Elcomercio
Elcomercio is a company research & investing information.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1906
- HeadquartersQuito, Ecuador
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Elcomercio does
El Comercio is Ecuador's oldest (founded 1906) and largest circulation newspaper, operating from its headquarters in Quito with a workforce of 501-1000 employees. The company serves the general Ecuadorian audience — both domestic and in the diaspora — with comprehensive news coverage spanning politics, security, sports, entertainment, international affairs, and business. Originally a print newspaper, El Comercio has transitioned to a digital-first distribution model anchored on its primary news portal (elcomercio.com), supplemented by a WhatsApp news channel, an official YouTube channel (@elcomercioec), and an Instagram presence (@elcomerciocom) to reach readers across the surfaces where Ecuadorian news consumers now spend their time.
The company's underlying technology is a multi-channel digital news platform with continuous publishing capabilities — a website serving as the core content hub with breaking news alerts, a WhatsApp channel subscription service for real-time push delivery to mobile devices, and a YouTube channel for video news, interviews, and multimedia storytelling. No public developer API or proprietary AI features are disclosed; the technology stack is positioned as standard content management and distribution infrastructure.
El Comercio's business model combines two revenue streams: digital subscriptions (recurring premium access to news articles and exclusive content) and digital advertising (banner ads, sponsored content, and display advertising across its news pages). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company pursues a product-led, digital-first go-to-market approach targeting individual consumers — primarily the general Ecuadorian audience — with a horizontal segmentation strategy across news categories rather than vertical specialization. No named enterprise customers, parent company, or ownership structure are disclosed in available sources.
Elcomercio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elcomercio
- Legal name
- El Comercio
- Website
- http://www.elcomercio.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1906
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Elcomercio is a company research & investing information.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elcomercio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online News Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Publishing Aggregators & Distribution (e-book distribution, news syndication) (MPAJAMAE), News & Politics Live Streaming Platforms (MPACACAG)
Keywords
Where Elcomercio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Quito
- HQ country
- Ecuador
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Elcomercio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Digital Subscriptions: The company operates subscription-based digital content, offering readers premium access to news articles and exclusive content through its online platform.
- Advertising: Revenue generated through digital advertising on the website, including banner ads, sponsored content, and display advertising across news pages.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Elcomercio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Comercio is Ecuador's largest circulation newspaper and digital news platform, providing 24/7 comprehensive news coverage of national and international events across politics, sports, security, entertainment, and business. The company distributes content through its website, WhatsApp channel, YouTube platform, and social media accounts, reaching Ecuadorian readers and the Ecuadorian diaspora through a multi-platform digital-first approach.
Product overview
El Comercio operates as a comprehensive digital news media platform consisting of a primary news portal (elcomercio.com) and supplementary distribution channels. The core product is the news website offering 24/7 coverage of Ecuadorian and international news across multiple sections including politics, security, sports, world affairs, entertainment, and business. The portfolio extends through a WhatsApp news channel for mobile push notifications and a YouTube channel for video content, creating a multi-platform news distribution ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Comercio Digital News Portal Elcomercio.com is Ecuador's leading digital news portal offering breaking news, in-depth reporting, and multimedia content across categories including politics, security, sports, entertainment, world news, and business. The platform serves as the primary online destination for Ecuadorian news coverage with continuous updates throughout the day for general readers in Ecuador and the Ecuadorian diaspora.
Companies that use Elcomercio
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Elcomercio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Elcomercio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Elcomercio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Grupo El Universo: Grupo El Universo is Ecuador's other major national newspaper, operating eluniverso.com and print editions from Guayaquil. It is the most direct competitor to El Comercio, competing on the same national news, politics, sports, and breaking news categories for the same Ecuadorian audience and advertiser base.
- Primicias: Primicias is a leading Ecuadorian digital news outlet focused on politics, economics, and investigative journalism. It competes with El Comercio for national news readership and political coverage in Ecuador, representing the digital-native peer to El Comercio's legacy positioning.
- Diario Extra: Diario Extra is a high-circulation Ecuadorian tabloid newspaper published by Grupo El Universo. While tonally different from El Comercio, it competes for the same broad Ecuadorian readership and advertising market, particularly in Guayaquil.
- La Hora (Ecuador): La Hora is a regional Ecuadorian newspaper with national reach. It overlaps directly with El Comercio in coverage of national politics, security, and regional news, and competes for both readers and advertisers across multiple Ecuadorian cities.
Broad incumbents
- El Tiempo (Colombia): El Tiempo is Colombia's largest newspaper and a leading LATAM digital news group (Casa Editorial El Tiempo). It is comparable to El Comercio as a legacy national newspaper that has executed a multi-channel digital transformation, providing a regional peer benchmark for monetization strategy.
- El Mercurio (Chile): El Mercurio is Chile's oldest and most influential newspaper, with a digital platform (emol.com) and diversified media assets. Comparable to El Comercio as a legacy Latin American national newspaper with strong brand authority transitioning to digital.
- La Nación (Argentina): La Nación is one of Argentina's leading newspapers, with an established digital subscription business and a multi-platform strategy. It is comparable to El Comercio as a heritage LATAM national newspaper that has built a digital subscription and audience model.
- El Universal (Mexico): El Universal is one of Mexico's largest newspapers with a digital news platform and multi-channel content distribution. Comparable to El Comercio as a legacy Spanish-language national newspaper operating web, video, and social channels.
Regional players
- BBC Mundo: BBC Mundo is the BBC's Spanish-language international news service and a leading global Spanish-language news brand. It competes with El Comercio for the Ecuadorian Spanish-speaking audience and international news coverage, particularly among diaspora readers.
Emerging players
- Infobae: Infobae is a major Latin American digital news platform originating in Argentina and expanding across the region. It is comparable as a digital-first Spanish-language news publisher competing for LATAM audience attention and ad budgets that historically went to legacy newspapers like El Comercio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Elcomercio social profiles
Digital presenceElcomercio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elcomercio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Elcomercio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elcomercio 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 Elcomercio
What does Elcomercio do?
El Comercio is Ecuador's largest circulation newspaper and digital news platform, providing 24/7 comprehensive news coverage of national and international events across politics, sports, security, entertainment, and business. The company distributes content through its website, WhatsApp channel, YouTube platform, and social media accounts, reaching Ecuadorian readers and the Ecuadorian diaspora through a multi-platform digital-first approach.
Is Elcomercio a public or private company?
Elcomercio is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Elcomercio founded?
Elcomercio was founded in 1906. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Elcomercio based?
Elcomercio is headquartered in Quito, Ecuador, in the Latin America region.
How does Elcomercio make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Digital Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising.
Who are Elcomercio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Grupo El Universo, Primicias, Diario Extra and La Hora (Ecuador). Broad incumbents are El Tiempo (Colombia), El Mercurio (Chile), La Nación (Argentina) and El Universal (Mexico). BBC Mundo is listed as a regional player. Infobae is listed as an emerging player.
Does Elcomercio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elcomercio.
What industry is Elcomercio in?
Elcomercio's product category is Online News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAD, Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First), with a secondary code of MPAJAMAE, Digital Publishing Aggregators & Distribution (e-book distribution, news syndication). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.