What Hiruka does

Hiruka, formally HIRUKA Kooperatiba Elkartea, is a non-profit social cooperative (irabazi asmorik gabeko gizarte ekimeneko kooperatiba) that operates a Basque-language local media outlet serving the Uribe Kosta region of Bizkaia, Spain. Founded in 2015 as the legal successor to the 2003 digital newspaper UKBERRI.NET, the cooperative publishes a daily-updated news website (hiruka.eus), a monthly print magazine (Hiruka astekaria), a weekly radio program (Uribitakora), and a range of supporting content including special reports, opinion columns, photo galleries, and video. It is the only Basque-language local outlet covering the full region of 10 municipalities (Barrika, Berango, Erandio, Getxo, Gorliz, Leioa, Lemoiz, Plentzia, Sopela, Urduliz), and it distributes hundreds of physical pick-up points alongside email, RSS, and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, YouTube).

The cooperative's core technology is a Codesyntax-built web content management system that hosts the news site, digital archive (editions 226 through 519+), member portal, and e-commerce/membership system. Reader revenue comes primarily from the HIRUKAlagun membership scheme (35 EUR/year individuals, 50 EUR/year businesses) and is supplemented by advertising on the website and in the print magazine. The go-to-market motion is community-led: readers are recruited through social media, the Tokikom federation network (~10 other local Basque outlets), prize draws, and participation in the Egunean Behin Tokikom Liga trivia competition. Business customers are local SMBs that subscribe both to support the outlet and to receive print copies for distribution to their own customers.

Hiruka's primary customer segments are Basque-speaking (euskaldun) residents of Uribe Kosta who seek local news, cultural coverage, and municipal information in their native language, and local businesses that use the outlet as a low-cost advertising and community-goodwill channel. The organization is governed cooperatively by its members, holds no external venture or private equity investment, and is part of the Tokikom network for shared infrastructure and cross-promotion. All website content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike.

Name

Hiruka

Legal name

HIRUKA Kooperatiba Elkartea

Website

https://hiruka.eus

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hiruka is a member-owned Basque-language cooperative (HIRUKA Kooperatiba Elkartea, founded 2015) that publishes a daily news website, monthly print magazine, and weekly radio program for the Uribe Kosta region of Bizkaia, Spain, funded by individual and business memberships and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news media
• Regional journalism
• Magazine publishing
• Community journalism
• Basque-language media

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HIRUKAlagun / HIRUKAKide Membership: Annual membership fees from readers (HIRUKAlagun: 35 EUR/year; HIRUKALagun for businesses: 50 EUR/year). Members receive the print magazine before street distribution, PDF editions by email, weekly event guides, exclusive prize draw entries, and partner discounts.
2. Print Magazine Sales and Distribution: Monthly print editions distributed free of charge through hundreds of pick-up points (kiosks, shops, bars, town halls, health centers, sports centers) across 10 municipalities. The physical presence drives reader engagement.
3. Advertising (Publizitatea): The outlet sells advertising space on its website and in the print magazine. A dedicated 'Publizitatea' page and aTokikom advertising network suggest both direct and network-mediated ad sales.
4. Commercial Membership (Negozioa): Business membership at 50 EUR/year includes distribution of the magazine to the business's customers and all HIRUKAlagun benefits, providing a B2B revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hiruka is a Basque-language local media cooperative that publishes daily digital news on hiruka.eus and a monthly print/digital magazine (Hiruka astekaria) covering 10 municipalities in the Uribe Kosta region of Bizkaia, Spain. The cooperative also operates a weekly radio program (Uribitakora), a community member portal (HIRUKA Lagun), a local business directory, and reader engagement features such as prize draws. Revenue is generated primarily through annual reader memberships (35 EUR individual, 50 EUR business) and advertising, with the print magazine distributed free at hundreds of physical pick-up points.

Product overview

Hiruka is a Basque-language (euskara hutsezko) local digital media outlet serving the Uribe Kosta region of Bizkaia, operating as part of the Tokikom network. The company publishes a monthly print magazine (Hiruka astekaria) and a continuously updated news website (hiruka.eus) covering local news across 10 municipalities (Barrika, Berango, EHU, Erandio, Getxo, Gorliz, Leioa, Lemoiz, Plentzia, Sopela, Urduliz, and Uribe Kosta). The outlet also maintains a weekly radio program (Uribitakora), video galleries, photo galleries, opinion/opinion articles, community sections, prize draws, event agenda, and a classifieds/advertising marketplace (Gida Komertziala / Zozketak). Key content categories include Kultura (culture), Euskara (Basque language), Kirolak (sports), Hezkuntza (education), Ekonomia (economy), Jendartea (society), Politika (politics), Gazteok (youth), Historia (history), Ingurumena (environment), Iritzia (opinion), and Jaiak (festivals). Hiruka offers a membership/subscription program (HIRUKA Lagun / bazkidetza) providing early digital access, PDF editions, contest entries, and discounts. The company is organized as HIRUKA Kooperatiba Elkartea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• hiruka.eus (news website) Primary digital news platform providing daily coverage of local news, events, sports, culture, politics, and community affairs across the Uribe Kosta region. Includes press archives (Prentsa), events agenda, community section, opinion (Iritzia), special reports (Bereziak), photo galleries, and videos, organized by 10 municipalities and 12 topic categories. Free access for readers.
• Hiruka astekaria (print/digital magazine) Monthly local magazine published in print and PDF covering in-depth stories, interviews, and cultural content from the Uribe Kosta region. Print copies are distributed free at hundreds of physical pick-up points (kiosks, shops, town halls, cultural/health/sports centers, bars, gas stations). PDF editions are delivered by email to HIRUKA Lagun members and available for download in the digital archive.
• HIRUKA Lagun (membership/subscription program) Paid annual membership program for individual readers (35 EUR/year) and local businesses (50 EUR/year, Negozioa). Members receive the print magazine before street distribution, PDF editions by email, weekly event guides, exclusive prize draw entries, and a HIRUKAlagun discount card for partner businesses. Business members additionally receive distribution of the magazine to their customers and commercial partner advantages. Includes cooperative membership (bazkidetza) with governance participation.
• Uribitakora (weekly radio program) Weekly radio program featuring local music, bertso (Basque improvised verse), and community content from the Uribe Kosta region, available on demand through the Hiruka website as an audio series.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tokikom NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHiruka is a member of the Tokikom network, a federation of local Basque-language media outlets covering different regions of the Basque Country. Tokikom provides shared infrastructure (website platform, RSS, advertising network), cross-promotional opportunities, and collaborative initiatives such as the Tokikom Liga competition. The partnership allows Hiruka to participate in shared programs and reach audiences across the broader Basque media ecosystem. The network also facilitates shared advertising (Tokikom publizitatea) and content syndication.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• EITB (Euskal Irrati Telebista): Basque public broadcaster operating television, radio, and digital channels in Basque and Spanish. As the dominant public media entity in the Basque Country, EITB absorbs significant public funding for Basque-language content and competes indirectly for audience attention and institutional advertising.
• Berria: The leading daily newspaper published entirely in Basque, covering the entire Basque Country and operating at much greater scale. While Berria focuses on national/regional news rather than hyperlocal, it competes for the same Basque-speaking readership and advertising budgets, making it the dominant incumbent in Hiruka's language category.
• El Correo: Major regional newspaper covering Bizkaia including the Uribe Kosta area, distributed in Spanish. While it operates at significantly larger scale and in Spanish, it competes for the same local advertising pool and serves overlapping (though distinct) readership in the same municipalities.

Direct peers

• Guaixe: Tokikom network member publishing local Basque-language news for the Sakana area of Navarra. Same cooperative structure, same Tokikom technology and ad network, and same hyperlocal coverage scope — a structural peer operating in a different but adjacent region.
• Aiurri: Local Basque-language media outlet in the Tokikom network covering the Debagoiena region. Operates the same technology stack and reader-supported cooperative model, providing a directly comparable peer in terms of geographic scope, language, and revenue architecture.
• Arabako Alea: Tokikom network outlet covering the Arabako Errioxa / Rioja Alavesa region in Basque. Functions as the same kind of hyperlocal, community-supported, cooperative media outlet — directly comparable in mission, scale, and operating model.
• Anboto: Tokikom federation member serving the Durangaldea region in Bizkaia with local Basque-language journalism. Same multi-channel distribution (web, magazine, community), same membership-driven revenue, and shared advertising infrastructure — a close peer in both content scope and business model.
• 28 Kanala: Tokikom federation member operating as a local Basque-language media outlet in its respective regional market. Uses the same Codesyntax platform, participates in the Tokikom Liga and shared advertising inventory, and runs the same reader-membership revenue model as Hiruka.
• Goiena: Tokikom federation member covering the Goierri region of Gipuzkoa in Basque. Mirrors Hiruka's cooperative structure, local coverage model, monthly print magazine + digital news model, and reader-membership revenue approach. Direct functional and structural peer.
• GUKA: Another local Basque-language media outlet that is part of the Tokikom federation, covering a different comarca. Operates on the same Codesyntax-built CMS, the same community-supported cooperative model, and shares the Tokikom cross-promotion and advertising network — making it the closest functional analogue to Hiruka.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8lh2Lo-_F0rbWvdzwZ0NbQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/HirukaEus
• Instagraminstagram.com/hirukaeus
• Xx.com/HirukaEus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hiruka.eus

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 Hiruka