISDAY have an API?
No public API is recorded for THISDAY.
What industry is THISDAY in?
THISDAY's product category is Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAA, National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJADAC, Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.