Holyrood Communications

What Holyrood Communications does

Holyrood Communications is a private Scottish political media publisher operating under the trading name "Holyrood" — Scotland's fortnightly political and current affairs magazine — and legally held under Political Holdings Limited (Scotland-registered, company number SC200011). Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Edinburgh with 11–50 employees, the company delivers news, analysis, commentary, and in-depth interviews on the Scottish Parliament and Scottish politics through an integrated multi-platform portfolio: a fortnightly print and digital magazine, the holyrood.com news website, daily email newsletters, podcasts, an events platform (events.holyrood.com), and a Members Directory.

The business model combines three revenue streams: recurring B2C subscriptions (Direct Debit from £49 per year for the fortnightly magazine), advertising and clearly-marked sponsored content from corporate buyers (e.g., Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, sponsoring editorial around sustainability and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games), and ancillary revenue from events, memberships, and training delivered through the Total Politics Group network, which also spans PoliticsHome, The House, The Parliament, Civil Service World, and PublicTechnology. The primary customer segments are Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), political professionals and analysts, and a secondary audience of politically engaged general readers.

Strategically, Holyrood sits inside a niche political-media vertical with strong brand recognition — cited Ipsos MORI research identifies it as the most widely read publication amongst MSPs and it is routinely quoted inside the Scottish Parliament. The company is led by Mandy Rhodes as Managing Director. No public revenue, funding history, M&A activity, or AI/ML capability disclosures are available.

Name

Holyrood Communications

Legal name

Political Holdings Limited

Website

https://holyrood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Holyrood Communications publishes "Holyrood," Scotland's fortnightly political and current affairs magazine, and operates an integrated multi-platform portfolio of a news website, daily newsletter, podcasts, events, and a members directory serving Members of the Scottish Parliament, political professionals, and politically engaged general readers under Political Holdings Limited.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Fortnightly political magazine delivered via subscription model. Direct Debit subscriptions available from £49. Both print and digital access.
2. Newsletter Distribution: Free daily newsletter providing political news and analysis, driving audience engagement and potential premium conversion.
3. Sponsored Content and Partner Articles: Sponsored articles and partner content from organizations like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Articles marked as sponsored content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Holyrood Communications publishes a fortnightly political and current affairs magazine covering Scottish politics and the Scottish Parliament. The offering extends across a digital news website, daily email newsletter, podcast series, political events, and a paid membership programme serving political professionals, MSPs, and general readers in Scotland.

Product overview

Holyrood Communications operates a single unified media product centered on Holyrood Magazine, Scotland's fortnightly political and current affairs publication. The company offers a multi-platform news service combining the print magazine with a news website (holyrood.com), daily newsletters, podcasts, and events. The portfolio includes thematic sections covering Local Government, Education, Health, Justice, Environment, Business & Economy, and Holyrood Baby. The offering functions as an integrated political journalism platform rather than a modular software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holyrood Magazine Subscription

Quantifiable outcome

• Most widely read publication amongst MSPs (per Ipsos MORI)

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Holyrood covered the announcement of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners as the Official Soft Drinks Partner to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and Official Partner of Team Scotland. The partnership was announced at CCEP's East Kilbride facility.
• Coca-Cola Europacific PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is a member/advertiser on the Holyrood platform. CCEP publishes sponsored content on topics such as the Deposit Return Scheme, sustainability, and sporting events like Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Scotland including East Kilbride.
• Total Politics GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolyrood is part of the Total Politics Group network, which includes related publications like PoliticsHome, The House, The Parliament, Civil Service World, and PublicTechnology. The group provides media, events, and training services.
• Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (sponsored content)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCCEP publishes sponsored articles on Holyrood about topics including green growth, Deposit Return Scheme, and the Commonwealth Games. The articles are clearly marked as sponsored content.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Scotsman: Scotland's flagship daily newspaper with strong political and current affairs coverage. Comparable on Scottish political coverage and audience overlap, but operates a much broader general-news remit and competes indirectly for advertising budgets and Scottish political readership.
• The Herald Scotland: Major Scottish daily newspaper with significant political coverage of Holyrood and Scottish politics. Comparable in Scottish political news audience, though broader in editorial scope than Holyrood's niche focus.

Direct peers

• The House Magazine: Long-running UK political magazine focused on Parliament, also under the Total Politics Group umbrella. Closely comparable to Holyrood in product format (political magazine), subscription model, and target audience of legislators and political professionals.
• The New Statesman: UK political and current affairs weekly with print, digital, and subscription model, plus a sister business titles group. Comparable in subscription-based political journalism and policy-events business, though UK-wide rather than Scotland-focused.
• Civil Service World: UK publication targeting senior civil servants and public-sector professionals, part of the same Total Politics Group. Directly comparable in B2B/B2G political and public-affairs media positioning and target audience.
• The Spectator: UK weekly magazine of politics, culture and current affairs with print and digital subscription. Comparable in subscription-driven political magazine format, though it operates UK-wide and with a more opinion-driven editorial stance.
• PublicTechnology: Public-sector technology news site, sister title within the Total Politics Group. Comparable as a specialist vertical publication serving government decision-makers with sponsored-content-friendly audiences.
• The Parliament Magazine: EU-focused political publication covering the European Parliament, also part of the Total Politics Group. Closely comparable in niche political journalism, subscription model, and events-driven revenue.
• PoliticsHome: UK political news and commentary site covering Westminster and Whitehall, part of the same Total Politics Group as Holyrood. Directly comparable in audience (political professionals and MPs) and in the multi-format political media model.

Broad incumbents

• Politico Europe: Pan-European political news organization with strong coverage of UK and devolved politics. Comparable in political journalism model, subscription products, and policy-events monetization, but operates at much larger scale and broader geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/holyrooddaily
• Facebookfacebook.com/HolyroodDaily

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Holyrood Communications