The Week Junior
The Week Junior is a US-based weekly print and digital subscription magazine for children ages 8-14, covering news, science, nature, sports, and entertainment. Operated by Future US LLC (a subsidiary of Future plc), it reaches 100K+ households across all 50 states via direct-to-consumer subscriptions and a classroom education channel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersBoone, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Week Junior does
The Week Junior is a US-based weekly subscription magazine and children's media brand targeting readers ages 8 to 14. Launched in March 2020 and operated by Future US LLC, a subsidiary of UK-listed media group Future plc, the publication delivers a 32-page weekly issue covering news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles, written and fact-checked by an in-house editorial team under Editor-in-Chief Andrea Barbalich. The brand operates from New York (130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor) with a staff of 51-100 and reaches 100K+ households across all 50 states.
The product surface spans print (25-issue bundles at $49), a print+digital bundle at $69, and a standalone digital subscription via mobile app and web archive. Distribution runs through two channels: a direct-to-consumer mail subscription fulfilled by cdsfulfillment (1-800-444-7792) and a sales-led education channel (1-866-342-8493, [email protected]) offering classroom copies at $1.40 each with free weekly teacher guides. Supporting products include the For Parents and Book Club email newsletters, the kids.theweekjunior.com engagement portal, Junior Voices campaign, Junior Council kid-reporter program, The Big Debate polls, Summer of Reading initiative, and the All About America bookazine. Marketing runs through owned channels (website, Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, YouTube) and earned media partnerships (NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition, The Drew Barrymore Show, Tinkercast, YouGov).
The revenue model is subscription-recurring across print, digital, and bundle tiers, with secondary streams from education sales and bookazine product sales. The kidSAFE Seal certification provides a child-safety compliance signal, and the publication is positioned around trusted, unbiased, age-appropriate journalism as the primary differentiator versus general-audience news products. No external venture or private equity funding is indicated; ownership and operating decisions sit within Future plc's portfolio governance.
The Week Junior firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Week Junior
- Legal name
- Future US LLC
- Website
- https://theweekjunior.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Week Junior is a US-based weekly print and digital subscription magazine for children ages 8-14, covering news, science, nature, sports, and entertainment. Operated by Future US LLC (a subsidiary of Future plc), it reaches 100K+ households across all 50 states via direct-to-consumer subscriptions and a classroom education channel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Week Junior industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Educational Magazine
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAFAE), Children’s Reference & Informational Series Publishing (MPAJAFAN), Teen/Young Adult Educational Nonfiction (College/Career, Health, Civics) (EDAGAIAI)
Keywords
Where The Week Junior is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boone
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Week Junior business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print Magazine Subscriptions: Weekly print magazine delivered to subscribers' homes. 32 colorful pages per issue covering news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles. Subscriptions offered as 25-issue bundles with automatic renewal options.
- Digital Subscriptions: Digital magazine access including mobile app and digital archive. Available as add-on to print subscriptions or standalone digital subscription.
- Classroom/Education Subscriptions: Special school delivery program offering discounted bulk subscriptions for classrooms. Minimum 6 students, 6 weeks. Includes free weekly teacher's guide.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Print Only - 25 issues |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Print + Digital Bundle - 25 issues |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Classroom Subscription |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Week Junior product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Week Junior is a weekly subscription magazine for children ages 8-14, delivering 32 colorful pages of news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles. The magazine is available in print, digital, and combined bundle formats, and is supplemented by a kids' engagement website, parent and book club newsletters, a classroom education program with teacher guides, and specialty products such as the All About America bookazine.
Product overview
The Week Junior is a multi-platform children's media company offering a weekly print and digital magazine for kids ages 8-14, launched in March 2020. The core product is the 32-page weekly magazine delivered in print and/or digital formats, which provides news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles content. This core magazine is supplemented by digital properties including theweekjunior.com (parent-facing subscription site) and kids.theweekjunior.com (children's engagement portal featuring Junior Voices, Book Club, The Big Debate, and Activities). Additional offerings include For Parents Newsletter and Book Club Newsletter for families, the Classroom Education Program with teacher guides for schools, and seasonal initiatives like Summer of Reading and annual surveys. The product portfolio includes print, digital, and bundle subscription tiers, as well as bookazine products like All About America.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Week Junior Magazine (Print Subscription) A weekly print subscription delivering 32 colorful pages of news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles to children ages 8-14. Includes a risk-free 6-issue trial followed by automatic renewal of the remaining 19 issues for $49.
- Print + Digital Bundle Subscription Combined print and digital subscription providing 25 weekly print issues plus full access to the mobile app and digital archive for $69, saving 61% off the single copy price.
- Digital Subscription Standalone digital subscription providing access to the full magazine via mobile app and digital archive for parents and families preferring digital-only reading.
- Classroom Education Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Reaches 100K+ households across all 50 states since March 2020 launch
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Week Junior
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Week Junior technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
The Week Junior partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- YouGovminorPolling partnership to conduct nationally representative surveys of children ages 8-14 on current events and pressing issues. Survey findings published in magazine and used for Junior Voices campaign.
- NBC Nightly News: Kids EditioncoreCo-branded TV segment featuring The Week Junior's election coverage on NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition. A special episode dedicated to the 2024 election was produced and aired.
- The Drew Barrymore ShowminorJoint feature to discover children making a difference in the world through 'Drew Gooders' segment. Drew Barrymore highlighted The Week Junior's Junior Voices campaign.
- TinkercastminorPartnership for election activities for kids. Joint program with Tinkercast's host Mindy Thomas to inspire curiosity about the 2024 election.
- Place2BeminorChildren's mental health charity partnership for back-to-school wellbeing guide. Created special guide with techniques and tips on managing fears, building resilience, and embracing change.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Week Junior competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TIME for Kids: Weekly current-events magazine for K-6 students, owned by TIME USA. Most direct competitor to The Week Junior in the children's news subscription category, with both classroom and home delivery channels.
- Scholastic News: Scholastic's classroom magazine for grades 1-6 covering current events and nonfiction. Competes directly with The Week Junior's education channel for teacher adoption and curriculum-aligned content.
- Highlights for Children: Long-established monthly magazine for ages 6-12 featuring stories, puzzles, and activities. Competes for parent subscription wallet share in the same 8-14 demographic with a similar recurring-subscription, home-delivery model.
- Cricket Media: Publisher of children's literary and educational magazines (Cricket, Cobblestone, Ask, Muse) covering similar age ranges. Operates a subscription model targeting parents of 8-14-year-olds with nonfiction and STEM content that overlaps with The Week Junior's editorial scope.
- National Geographic Kids: Children's magazine from National Geographic Partners featuring science, animals, nature, and culture for ages 6-14. Direct competitor in subscription children's periodicals with strong brand recognition in the same subject areas as The Week Junior.
Emerging players
- Newsela: Digital-first K-12 instructional content platform offering current events articles at adjustable reading levels. Emerging competitor to The Week Junior's classroom subscription channel, with a self-serve SaaS model targeting the same ELA/social-studies teacher buyers.
- Smithsonian Magazine for Kids (Smithsonian Tween Tribune): Smithsonian's digital news platform for students offering daily current events with grade-level lexiles. Competes with The Week Junior's classroom product on teacher adoption and nonfiction content quality.
Broad incumbents
- Ranger Rick (National Wildlife Federation): Long-running children's nature magazine from the National Wildlife Federation for ages 7-12. Covers the science/animals/nature pillar of The Week Junior's content mix and competes for the same parent subscription dollar.
- The Week (UK/parent brand): Adult weekly news digest from Future plc on which The Week Junior brand is based. Comparable in editorial approach (unbiased weekly news summary for time-constrained readers) and shares Future plc distribution and corporate infrastructure.
Regional players
- Mongoose / Cricket Magazine Group: Specialty children's magazine publisher focusing on middle-grade readers. Comparable age band and subscription model but smaller scale; not a direct head-to-head competitor on news/current events but competes for the same parental magazine subscription dollars.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Week Junior social profiles
Digital presenceThe Week Junior compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Week Junior financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Week Junior leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Week Junior funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Week Junior 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 The Week Junior
What does The Week Junior do?
The Week Junior is a weekly subscription magazine for children ages 8-14, delivering 32 colorful pages of news, science, animals, nature, sports, entertainment, and puzzles. The magazine is available in print, digital, and combined bundle formats, and is supplemented by a kids' engagement website, parent and book club newsletters, a classroom education program with teacher guides, and specialty products such as the All About America bookazine.
Is The Week Junior a public or private company?
The Week Junior is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Week Junior founded?
The Week Junior was founded in 2020. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Week Junior based?
The Week Junior is headquartered in Boone, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Week Junior make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions and classroom/Education Subscriptions.
Who are The Week Junior's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TIME for Kids, Scholastic News, Highlights for Children, Cricket Media and National Geographic Kids. Emerging players are Newsela and Smithsonian Magazine for Kids (Smithsonian Tween Tribune). Broad incumbents are Ranger Rick (National Wildlife Federation) and The Week (UK/parent brand). Mongoose / Cricket Magazine Group is listed as a regional player.
Does The Week Junior have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Week Junior.
What industry is The Week Junior in?
The Week Junior's product category is Children's Educational Magazine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAFAO, Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAFAE, Children’s Nonfiction Publishing. Its NAICS code is 6117 and its SIC code is 2721.