What Slate fr does

Slate.fr is a French online news magazine founded in 2009 and headquartered in Paris, operating as a private for-profit digital media publication. It publishes daily journalism across verticals including culture, politics, economics, technology, sciences, health, society, and world news, targeting French-speaking general news consumers who seek in-depth analysis and explainer content beyond headline coverage. The company appears affiliated with the broader Slate Media identity associated with the U.S. publication Slate.com, though specific ownership, investor, or corporate-governance details are not disclosed in available material.

The core product is a content platform built around the Slate.fr website and mobile-accessible articles, supported by a multi-format content engine. Notable product lines include five original podcasts (Le monde devant soi at 362 episodes, Transfert at 397 episodes, Anaïs se fait des films at 67 episodes, New Deal at 271 episodes, and AMIES at 171 episodes, totaling over 1,271 episodes), the flagship L'Explication weekly explainer series (276 episodes), and multiple serialized documentary series (La boulangère, Femmes de dessein, Champagne Charlie, Les maladies invisibles, La foi et la guerre, Les nouvelles routes du silence, Le meilleur ami de l'homme). Video content, a daily curated email newsletter ('La quotidienne'), and a 'For Brands' branded-content division round out the product surface. Distribution spans the owned platform plus active social-media channels on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube, plus podcast aggregators such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The business model is not publicly disclosed in detail; available signals indicate revenue is generated through advertising and branded-content partnerships via the 'For Brands' division, with a direct-to-consumer audience accessed through the website, apps, and newsletter. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range. No pricing model, subscriber fees, ARR, or financial disclosures are available, and no funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership changes are documented in the source material.

Name

Slate fr

Legal name

Slate.fr

Website

https://slate.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Slate.fr is a private French online news magazine founded in 2009 in Paris, publishing articles, podcasts, video, and a daily newsletter on culture, politics, economics, technology, sciences, and health for French-speaking general news consumers, with revenue from advertising and branded content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News & Magazine

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (51312), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

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 industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Online news magazine
• Digital media publishing
• Podcast production
• Newsletter publishing
• Branded content services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Slate.fr is a French-language online news magazine that publishes daily journalism, in-depth explainers, original podcasts, documentary video series, and a curated newsletter across topics including culture, politics, economics, technology, sciences, health, society, and world news. The company operates as a unified digital media brand targeting French-speaking readers through its website, mobile platforms, and a branded content division serving advertisers.

Product overview

Slate.fr is a French online news magazine organized as a content platform offering journalism across multiple verticals (culture, politics, economy, technology, science, health) through its core website, podcast network, and serialized documentary series. The company operates as a unified media brand with multiple content formats: free article-based journalism on the main site, podcast programs (Le monde devant soi, Transfert, Anaïs se fait des films, New Deal, AMIES), and curated documentary series collections (L'Explication, La boulangère, Femmes de dessein, and others). A daily newsletter and branded content division (For Brands) round out the revenue model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• France 24: France 24 is a French state-funded international news broadcaster publishing digital news, video, and analysis in French and several other languages. It competes broadly with Slate.fr on world news and politics verticals while operating at much larger scale.
• Les Échos: Les Échos is the leading French business and general-news daily. It competes with Slate.fr for economics, politics, and policy coverage from an established newspaper position with a paid digital subscription model.

Direct peers

• Konbini: Konbini is a French digital-native media brand publishing news, culture, and lifestyle content optimized for social platforms. It overlaps with Slate.fr on multi-platform digital publishing and younger-skewing online audiences.
• The Conversation France: The Conversation France licenses academic-authored explainer journalism in French on politics, science, and society. It directly mirrors Slate.fr's 'L'Explication' style of in-depth explainer content targeting educated readers.
• Médiapart: Médiapart is a French independent online news outlet known for investigative journalism and a reader-paid subscription model. It overlaps with Slate.fr as a digital-first French news publication targeting engaged, analysis-seeking audiences.
• Slate.com: Slate.com is the U.S.-based digital magazine and the apparent affiliated parent brand of Slate.fr. It shares the same editorial DNA (news, politics, culture explainers, podcasts) and serves as the natural benchmark for Slate.fr's positioning and content licensing potential.
• Le Monde: Le Monde is the flagship French daily news publication operating a digital-first paywalled newsroom covering politics, culture, sciences, and world news. It is the most direct large-scale comparable to Slate.fr in terms of editorial format, topical breadth, and Francophone audience.
• HuffPost France: HuffPost France was the French edition of HuffPost, covering news, politics, culture, and lifestyle through a digital-first daily format. It is a direct comparable to Slate.fr in style, cadence, and target readership.
• Brut: Brut is a French-founded digital media company producing short-form video news and explainers distributed primarily via social platforms. It is directly comparable to Slate.fr's multi-format digital publishing model and its reliance on social platforms for audience acquisition.

Emerging players

• Numerama: Numerama is a French digital media outlet focused on technology, science, and digital culture. It overlaps with Slate.fr on the technology/science verticals and digital-first publishing model, but its narrower topical focus makes it a partial rather than direct comparable.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/slatefr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Slatefr
• Facebookfacebook.com/Slate.fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slate-fr
• Instagraminstagram.com/slatefr
• TikToktiktok.com/@slatefr

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 Slate fr