Otago Daily Times

What Otago Daily Times does

Otago Daily Times (ODT) is a long-established regional newspaper serving communities across New Zealand's South Island, with a publication history extending back over a century. It is headquartered in Dunedin and operates as the flagship publication of Allied Press Limited, a privately held New Zealand media company that controls a portfolio of approximately sixteen regional titles across Otago, Southland, Canterbury, and the West Coast — including The Star (Dunedin and Christchurch), Oamaru Mail, Mountain Scene (Queenstown), Southland Express, and others. ODT's core product is a daily newspaper covering local, regional, national, and international news, supplemented by sections on sport, life & style, entertainment, business, rural life, and video.

The business runs a hybrid print-and-digital operation. The digital platform at odt.co.nz offers a mix of free articles and subscriber-only premium content, alongside a digital E-edition, video content (ODTtv), the Morning Briefing email newsletter, and a suite of vertical features including Drive South (automotive), the Education Guide, and the Healthcare Providers Directory. Ancillary classified services include Death Notices, a Jobs Board, and a Wedding Guide. Distribution is via both physical newspaper delivery/retail across the South Island and self-serve digital subscription at odt.co.nz.

Revenue is generated primarily through subscription-based recurring fees for print and digital access, supplemented by advertising and classifieds. The marketing motion is sales-led via the website with calls-to-action on subscription, amplified through email newsletters and an active Facebook presence. The value proposition is grounded in trusted regional journalism — ODT self-positions as "NZ's Most Trusted" news brand — and comprehensive coverage of local-body politics, community events, and South Island regions that are underserved by national outlets.

Name

Otago Daily Times

Legal name

Allied Press Limited

Website

https://odt.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Otago Daily Times is a long-established regional newspaper based in Dunedin, New Zealand, serving communities across the South Island with print and digital subscription news coverage, video, and classified verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscriptions
• Print journalism
• Local news coverage
• News media

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue model offering print newspaper delivery and digital access to odt.co.nz content, with premium subscriber-only articles and content

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Otago Daily Times is a regional newspaper publishing daily local, national, and international news for the Otago, Southland, and broader South Island regions of New Zealand. The company delivers content through both a printed daily newspaper and a digital platform at odt.co.nz, with free articles alongside premium subscriber-only content gated by digital subscriptions. It also operates a portfolio of regional sub-brands and digital features including ODTtv, ODT Quiz, Drive South, Healthcare Providers Directory, Education Guide, Death Notices, and Jobs Board.

Product overview

Otago Daily Times operates as a multi-platform news media company offering a core daily newspaper product complemented by a network of regional sub-brands across the South Island of New Zealand. The flagship Otago Daily Times (ODT) newspaper is supplemented by digital products including ODTtv (video platform), ODT Quiz (entertainment), the Healthcare Providers Directory, and the Education Guide feature. The company also operates a portfolio of regional newspaper sub-brands including The Star (Dunedin and Christchurch), Oamaru Mail, Mountain Scene (Queenstown), and various other community publications across Otago, Southland, Canterbury, and Central Otago. The group also offers classified services including Death Notices and a Jobs Board, plus the Drive South automotive review platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Otago Daily Times (ODT) The flagship daily regional newspaper serving Otago and the South Island of New Zealand, providing local, national, and international news coverage across news, sport, lifestyle, entertainment, business, regions, features, and rural life. Available in print and digital editions.
• ODTtv Video news platform featuring news content and video storytelling from the Otago Daily Times newsroom, covering local and regional stories for Otago and Southland readers.
• ODT E-edition Digital replica edition of the printed Otago Daily Times newspaper, available to subscribers via the circulation store.
• ODT Quiz Daily quiz feature offering entertainment content to Otago Daily Times readers.
• Drive South Automotive review and motoring content platform covering new vehicles, motorsport news, and car industry updates in New Zealand.
• Healthcare Providers Directory Directory of healthcare providers in the Otago/Southland region featuring physiotherapy, dental, podiatry, hearing, and medical services listings.
• Education Guide Educational resource guide covering early childhood, primary school, secondary school, and tertiary education providers in the Otago/Southland region.
• The Star (Dunedin) Community newspaper serving the Dunedin area, part of the Allied Press Limited portfolio.
• The Star (Christchurch) Christchurch-based newspaper under the Allied Press Limited group.
• Oamaru Mail Local newspaper serving the Oamaru and North Otago region under the Allied Press Limited group.
• Mountain Scene Queenstown-based newspaper and entertainment guide under the Allied Press Limited group.
• Death Notices Classified death notice listings service on odt.co.nz for the Otago and Southland communities.
• Jobs Board Employment classifieds and job listings for the Otago/Southland region, powered through Handshake.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Allied Press LimitedparentOthersOtago Daily Times is owned and operated by Allied Press Limited, a New Zealand media company that owns multiple regional newspapers and publications across the South Island including The Star (Christchurch and Dunedin), Oamaru Mail, The News (Central Otago), The Ensign (Gore), Ashburton Courier, North Canterbury News, Southland Express, Southern Rural Life, Central Rural Life, The Courier (Timaru), Mountain Scene (Queenstown), Property Times South Canterbury, Clutha Leader, Bay Harbour News, Selwyn Times, and The Wanaka Sun.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stuff: New Zealand's largest news publisher, combining digital-first mastheads (Stuff) with regional print titles serving overlapping geographies and audiences, with the same subscription and advertising business model.
• Australian Community Media: Major regional newspaper group in Australia operating a portfolio of regional mastheads; direct structural analogue to Allied Press/ODT in terms of multi-title regional media consolidation.
• Waikato Times: Long-running regional newspaper serving the Waikato region under Stuff; comparable in product (regional print + digital), business model (subscriptions and advertising), and structural challenges.
• NZME (New Zealand Media and Entertainment): Owner of the NZ Herald and iHeart Radio; operates a national subscription-led news platform with regional coverage that directly competes for NZ advertising and reader budgets.
• Mountain Scene: Queenstown-based weekly newspaper under Allied Press; same parent, same multi-platform regional news publishing model, serving an overlapping audience with ODT.
• The Press: Christchurch-based daily newspaper covering Canterbury, a market ODT also serves; both are long-established regional dailies with print + digital subscription models under competitive pressures.
• Nelson Mail: Another Stuff-owned regional daily covering the top of the South Island — overlapping ODT's South Island coverage and sharing the same declining-print, digital-sub subscription model.
• Ashburton Courier: Allied Press sister title serving Mid-Canterbury, sharing infrastructure and operating model — closest operational peer and useful internal benchmark.

Broad incumbents

• Radio New Zealand (RNZ): Publicly funded national broadcaster producing news that appears on odt.co.nz (per content partnership); competes with ODT for NZ news audience attention and advertiser mindshare across the same regions.
• Newstalk ZB: NZME-owned talk-radio network providing news and current affairs; competes with ODT for audience time and ad budgets across shared coverage regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OtagoDailyTimes
• Xx.com/odtnews

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 Otago Daily Times