What Star News Group does

Star News Group Pty Ltd is a privately-held Australian regional newspaper and magazine publisher headquartered in Pakenham, Victoria, operating across Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The group controls more than 60 regional and suburban newspaper mastheads — many dating back over 100 years — supplemented by three magazine franchises (Kids Magazines, Homes & Land real estate titles, and Victoria School Guides/Themes Media Education), with a combined workforce of 101–250 employees. Its portfolio includes flagship mastheads such as The Border Watch (since 1861), Hamilton Spectator (since 1859), Sunraysia Daily, The Guardian/Swan Hill Guardian, Geelong Independent, and the Star News/Star Weekly/Star Mail suburban networks in metropolitan Melbourne.

The company's core technology comprises a proprietary online ad-serving system used for billing and impression measurement, an SSL-secured Pic Store photo sales e-commerce platform, and eight web portals (Star Community, Star Weekly, Mail Community, Network Classifieds, Today News Group, Today Services, Regional Media Connect, and View) that host digital editions and online advertising inventory. Distribution is via third-party household suppliers for free sheets, paid weekly circulation, and 300+ retail outlets for Kids magazines, with LG Focus reaching all 537 Australian councils. Revenue is generated primarily through print and digital advertising bookings at confidential Rate Card prices (30-day invoiced terms), a 10% Approved Agency commission programme, magazine advertising, Pic Store photo sales, Star Media Platform digital marketing agency services, creative/production services, and digital subscriptions. The go-to-market is sales-led via direct advertising representatives and an inbound Classifieds Call Centre, supplemented by an Approved Agency channel programme and direct-to-consumer digital marketing services.

Name

Star News Group

Legal name

Star News Group Pty Ltd

Website

https://starnewsgroup.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Star News Group is a privately-held Australian regional media publisher operating 60+ newspaper and magazine titles across Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory, serving local businesses with print and digital advertising and digital marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines (MPAJAEAK), White-Label/Hosted Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAJ), Online News & Magazine Publishing Platforms (CMS & Hosting) (MPAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Community news media
• Magazine advertising
• Digital marketing services
• Classified advertising network

Headquarters

HQ city

Pakenham

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: Primary revenue stream generated from advertisers booking advertising copy across newspapers, magazines, and online properties via Booking Order Confirmation Forms at published Rate Card prices; invoices issued monthly with 30-day payment terms.
2. Magazine Publishing: Revenue from sale of advertising space in owned Kids, Real Estate (Homes & Land), and Education (Victoria School Guides, Themes Media) magazines across print and digital editions.
3. Pic Store Photo Sales: Revenue from commercial sale of editorial photographs via the Pic Store photo sales platform; supports the commercial sustainability of local journalism.
4. Star Media Platform Digital Marketing Services: Revenue from Star Media Platform, the company's digital marketing agency offering SEO, reputation and listing management, responsive website builds, and social marketing services to local businesses.
5. Creative Services: Revenue from design, production, and promotional services including custom materials, talent, photography, filming, special effects, and licence procurement for competitions; billed as additional costs on top of base fees.
6. Digital Subscriptions: Revenue from digital subscriptions and account-based services, including PicStore purchases and registered user access to digital products.
7. Approved Agency Commission (contra): Approved advertising agencies receive a 10% commission on monthly invoiced fees (deducted from invoice, GST added); contingent on full disclosure to clients, full compliance, and payment within 45 days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Star News Group publishes a portfolio of more than 60 regional and suburban newspaper titles across Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory, alongside three magazine franchises (Kids, Homes & Land, and Victoria School Guides via Themes Media Education). The company sells advertising space across print and digital channels and operates the Star Media Platform digital marketing agency, Pic Store photo sales platform, Network Classifieds, and LG Focus monthly local government newspaper. Revenue is generated from print and digital advertising bookings, digital subscriptions, creative/production services, and commercial photo sales.

Product overview

Star News Group is a multi-brand regional media publisher operating an integrated platform-plus-modules architecture spanning print newspapers, magazines, and digital channels. The core product is its portfolio of more than 60 regional and suburban newspaper titles across Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, and Victoria, supplemented by three magazine franchises (Kids Magazines, Homes & Land Magazines, and Victoria School Guides/Themes Media Education). On the digital side, the platform comprises the Star Media Platform digital marketing agency, Integrated Marketing Campaigns (IMC), Online Advertising across community portals, and the Pic Store photo sales platform. Supporting portals — Star Community, Star Weekly, Mail Community, Network Classifieds, Today News Group, Today Services, Regional Media Connect, and View — host the digital editions of each newspaper masthead and provide online audience targeting for advertisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Star News: Flagship masthead family of community newspapers published across Victoria (e.g. Berwick Star News, Cranbourne Star News, Pakenham Officer Star News).
• Star Journal
• Star Weekly
• Star Mail
• Geelong Independent
• Gazette
• Network Classifieds
• Picstore
• Star Media Platform
• LG Focus
• SA Today
• CQ Today
• Ipswich Media
• Today News Group
• Themes Media
• Homes & Land

Quantifiable outcome

• Country Press readers are 2.6 times as likely to read their local paper in print than in digital format
• +7 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Country Press SAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Border Watch (TBW) has been an active member of Country Press SA for more than a century, and won the top regional newspaper award from this body in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• Themes MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThemes Media Education publications were established in 1998 by an independent group of directors and became a division of Star News Group in 2006. Themes Media publishes the Victoria School Guides magazines and websites covering all types of education categories in Victoria.
• Today News GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToday News Group publishes Centralian Today, Tennant Creek Today, and related titles in the Northern Territory and Central Australia. Today News Group is linked to Star News Group's portal network and the related entity 'Today Services' is listed as a Star portal.
• Australian Press CouncilminorOthersStar News Group is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council, the principal body responsible for responding to complaints about Australian newspapers, magazines, and associated digital outlets. Unresolved complaints can be escalated to the Council.
• Regional Media ConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional Media Connect is listed as one of Star News Group's portals, indicating an industry/marketing affiliation for connecting regional media.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Guardian Australia: National digital news outlet covering regional and metropolitan Australia; competes with Star's online portals for digital audience attention and advertiser budgets, though its content is national rather than hyper-local.
• News Corp Australia: Australia's largest news publisher, including regional mastheads (e.g. Herald Sun, The Australian, NT News) plus News Local/Community News newspaper networks in suburban Sydney and other regions. A much larger incumbent that competes for the same regional advertising dollars, though its core focus is metropolitan mastheads.
• Seven West Media: Operates The West Australian and a portfolio of regional WA mastheads, plus Pacific Magazines; competes with Star for regional advertising share and shares the same secular pressures in print. A broad incumbent with diversified broadcast assets.
• Nine Publishing: Operates metropolitan mastheads (Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Australian Financial Review) and previously held regional titles; a broad incumbent whose regional digital audiences overlap with Star's online portals and compete for the same digital ad budgets.

Direct peers

• Are Media (formerly Bauer Media Australia): Australia and New Zealand's largest magazine publisher, with titles across lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, and special interest categories. Directly comparable to Star's magazine franchises (Homes & Land, Kids, Victoria School Guides) and competes for the same magazine advertising budgets.
• Australian Community Media (ACM): Largest regional and community newspaper publisher in Australia (formerly Fairfax Regional), operating hundreds of mastheads across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA and TAS. Directly comparable to Star News Group in business model (local advertising + display), customer base (regional SMBs), and product mix (community newspapers + digital).
• McPherson Media Group: Privately-held regional newspaper group based in Victoria/NSW publishing community and rural newspapers. Closest comparable in scale and structure to Star News Group: family-owned, multi-masthead, advertising-led, regional focus.

Others

• Country Press Australia: Industry association representing independent regional and community newspapers across Australia, including members that compete with Star in the same local advertising markets. Industry-body peer relevant for distribution, advocacy, and award context.
• Australian Press Council: Self-regulatory body whose Standards of Practice bind Star News Group; not a peer but an industry/regulatory participant that anchors credibility in Australian journalism and is referenced across Star's compliance disclosures.

Emerging players

• Solstice Media (InDaily / CityMag): Independent digital-first regional publisher (InDaily in Adelaide, CityMag in Brisbane). Comparable to Star's digital portals but operates at smaller scale and digitally native, representing the digital-only archetype competing for the same regional SMB ad spend.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StarNewsGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-news-group

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

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 Star News Group