The Area News
The Area News is a regional digital news website serving Griffith, Leeton, and the wider Riverina region of NSW, Australia. Operating since 1923 and now part of Australian Community Media, it delivers local news, sport, classifieds, newsletters, and a digital print edition to regional readers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1923
- HeadquartersGriffith, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Area News does
The Area News is a regional news website serving Griffith, Leeton, and the surrounding Riverina communities of New South Wales, Australia, operating since its founding in 1923 and now functioning as a digital-first local news platform. It delivers coverage across news, sport, weather, entertainment, lifestyle, classifieds, and travel, supplemented by digital products including Today's Paper (a digital replica of the print edition), interactive puzzles, multiple email newsletters (breaking news alerts, daily headlines, and topic-specific verticals), and a classifieds and jobs marketplace integrated with ViewJobs. The site operates on Australian Community Media's (ACM) centralized web infrastructure powered by the NewsNow content platform, which enables content syndication across the broader ACM network of approximately ten regional news titles in NSW and regional Australia.
The business generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring digital subscriptions (annual billing, currently promoted at a 50% EOFY discount) that grant cross-regional access across ACM's network of sites, display and branded-content advertising (including partnerships with Toyota Australia and Destination NSW), and classifieds revenue covering real estate, vehicles, employment, and community listings. Its customer base is overwhelmingly consumer — regional readers seeking local news, sport coverage, community information, and marketplace services underserved by metropolitan media — with a secondary user segment of local businesses and job seekers using the classifieds and ViewJobs platforms.
The Area News operates as a subsidiary within the Australian Community Media conglomerate, with operational control resting at the ACM network level rather than at the individual title level. Headcount is small (1–10 employees), consistent with a lean local newsroom supported by ACM's shared editorial, technology, and commercial infrastructure. No public ownership, investor, or financial detail is disclosed, and the site functions as one node within ACM's regional publishing portfolio rather than as a standalone enterprise.
The Area News firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Area News
- Legal name
- The Area News
- Website
- https://areanews.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1923
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Area News is a regional digital news website serving Griffith, Leeton, and the wider Riverina region of NSW, Australia. Operating since 1923 and now part of Australian Community Media, it delivers local news, sport, classifieds, newsletters, and a digital print edition to regional readers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Area News industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional News
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where The Area News is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Griffith
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Area News business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue model providing unlimited digital access to The Area News website and all ACM regional sites in the user's area, plus access to the digital version of the print edition (Today's Paper).
- Display Advertising: Traditional display advertising on website pages, including sponsored content sections and branded content partnerships.
- Classifieds and Marketplace: Revenue from classified advertisements including real estate (Cars, Property), jobs (ViewJobs), tributes & funerals, celebrations, and garage sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Unlimited digital access with 50% EOFY discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Area News product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Area News is a regional news website delivering local news, sport, weather, community updates, entertainment, lifestyle and classifieds for Griffith, NSW and surrounding Riverina communities. It operates as part of Australian Community Media's (ACM) network of regional publications, providing digital subscriptions, email newsletters, a digital replica of its print edition (Today's Paper), classifieds, job listings via ViewJobs, and interactive puzzles to individual readers.
Product overview
The Area News is a regional news website operated by Australian Community Media (ACM), offering a unified platform for local news, sport, entertainment, classifieds, and travel content. The core offering includes the main news website supplemented by digital products: Today's Paper (digital replica of print editions), Interactive Puzzles (crossword, sudoku, trivia), Newsletters (Breaking news alerts, morning news, topic-specific), Classifieds, and ViewJobs. The network also publishes Eat Play Stay travel magazines as a branded content product. Subscription access provides cross-network access to all ACM regional websites in the area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Area News Website
Companies that use The Area News
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Area News technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Area News partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Toyota AustraliacoreToyota Australia partners with The Area News/ACM through the Toyota Good for Footy raffle program, supporting grassroots Australian rules football clubs across Australia. The partnership features branded content on ACM regional news sites highlighting community football stories, club funding achievements, and youth development programs like the Kinderkick initiative.
- Destination NSWcoreDestination NSW sponsors travel and lifestyle content in The Area News, featuring destinations across NSW including the Hunter Valley, South Coast, and regional areas. Content includes sponsored articles promoting NSW tourism experiences and travel destinations.
- ViewJobsminorViewJobs job aggregation service integrated into The Area News, bringing job opportunities across Australia to local readers through the site's Jobs section.
- Australian Community Media (ACM) NetworkcoreThe Area News is owned and operated by Australian Community Media, part of a network of regional news sites including The Border Mail, The Daily Advertiser, Cootamundra Herald, Eastern Riverina Chronicle, Harden Murrumburrah Express, Southern Cross, The Irrigator, The Observer, and The Rural. The network enables content sharing, bundled subscriptions, and cross-promotion.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Area News competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Crikey: Subscription-based Australian digital news outlet focused on politics, media, and business. Comparable as an Australian digital subscription news business, though operating at national scope and different topical focus.
- InDaily: Independent digital news publisher focused on South Australian news and current affairs. Comparable as an Australian regional/sub-national digital subscription news outlet with similar scale and editorial focus.
- The Guardian Australia: Digital-first Australian news outlet (part of Guardian Media Group) operating on a subscription-supported model covering Australian news, sport, and lifestyle. Comparable as a digital news subscription business targeting Australian audiences, though at national rather than regional scope.
- Manning River Times: Regional Australian newspaper covering the Manning Valley in NSW, also part of a multi-title regional publishing group. Comparable as a regional/regional-press title with similar digital subscription and classified advertising model.
- The Conversation: Australian digital news and analysis publisher funded through a mix of reader donations and university partnerships. Comparable as a digital news subscription/reader-supported model targeting Australian audiences.
Broad incumbents
- News Corp Australia: Australia's largest news media group operating major metropolitan and regional newspapers (The Australian, Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph) plus digital platforms. Directly comparable as a large incumbent with overlapping regional news exposure, though operating at much greater scale and portfolio breadth than The Area News.
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): Public broadcaster producing national and regional news content across digital and broadcast channels, with regional reporting teams covering rural and regional Australia including NSW. Comparable as a competing source of regional news for the same Griffith/Riverina audience.
- Seven West Media: Diversified Australian media company with newspaper assets (West Australian, Pacific Magazines) and the Seven broadcast network. Comparable as a broad incumbent with regional content production and digital subscription infrastructure.
- Nine Entertainment: Operates Nine newspapers (Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, Australian Financial Review) and broadcast assets. Comparable as a broad Australian media incumbent with paid digital subscription products overlapping The Area News' subscription model.
Emerging players
- The Saturday Paper: Weekly Australian print and digital news publication from Schwartz Media. Comparable as an Australian subscription news brand operating in print-plus-digital format, though at national rather than regional scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Area News social profiles
Digital presenceThe Area News financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Area News leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Area News funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Area News M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Area News
What does The Area News do?
The Area News is a regional news website delivering local news, sport, weather, community updates, entertainment, lifestyle and classifieds for Griffith, NSW and surrounding Riverina communities. It operates as part of Australian Community Media's (ACM) network of regional publications, providing digital subscriptions, email newsletters, a digital replica of its print edition (Today's Paper), classifieds, job listings via ViewJobs, and interactive puzzles to individual readers.
Is The Area News a public or private company?
The Area News is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Area News founded?
The Area News was founded in 1923. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Area News based?
The Area News is headquartered in Griffith, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does The Area News make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Digital Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are display Advertising and classifieds and Marketplace.
Who are The Area News's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Crikey, InDaily, The Guardian Australia, Manning River Times and The Conversation. Broad incumbents are News Corp Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Seven West Media and Nine Entertainment. The Saturday Paper is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Area News have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Area News.
What industry is The Area News in?
The Area News's product category is Regional News. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.