Habari Media

What Habari Media does

Habari Media (legally Highbury Media t/a Habari Media) is one of the largest independent magazine publishers in Southern Africa, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. The company operates a portfolio of 16 owned digital and print publication titles spanning lifestyle (Woman & Home, Food&Home, Getaway, Cape Town Etc, Leisure Wheels), sport (SA Cricket Magazine, SA Soccer, SA Rugby Mag, Compleat Golfer), business (Business Day Earth, African Insider, African Decisions, Business Day Empowerment, AU Echo, JSE), and automotive (CarMag) categories. Underlying technology is conventional digital publishing and content management infrastructure across print and digital channels, with a wholly-owned digital services subsidiary, Digital Chefs, handling website conceptualization, design, development, hosting, and maintenance for integrated digital delivery.

The business operates a platform-plus-services model targeting two primary segments: enterprise advertisers and brands seeking targeted audience reach (Premium Advertising, Bespoke Marketing Campaigns), and consumer readers across South Africa. Six integrated service lines extend the editorial asset base: Premium Advertising, Bespoke Marketing Campaigns, Content Creation & Production, Custom & Consumer Publishing, 360° Digital Marketing (delivered through Digital Chefs), and E-Commerce Channels. Revenue is generated through advertising placement across owned titles (the dominant stream), bespoke marketing and content production services billed as professional services engagements, custom publishing projects on a project basis, and marketplace commissions from the e-commerce platform. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the GTM motion is sales-led via a dedicated direct sales executive team. The company maintains Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) certification — a structural requirement for winning large South African enterprise and public-sector media budgets — and is led by Chairman/CEO Kevin Ferguson with a small executive team (Kovandrie Naidoo, Chief of Staff; Adrian Brown, CTO; Stefan Pantovic, Non-Executive). Ownership is private and founder/management-controlled with no external parent; the only recorded external capital event is a 2005 funding round led by RMB Corvest.

Name

Habari Media

Legal name

Highbury Media t/a Habari Media

Website

https://hsm.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Habari Media (legally Highbury Media) is a Cape Town-based independent magazine publisher operating 16 owned digital and print titles across lifestyle, sport, and business in South Africa, serving advertisers and brands with integrated advertising, content production, digital marketing, and e-commerce services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Advertising: Advertising placement across world-class digital and print titles, connecting brands with targeted audiences.
2. Bespoke Marketing Campaigns: Customized marketing campaign conceptualization and execution tailored to client brands across print and digital platforms.
3. Custom & Consumer Publishing: Full production process management from concept to final print for publishing titles.
4. E-Commerce: B2C and B2B platform enabling brands to promote products and services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Habari Media is a South African media company that owns and operates a portfolio of 16 digital and print publication titles spanning lifestyle, sport, and business categories, through which it sells premium advertising placements and delivers full-service marketing solutions to brands. Its services include advertising sales, bespoke marketing campaign design and execution, content creation and production, custom and consumer publishing, end-to-end 360° digital marketing via its Digital Chefs subsidiary, and B2C/B2B e-commerce channel enablement. The company provides an integrated media house offering that takes clients from campaign conceptualization through execution and audience exposure.

Product overview

Habari Media is a South African media powerhouse operating a platform-plus-services architecture. The company manages a portfolio of 16 distinct digital and print publication titles spanning lifestyle, sport, and business categories, including Woman & Home, SA Cricket Magazine, SA Soccer, Compleat Golfer, AU Echo, Business Day Earth, African Insider, African Decisions, Business Day Empowerment, Cape Town Etc, Leisure Wheels, Food&Home, JSE, Getaway, CarMag, and SA Rugby Mag. These publications serve as the core media assets through which Habari Media delivers six integrated service offerings: Premium Advertising, Bespoke Marketing Campaigns, Content Creation & Production, Custom & Consumer Publishing, 360° Digital Marketing (via subsidiary Digital Chefs), and E-Commerce Channels. The services connect brands with targeted audiences across both print and digital platforms, providing a full-service media house experience from content conceptualization through execution and exposure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Chefs: Subsidiary specializing in 360 degree digital marketing services including conceptualisation, design, development, hosting and maintenance of websites

Products and services

• Woman & Home A lifestyle publication covering topics relevant to women, part of Habari Media's lifestyle portfolio of South African titles.
• SA Cricket Magazine A sport publication dedicated to South African cricket, forming part of Habari Media's sports magazine portfolio.
• SA Soccer A sport publication focused on South African soccer content.
• Compleat Golfer A golf-focused sport publication in Habari Media's sports portfolio.
• AU Echo A business-focused publication covering African business news and updates.
• Business Day Earth A business publication focused on environmental and sustainability topics within the business sector.
• African Insider A publication providing insider perspectives on African affairs and developments.
• African Decisions A business publication providing decision-oriented analysis and insights for African markets.
• Business Day Empowerment A publication focused on business empowerment topics and initiatives in South Africa.
• Cape Town Etc A lifestyle publication covering Cape Town entertainment, events, and local content.
• Leisure Wheels A lifestyle publication focused on leisure activities, travel, and automotive content.
• Food&Home A lifestyle publication dedicated to food recipes and home living content.
• JSE A business publication focused on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and financial markets.
• Getaway A travel and leisure lifestyle publication featuring getaway destinations and travel content.
• CarMag An automotive lifestyle publication covering car reviews, news, and automotive culture.
• SA Rugby Mag A sport publication dedicated to South African rugby content.
• Premium Advertising Advertising placement service utilizing Habari Media's owned titles to connect brands with targeted audiences across print and digital platforms.
• Bespoke Marketing Campaigns Strategic marketing campaign conceptualization and execution services tailored to brands, reaching targeted audiences across Habari Media's print and digital platforms.
• Content Creation & Production Professional content creation services including writing, editing, design, videography, and social media content production for client brands.
• Custom & Consumer Publishing Full-service publishing from concept to final print, managing the complete production process of publishing titles for clients.
• 360° Digital Marketing End-to-end digital services delivered by subsidiary Digital Chefs, including conceptualization, design, development, hosting and maintenance of websites.
• E-Commerce Channels B2C and B2B e-commerce platform enabling brands to promote products and services, attract new customers and drive sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Website page views, social followers, and email subscriber metrics tracked per annum

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Digital ChefscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Chefs is a subsidiary of Habari Media that specializes in delivering end-to-end digital services including conceptualisation, design, development, hosting and maintenance of websites. This subsidiary enables Habari Media to offer integrated 360º digital marketing services alongside their traditional publishing offerings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Future plc: UK-listed multi-platform media company operating a large portfolio of specialist interest titles across technology, lifestyle, sports, and entertainment. Comparable as a multi-title publisher that has successfully transitioned to digital-first monetization with diversified revenue.
• Hearst: Diversified global media company owning magazines (Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Car and Driver), television, and digital assets. Comparable as a multi-title magazine publisher with advertising and content services revenue models.
• Meredith Corporation: US-based media company operating iconic lifestyle and interest magazines (People, Better Homes & Gardens, Martha Stewart Living) with digital platforms. Comparable as a multi-title magazine publisher monetizing through advertising, branded content, and licensing.
• Condé Nast: Global multi-national magazine publisher (Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, GQ, Wired) with digital platforms. Comparable as a multi-title lifestyle and interest publisher monetizing through advertising and branded content, though operating at global scale rather than regionally.
• Media24: Largest media company in South Africa, publishing numerous magazines and newspapers (including News24, YOU, Drum) and operating digital platforms. Directly comparable as a multi-title South African publisher competing for the same brand advertising budgets, but significantly larger in scale and part of Naspers/Prosus.

Direct peers

• Arena Holdings: South African media company (formerly Tiso Blackstar) publishing Business Day, Sunday Times, and several magazines and supplements. Directly comparable as a multi-title SA publisher with both print and digital properties targeting similar advertiser and reader segments.
• New Media: South African content and publishing company producing magazines, digital platforms, and bespoke content for brands. Directly comparable as a SA-based publisher offering similar lifestyle and consumer titles plus content marketing services.
• Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers: Large JSE-listed South African publisher of community newspapers, magazines, and books with associated printing operations. Directly comparable as an independent SA publisher offering advertising platforms across print and digital titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Habari Media