Drilling Contractor

What Drilling Contractor does

Drilling Contractor is a privately held trade media company founded in 1944 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, that publishes Drilling Contractor magazine, the official publication of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC). It serves the global drilling and completion industry, covering both land and offshore operations for drilling contractors, oil company executives, and oilfield service firms through a multi-format editorial platform including a bimonthly magazine, Digital Reader editions, the DC Archive spanning 80-plus years, eight specialized DC Microsites (Safety & ESG, Drilling Rigs & Automation, Completing the Well, Global & Regional Markets, IADC Regulation, Innovating While Drilling, Onshore Advances, and The Offshore Frontier), DC Videos on YouTube, and Virtual Panel Discussions on industry topics such as interoperability and fuel efficiency. The company is owned by IADC, a nonprofit trade association founded in 1940, and distributes content globally via its website, RSS feeds, email newsletters, and social channels (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook) with bonus distribution at IADC events including OTC and the Annual General Meeting. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: recurring magazine subscriptions in print and digital formats, advertising in both the magazine and the annual IADC Membership Directory (advertising rates range from $1,945 for a quarter-page black-and-white placement to $12,285 for a two-page spread in four-color, typically on multi-year contracts), and one-time sales through the IADC Bookstore of drilling manuals, training materials, eBooks, and reference publications. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, targeting enterprise advertisers and institutional subscribers, with a small staff of 51-100 employees supporting editorial, advertising sales, and event coordination.

Name

Drilling Contractor

Legal name

Drilling Contractor

Website

https://drillingcontractor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drilling Contractor is a Houston-based B2B trade media company, founded in 1944 and owned by IADC, that publishes the official magazine, digital editions, videos, and virtual events serving the global drilling and completion industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media & Industry Publications

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling & Well Construction (E&P Operator-led) (EUALAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seismic & Geoscience Services (Acquisition, Processing, Interpretation) (EUALABAK), Completion Tools & Subsurface Equipment (Packers, Liners, Valves, Sand Control) (EUALABAD)

Keywords

• Trade magazine publishing
• Oil and gas drilling news
• Drilling industry content
• Industry directory services
• Digital publications platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Annual and multi-year subscription plans for the publication delivered in print and digital formats
2. Advertising: The IADC Membership Directory and magazine advertising rates range from $1,945 to $12,285 for full-page spreads and specialized positions
3. IADC Bookstore Sales: Sale of drilling industry books, training materials, eBooks, and reference materials through the IADC Bookstore platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Drilling Contractor publishes a bimonthly trade magazine and accompanying digital content platform covering global drilling and completion operations for the oil and gas industry. It distributes editorial content via a website, digital reader, videos, virtual panel discussions, microsites, and a historical archive, and supports the IADC ecosystem through the IADC Membership Directory and IADC Bookstore of industry manuals and training materials.

Product overview

Drilling Contractor is a professional publication/media company offering a unified magazine and digital content platform for the global drilling and completion industry. The core product is the bi-monthly Drilling Contractor Magazine (print and digital), supplemented by DC Microsites covering specialized topics (Safety & ESG, Drilling Rigs & Automation, Completing the Well, etc.), video content, Virtual Panel Discussions, and an archive service. The company also supports the IADC through the Membership Directory and IADC Bookstore, which offers technical publications and training materials for the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DC Digital Reader: Digital edition of the magazine featuring interactive content
• DC Microsites

Products and services

• Drilling Contractor Magazine Bimonthly print and digital trade magazine covering global drilling and completion industry news, technical features, safety, ESG, and market analysis for drilling contractors, oil companies, and service firms.
• DC Digital Reader

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IADC (International Association of Drilling Contractors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrilling Contractor is the official magazine of IADC, published since 1944. IADC is the only industry trade association with international scope among drilling contractors, oil companies, and service firms. The partnership provides DC with industry authority and IADC with a communication channel to members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rigzone: Rigzone is a digital-first platform focused on drilling industry news, jobs, and rig data. It competes with Drilling Contractor for the same drilling professional audience but differentiates through digital-native distribution and recruitment-focused monetization.
• Oilfield Technology: Oilfield Technology is a UK-based digital-first trade publication covering drilling, completions, and production. It is comparable as a competing drilling-focused B2B media brand distributing through web, digital editions, and events targeting the same global drilling audience.
• Hart Energy: Hart Energy is one of the largest B2B media and research firms covering oil & gas, with publications like Oil and Gas Investor, E&P, and Petroleum Energy. It is directly comparable as a multi-format oil & gas trade media company monetized via subscriptions, advertising, and events serving the same drilling and upstream audience.
• World Oil (Gulf Energy Information): World Oil is a long-running drilling and exploration-focused trade magazine now published by Gulf Energy Information alongside Hydrocarbon Processing. It competes directly with Drilling Contractor for the same drilling professional audience, advertising dollars, and editorial voice.
• Upstream: Upstream is a leading international news outlet covering the upstream oil & gas sector, with deep coverage of drilling, rigs, and operators. It competes with Drilling Contractor for the same executive audience and advertising dollars, especially among international drilling contractors and operators.
• Journal of Petroleum Technology (SPE): JPT is the flagship magazine of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the professional society counterpart to IADC. Like Drilling Contractor, it is the official publication of a major industry association and monetizes the same drilling and completions professional audience via advertising and subscriptions.
• American Oil & Gas Reporter: American Oil & Gas Reporter is a long-running US trade publication covering exploration, drilling, and production. It is comparable to Drilling Contractor as a domestic drilling-focused B2B magazine monetized via advertising and subscriptions serving the same contractor and operator readership.

Regional players

• Energy Voice: Energy Voice is a UK-based digital outlet covering the energy sector including offshore drilling, with overlap into the North Sea drilling market. It is a regional peer serving parts of Drilling Contractor's global offshore audience with a digital-first model.
• Petroleum News: Petroleum News is a regional trade publication focused on Alaska and broader North American oil & gas. While regional in anchor, it covers drilling and operators in overlapping geographies with Drilling Contractor and competes for similar advertiser bases.

Broad incumbents

• Oil & Gas Journal (Enverus): Oil & Gas Journal is the largest and longest-running oil & gas industry publication, now part of Enverus. It overlaps directly with Drilling Contractor in upstream and drilling coverage but addresses a broader audience across the entire oil & gas value chain, making it a broader incumbent peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DC_Magazine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0xXkxpL1WTf99-oLW8Z9hg
• Facebookfacebook.com/DrillingContractorMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drilling-contractor-magazine

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 Drilling Contractor