What KelownaNow does

KelownaNow is a privately held digital local news and information platform serving Kelowna and the broader Central Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1998 and operating within the NowMedia network of six regional BC news sites (Vernon, Penticton, Kamloops, Victoria, and Prince George), the platform publishes a broad range of regional content categories including local, provincial, national, and world news; weather; sports; business; lifestyle; and community events. Core products include the news website, a Kelowna-focused events calendar, a business directory, a real estate listings integration via relnow.ca, a weather service, a BC Wildfire Dashboard, an Okanagan Lake flood watch tracker, and a network of live webcams. The company also maintains a portfolio of sub-brands such as Best of Kelowna, I am Woman, Faces of Kelowna, Level UP, and KWIB (Kelowna Women in Business), along with companion publications across the NowMedia network.

The platform is built on a CakePHP-based web content management system with Facebook SSO authentication and is monetized primarily through digital advertising, including display ads, sponsored content, business directory listings, and event promotion placements; a daily email newsletter supplements advertiser reach. Revenue is sourced from local and regional advertisers — restaurants, wineries, real estate firms, healthcare providers, retailers, and service businesses — as well as event organizers and tourism operators seeking exposure to the Okanagan consumer base. Key content and data partnerships include the BC Wildfire Service, Environment Canada, Tourism Kelowna, and Cision, which extend the platform's editorial and utility footprint without proportional staffing cost.

The company's go-to-market is community-led: it drives advertiser value through daily content cadence, social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and SoundCloud, plus a recurring email newsletter. No mobile app, public API, or proprietary AI features are present in the product surface. The site is free to readers, with no consumer subscription paywall, and the company is privately held with no disclosed funding, investors, or revenue figures.

Name

KelownaNow

Legal name

NowMedia

Website

https://kelownanow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KelownaNow is a privately held digital local news and information platform serving Kelowna and the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia, monetized through regional digital advertising, sponsored content, and a business directory, with operations spanning six NowMedia network sites across BC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital News Media

NAICS

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

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA), Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ), Emergency Communications, Alerting & Public Warning Systems (HLAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Local news media
• Digital advertising
• Community news platform
• Online journalism
• Regional news network

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: The primary revenue stream comes from selling digital advertising placements across the website, including display ads, banner advertisements, and sponsored content sections. The platform features dedicated advertising contact pages and serves local and regional advertisers.
2. Sponsored Content: The platform publishes sponsored content articles and community partnership pieces, featuring dedicated sections for branded content and sponsored features from local businesses and organizations.
3. Business Directory: The Kelowna Business Directory provides a platform for local businesses to list their services, generating revenue through business listings and featured placements.
4. Event Promotion: Revenue generated through event listings and promotion, with featured event placements and event-related advertising opportunities.
5. Newsletter Subscriptions: Daily email newsletter distribution with subscription options, providing an additional channel for reaching engaged local readers and supporting advertiser value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

KelownaNow operates a digital local news and information platform serving Kelowna and the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia, delivering editorial coverage of local, provincial, national, and world news alongside weather, sports, business, lifestyle, events, and community content. The platform monetizes its audience through digital advertising, sponsored content, business directory listings, event promotion, and a daily email newsletter. Supplementary tools include an events calendar, business directory, real estate listings integration, weather service, BC Wildfire Dashboard, Flood Watch Tracker, and a network of live webcams.

Product overview

KelownaNow is a local news and information platform for Kelowna and Central Okanagan, British Columbia. The offering consists of a core news platform providing coverage across multiple categories (local, provincial, national, world news, weather, sports, entertainment, business, and opinion), supplemented by specialized tools including an events calendar, business directory, real estate listings integration, weather service, BC wildfire dashboard, flood watch tracker, and webcam network. The platform serves as a comprehensive digital hub for regional community information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NowMedia: Parent media brand appearing in logo 'NowMediaKelownaNow-05-1.png'
• I am Woman
• Faces of Kamloops
• Level UP
• Faces of Kelowna
• Best of Kelowna
• KWIB

Products and services

• KelownaNow News Platform A local news and information website providing coverage of Kelowna and Central Okanagan region, featuring news categories including local, provincial, national, and world news, as well as weather, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, business, and opinion content. Built on a CakePHP content management system, it serves as the primary digital hub for regional community information.
• KelownaNow Events Calendar An events listing platform for Kelowna and West Kelowna, allowing users to search and browse events by category, date, and type, with event submission capabilities for organizers. It serves as a community event discovery tool for local residents and visitors.
• KelownaNow Business Directory A comprehensive online business directory for Kelowna featuring local businesses organized by category including accommodations, automotive, restaurants, retail, services, and more. It enables local businesses to gain online visibility and serves as a discovery tool for consumers seeking local services.
• KelownaNow Real Estate Listings Real estate listings integration connecting to an external real estate platform for property searches in the Kelowna area. It provides users with access to local property listings and market information.
• Daily Email Newsletter Daily email newsletter with curated local news, weather updates, and event highlights, providing subscriber access and supporting advertiser value. It serves as a recurring touchpoint for engaged local readers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NowMedia NetworkcoreOthersKelownaNow operates as part of the NowMedia network of regional news websites in British Columbia, which includes VernonNow, PentictonNow, KamloopsBCNow, VictoriaNow, and PrinceGeorgeNow. This network structure enables shared resources, cross-promotion, and regional coverage expansion across BC communities.
• CisionminorOthersCision provides news release wire services for distributing press releases and corporate announcements through the KelownaNow platform, as evidenced by the News Releases section powered by Cision.
• Tourism KelownaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative content relationship featuring tourism-related content and Okanagan experience features on the platform, including video content partnerships and destination promotion.
• BC Wildfire ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated BC Wildfire Dashboard section providing real-time wildfire information, evacuation orders, and fire updates in partnership with BC Wildfire Service for public safety information dissemination.
• Environment CanadaminorOthersWeather data integration providing real-time weather forecasts, conditions, and alerts for the Kelowna region through Environment Canada data feeds.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Glacier Media: Glacier Media is a Canadian public company operating a broad portfolio of community newspapers and digital media properties across Western Canada, including BC. It competes with KelownaNow for regional advertising and is a likely consolidator in the same space.
• Black Press Media: Black Press Media is one of Western Canada's largest independent community news groups, with print and digital properties across BC and Alberta. It overlaps with KelownaNow in the Okanagan market and is a comparable for community digital ad monetization.
• Global News (BC): Global News operates a BC digital news vertical with local reporting across the province. It competes with KelownaNow for both audiences (Kelowna/Okanagan residents) and digital ad budgets, though from a national broadcasting base.
• CBC British Columbia: CBC BC is a major public broadcaster producing local digital news for BC communities including Kelowna. It competes for the same local news audience and is funded through a model that contrasts with KelownaNow's advertising-led approach.

Direct peers

• VernonNow: VernonNow is a sister site in the NowMedia network covering Vernon, BC. It uses the same platform, business model, and audience approach as KelownaNow and serves as a direct internal comparable for the Kelowna market.
• Castanet: Castanet is the dominant locally-focused digital news platform serving the Kelowna, Okanagan, and broader BC interior markets. It directly competes with KelownaNow for the same local audience and local advertising dollars, with overlapping news, classifieds, and event coverage.
• Village Media: Village Media operates a network of locally-focused digital news sites across small and mid-sized Canadian communities (e.g., SooToday, OrilliaMatters). It is the closest Canadian analog to NowMedia's regional roll-up model and competes for both audiences and advertisers.
• PentictonNow: PentictonNow is the NowMedia network's Penticton, BC site, directly comparable to KelownaNow in product mix, business model, and audience (Okanagan-region residents and SMB advertisers).
• KamloopsBCNow: KamloopsBCNow is another NowMedia network sister site serving Kamloops, BC. It operates the same community-led digital news model and provides a useful benchmark for unit economics across the network.

Emerging players

• Patch Media: Patch is a US-based network of hyperlocal digital news sites targeting small and mid-sized communities. It is thematically comparable to the NowMedia network in its community-led, SMB-advertising model, and signals where the network model could be taken at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kelownanow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BestofKelownanow
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bestofkelownanow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelownanow
• Instagraminstagram.com/bestofkelownanow
• TikToktiktok.com/@kelownanow.com
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kelownanow

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 KelownaNow