kawarthaNOW

What kawarthaNOW does

kawarthaNOW is an independent digital news and information publisher serving Peterborough, Ontario, and the surrounding Kawarthas region. Founded in 1996, it has operated continuously for approximately 30 years as a hyperlocal media outlet covering community news, events, business, arts, weather, and lifestyle content relevant to the area. The publication operates a portfolio of branded properties including nightlifeNOW (entertainment/nightlife coverage), encoreNOW (arts and culture), and The Beach Report (local water quality reporting), supported by a cumulative social media following of over 89,000 users across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Threads, and Bluesky, alongside email newsletter distribution.

The underlying platform is a WordPress-based publishing system that produces editorial content for both web consumption and email newsletter delivery. Content production is sustained and active, with thousands of articles published cumulatively and ongoing editorial output through 2025-2026. The company distributes across multiple social media channels and has expanded to emerging platforms (Threads, Bluesky), suggesting deliberate audience diversification. Multiple trademarks have been registered covering the branded sub-properties.

Revenue is generated through a combination of local business advertising and sponsorships targeted at SMB customers in the Peterborough market, supplemented by email newsletter subscription relationships. A notable commercial relationship is a partnership with the Peterborough County Economic Development & Tourism Division for branded editorial content supporting regional tourism. The operation is privately held and small (1-10 employees), reflecting the lean, founder-led structure typical of independent hyperlocal digital publishers. The business model is fundamentally advertising-dependent with limited disclosed diversification into subscription paywalls or premium content tiers.

Name

kawarthaNOW

Legal name

kawarthaNOW

Website

https://kawarthanow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

kawarthaNOW is an independent hyperlocal digital news publisher founded in 1996, serving Peterborough, Ontario, and the Kawarthas region through web content, email newsletters, and social media. It monetizes via local SMB advertising and sponsorships, serving residents, visitors, and regional businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: The website generates revenue through advertising placements, sponsored content, and branded editorial features. They offer advertising options to local businesses and accept paid messages from advertisers.
2. Email Newsletter Subscriptions: They offer a weekly VIP Enews with exclusive giveaways and a daily news digest, potentially with premium features or sponsorships attached.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

kawarthaNOW is a digital local news and community information website covering the Peterborough and Kawarthas region of Ontario, Canada. It publishes original journalism, community event listings, arts and entertainment coverage, and lifestyle content across branded sub-sites including nightlifeNOW, encoreNOW, The Beach Report, and the Keep It In The Kawarthas community campaign. The site distributes content via its main website, email newsletters, and RSS feeds, complemented by weather, travel, and local business information sections.

Product overview

kawarthaNOW is a community news and information website serving as a comprehensive digital platform for the Peterborough and The Kawarthas region. The core offering is the kawarthaNOW.com website, which aggregates and publishes local news, events, and community information. The platform operates several branded content verticals including nightlifeNOW (live music listings), encoreNOW (arts and entertainment coverage), and The Beach Report (weekly water quality reports). The Keep It In The Kawarthas section promotes local businesses. Additional features include weather forecasts and travel resources for the region, along with RSS feed subscriptions for content syndication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• kawarthaNOW.com

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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.

• Peterborough County Economic Development & Tourism DivisioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026kawarthaNOW partners with Peterborough County's Economic Development & Tourism Division on branded editorial content series such as 'The Local Advantage with Peterborough County', promoting local farmers, food producers, and agri-tourism businesses. This includes coverage of Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives.
• Greater Peterborough Chamber of CommerceminorOtherskawarthaNOW is a proud member of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, a business organization supporting the local business community in Peterborough region.
• Women's Business Network of PeterboroughminorOtherskawarthaNOW maintains membership in the Women's Business Network of Peterborough, supporting women entrepreneurs and business professionals in the region.
• Quid Novis ProductionminorOtherskawarthaNOW is identified as 'A Quid Novis Production', suggesting a production company affiliation or brand.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MyKawartha.com: MyKawartha.com is a competing hyperlocal digital news outlet covering the City of Kawartha Lakes and surrounding region, directly overlapping kawarthaNOW's geographic coverage and audience. It is operated by Village Media but functions as a direct local competitor for SMB ad dollars.
• Village Media: Village Media operates a network of hyperlocal community news and information websites across Ontario (e.g., SooToday, Orillia Matters, BayToday), making it the most direct operational analogue to kawarthaNOW's hyperlocal digital news model. Both organizations monetize via local advertising, sponsored content, and free event/community listings.
• The Peterborough Examiner: The Peterborough Examiner is a Postmedia-owned daily newspaper serving the Peterborough region with a digital edition, directly competing with kawarthaNOW for local news readership and SMB advertising. It represents a legacy incumbent that kawarthaNOW has effectively competed against for nearly 30 years.

Broad incumbents

• Postmedia Network: Postmedia Network is Canada's largest newspaper chain and operates numerous regional/local dailies including The Peterborough Examiner, providing overlapping local-news coverage and competing for the same regional SMB advertising budgets as kawarthaNOW, but at national scale.
• Torstar Corporation: Torstar is a major Canadian media company publishing the Toronto Star and a network of regional dailies and community papers, including titles that overlap kawarthaNOW's coverage geography. It represents a large incumbent with diversified revenue streams that compete for the same local SMB advertisers.
• Metroland Media Group: Metroland Media Group operates a chain of community newspapers across Ontario (many in the same regions as kawarthaNOW's footprint) and digital community sites, directly overlapping kawarthaNOW's hyperlocal community-news vertical. Following recent restructuring, Metroland continues to publish community news content.
• Global News Peterborough: Global News operates a Peterborough bureau under Corus Entertainment, providing local news, weather, and event coverage for the same region as kawarthaNOW. It is a broad incumbent in local news with TV, web, and social distribution that competes for both audience and regional advertisers.
• CBC Peterborough: CBC Peterborough is the regional bureau of Canada's public broadcaster, providing free local news, event coverage, and community information for the same Peterborough and Kawarthas region served by kawarthaNOW. It competes for audience attention but operates on a public-broadcaster model rather than ad-supported SMB sales.

Others

• Eventbrite Canada: Eventbrite is a self-serve event-listing and ticketing platform used by many of the same venues, festivals, and community organizations that submit events to kawarthaNOW. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct editorial competitor, but represents a potential partner or substitute for kawarthaNOW's free community event-submission product.
• Community News - Canoe / Postmedia Community Sites: Postmedia and similar groups operate community news and lifestyle sites in adjacent Ontario regions (Muskoka, Haliburton-adjacent). They are ecosystem peers in the broader Ontario community-news vertical, sharing advertisers and editorial talent pools with kawarthaNOW without directly competing in the Peterborough core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kawarthanow
• Facebookfacebook.com/kawarthanow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kawarthanow.com
• Instagraminstagram.com/kawarthanowcommunity

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 kawarthaNOW