What Times LIVE does

Times LIVE is the digital news platform of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a privately held South African diversified media conglomerate headquartered in Parktown, Johannesburg. The platform operates as the online counterpart to the Sunday Times, South Africa's top-selling Sunday newspaper, and serves a broad South African audience across news, politics, business, sport, lifestyle, motoring, and entertainment — supplemented by specialized sub-brands including TshisaLIVE (celebrity and entertainment), TimesLIVE Motoring, TimesLIVE Podcasts, and the Sunday Times E-Edition distributed via PressReader.

The platform is built on a conventional digital publishing stack comprising a content-managed website (timeslive.co.za), native mobile applications on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery, RSS syndication across all major sections, email newsletters (TimesLIVE AM/PM, Breaking News alerts, Motoring weekly, Premium daily edition at 5am, and others), and an extensive podcast portfolio. Distribution extends globally through digital channels and to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana through print home delivery in major metropolitan areas.

The business operates a hybrid monetization model. Reader revenue comes from a freemium digital offering (most TimesLIVE articles free; Sunday Times premium content subscriber-only) combined with a subscription layer offering digital-only, print-plus-digital bundles, pensioner discounts, and a R15 day-pass for 24-hour access. Advertising revenue is generated through behavioral targeted advertising and sponsored content partnerships, notably with Capitec Bank and Nedbank, which occupy dedicated partner sections on the platform. The underlying parent group, Arena Holdings, controls additional publications — Business Day, Financial Mail, SowetanLIVE, The Herald, and Daily Dispatch — enabling cross-publication syndication and shared monetization infrastructure.

Name

Times LIVE

Legal name

Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://timeslive.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Times LIVE is the digital news platform of South African media group Arena Holdings, offering free breaking news alongside premium Sunday Times journalism through web, mobile apps, newsletters, podcasts, and print subscriptions serving South African and broader Southern African audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Live Podcast Recordings (MPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Digital news platform
• Online journalism
• News subscription
• Digital publishing
• Advertising-supported media

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Times LIVE and Sunday Times operate on a subscription model with various packages including digital-only, print-plus-digital, and day passes. Sunday Times is South Africa's top-selling Sunday newspaper. Premium subscriber-only content generates recurring revenue from paid subscriptions.
2. Advertising Revenue: The platform generates advertising revenue through behavioral advertising cookies and marketing partnerships. Third-party advertisers deliver targeted advertisements based on user browsing behavior and interests.
3. Print Newspaper Sales: Print home delivery is offered in all major metropolitan areas of South Africa, with newspapers delivered by 6:30am Monday to Friday and 7:30am on Sundays.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Times LIVE operates a digital news and media network delivering breaking news, investigative journalism, sports coverage, entertainment content, and lifestyle reporting to South African audiences. Its core offering combines a free-to-read news website with a premium Sunday Times subscription product, supported by mobile apps, podcasts, newsletters, RSS feeds, and e-edition digital replicas. The platform serves individual news consumers across South Africa with both immediate news access and subscriber-only premium journalism.

Product overview

Times LIVE operates as a multi-platform digital news and media network under Arena Holdings, comprising a unified core digital news platform supplemented by specialized sub-brands and modules. The main TimesLIVE portal delivers free breaking news and investigations, while the subsidiary Sunday Times brand provides premium Sunday journalism available through print and digital subscriptions. Key sub-products include TshisaLIVE (celebrity/entertainment), TimesLIVE Motoring (automotive coverage), TimesLIVE Podcasts (audio content), and E-Edition (digital print replica). Premium access is enabled through Sunday Times Daily and TimesLIVE Premium subscription tiers, with the network also offering TimesLIVE AM/PM newsletters and Breaking News alerts as complementary communication channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TshisaLIVE: Entertainment news and celebrity gossip section of Times LIVE
• TimesLIVE Motoring
• TimesLIVE Podcasts
• Sunday Times
• Sunday Times Daily
• Sunday Times E-Edition

Products and services

• TimesLIVE Primary digital news platform offering breaking news, investigations, sport, and entertainment content. Free to read with continuously updated online-only journalism for South African audiences.
• Sunday Times South Africa's top-selling Sunday newspaper offering exclusive and in-depth coverage of general news, politics, lifestyle, and investigations. Available via print subscription and online with subscriber access.
• Sunday Times Daily Premium daily digital edition formerly known as Times Select, delivering curated news, premium journalism, and opinion from leading writers. Content is subscriber-only.
• TshisaLIVE Entertainment and celebrity news section of TimesLIVE, providing free-to-read coverage of South African celebrities, entertainment industry updates, and gossip.
• TimesLIVE Motoring Dedicated motoring news section featuring automotive reviews, industry news, and vehicle-related content.
• TimesLIVE Podcasts Audio content platform featuring news analysis podcasts including Sunday Times Politics Weekly, Business Day Spotlight, Know Your Consumer Stuff, podcasts from the Edge, and entertainment podcasts.
• E-Edition (Sunday Times) Digital replica of the Sunday Times print edition accessible via PressReader, with listen functionality and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
• TimesLIVE Premium Subscriber-only daily digital edition published at 5am Monday to Friday, providing early access to premium journalism before general news updates.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Capitec Bank (Capitec Bank on it)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCapitec Bank partners with Times LIVE through sponsored content partnerships. The Capitec Bank on it and Capitec BizTalk partner sections feature branded content and commercial partnerships on the TimesLIVE platform.
• Nedbank (MyCover Insurance)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNedbank advertises insurance products through sponsored content placements on TimesLIVE homepage and content sections.
• Arena Holdings NetworkcoreOthersTimes LIVE is published by Arena Holdings, which also publishes Business Day, Financial Mail, SowetanLIVE, The Herald, Daily Dispatch, Wanted Online, SA Home Owner, The Home Channel, Arena Events, Careers and Tenders, and Empire Entertainment. This network provides cross-promotion and content syndication opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• News24: South Africa's largest digital news platform, also operated within a major media group (Media24/Naspers). Directly comparable as a free, ad-supported breaking news destination competing for the same South African audience and ad budgets as Times LIVE.
• Daily Maverick: Digital-first South African news publisher with a strong paid subscription model. Highly comparable in audience, content mix (politics, investigations, lifestyle), and freemium/premium monetization approach.
• IOL (Independent Online): Independent Media's flagship digital news site. Competes directly with Times LIVE for South African breaking news readers, advertiser spend, and subscription conversion across general news, politics, and sport.
• Mail & Guardian: Established South African weekly newspaper with a strong digital presence and paywalled investigative journalism. Comparable in combining legacy newspaper authority with digital subscriptions and newsroom-led investigations.
• Fin24: South African business and financial news platform within the News24 group. Comparable as a focused vertical (business news) competing for the same premium subscriber and advertiser pool that Times LIVE accesses via Business Day Spotlight.
• Eyewitness News (eNCA): Leading South African 24-hour news broadcaster with strong digital presence. Comparable in 24/7 breaking news coverage, broad section mix (politics, business, sport, lifestyle), and competing for the same advertising and audience pool.

Broad incumbents

• The Guardian: Global English-language digital news leader with a successful freemium-to-donor/reader-revenue model. Comparable as a reference point for digital subscription strategy, podcast portfolio depth, and diversified revenue beyond display advertising.
• BBC News Online: World-leading free, ad-light digital news destination. Comparable as a benchmark for building habitual news readership at scale, multi-format coverage (text, video, podcasts), and operating a high-reach news platform with subscription-adjacent premium products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TimesLIVE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TimesLive
• Facebookfacebook.com/TimesLIVE
• Instagraminstagram.com/timesliveza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunday-times_2

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 Times LIVE