NOW! Jakarta

What NOW! Jakarta does

NOW! Jakarta is an Indonesia-based, privately-held English-language lifestyle media brand founded in January 2009 by Alistair Speirs and operated through the corporate entity PT. Phoenix Communications. The company publishes a bi-monthly magazine serving as an insider guide to life in Jakarta for expats, temporary residents, visitors, business professionals, and the international community, covering dining, events, art, culture, lifestyle, and travel across Indonesia. Content is delivered across four channels: a paid print magazine (IDR 50,000/copy or IDR 300,000/yearly subscription with delivery across Jakarta and Indonesia), a free downloadable digital edition distributed via Payhip, a weekly email newsletter, and social media on Facebook and Instagram.

The publication's product and technology stack is a conventional multi-format publishing platform rather than a differentiated technology business: the print edition is produced bi-monthly, the website (nowjakarta.co.id) is built and maintained by third-party digital agency Gaia Digital Agency, and digital distribution leverages the Payhip e-commerce platform. There is no proprietary mobile application, no developer-facing API, and no disclosed data assets or AI/ML capabilities. An annual proprietary awards program — the Best Restaurant, Bar and Cafe Awards (BRBCA) — adds a separate IP asset across 18 culinary categories voted on by readers.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) recurring print magazine subscriptions and single-copy sales; (2) freemium digital distribution used to build audience reach; and (3) the primary revenue driver, advertising and sponsorships from enterprise clients in hospitality, F&B, retail, healthcare, education, and transportation. Named advertisers include Hotel Borobudur Jakarta, Accor Hotels, DoubleTree Hilton, Fraser Hospitality, PT Sari Coffee Indonesia (Starbucks), PT HERO Supermarket, Siloam Hospitals, British School Jakarta, Blue Bird Group, and IKEA Indonesia. The company operates a sister publication, NOW! Bali, and has partnerships with MVB Indonesia for sustainability event coverage. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

NOW! Jakarta

Legal name

PT. Phoenix Communications

Website

https://nowjakarta.co.id

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NOW! Jakarta is an Indonesia-based English-language lifestyle media company publishing a bi-monthly print and digital magazine, weekly newsletter, and social media content for expats, visitors, and business professionals in Jakarta. Revenue is driven primarily by enterprise advertising across hospitality, F&B, retail, and lifestyle sectors, with a sister publication in Bali.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle Media Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH), Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

Keywords

• Lifestyle magazine publishing
• Digital content media
• Print media advertising
• City guide journalism
• Weekly newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangka

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Sales: Physical magazine sales at IDR 50,000 per copy with yearly subscriptions at IDR 300,000. Published bi-monthly with deliveries across Jakarta and Indonesia.
2. Digital Magazine: Free digital magazine downloads generating indirect revenue through advertising and audience building
3. Advertising & Sponsorships: Revenue from advertisers including hospitality, F&B, education, transportation, health and beauty sectors. Client list includes major hotel groups and brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NOW! Jakarta publishes a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine serving as an insider guide to life in Jakarta, covering dining, events, art, culture, and lifestyle. The magazine is distributed in print (IDR 50,000 per copy, IDR 300,000 annual subscription) and digital formats (free download via Payhip). The company also operates a weekly email newsletter, a content website, social media channels, and the annual Best Restaurant, Bar and Cafe Awards (BRBCA). Advertising and sponsorships from enterprise clients in hospitality, F&B, education, and retail sectors supplement subscription revenue.

Product overview

NOW! Jakarta operates a multi-platform media business built around its core magazine product, distributed in both print and digital formats on a bi-monthly schedule. The publication serves as an insider guide to Jakarta life, covering lifestyle, dining, events, art, culture, and travel content. The company distributes content across a print magazine, a free downloadable digital edition, and a weekly email newsletter. The print and digital magazines are the primary products, while the newsletter serves as a supplementary content delivery channel. All three products share editorial content about Jakarta's lifestyle scene.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NOW! Jakarta Magazine (Print Edition) Bi-monthly printed lifestyle magazine serving as an insider's guide to Jakarta, covering dining, events, art, culture, lifestyle, and travel content. Sold individually at IDR 50,000 per copy or via yearly subscription at IDR 300,000 (six issues). Delivered across Jakarta and Indonesia.
• NOW! Jakarta Magazine (Digital Edition) Free downloadable digital version of the bi-monthly magazine, available globally via the Payhip publishing platform for reading on any device at any time. Generates indirect revenue through audience building and advertising support.
• Weekly Newsletter Weekly email newsletter delivering the latest updates, feature stories, news, and upcoming events from across Jakarta to subscribers. Delivered once per week.
• NOW! Jakarta's Best Restaurant, Bar and Cafe Awards (BRBCA) Annual awards program recognizing excellence in Jakarta's culinary industry across 18 categories including best restaurants by cuisine, bars, lounges, and cafes. Winners are voted by readers and published online, serving as a peer-reviewed recognition platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Strong brand recognition in Jakarta's international community

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Phoenix CommunicationscoreOthersParent company of NOW! Jakarta. PT. Phoenix Communications is the publishing company behind the magazine, responsible for operations and business development.
• NOW! BalicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the NOW! media network covering Bali. NOW! Bali (nowbali.co.id) is a sister publication with similar focus on lifestyle and culture in Bali.
• MVB IndonesiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of MVB Indonesia network. MVB Indonesia organizes sustainability events including the TRANSFORMATION Sustainability Forum that NOW! Jakarta covers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Monocle: Premium lifestyle/affluent-expatriate print and digital media brand covering cities, travel, culture, and design. Comparable in target audience (affluent expats, business travelers, diplomats) and high-end lifestyle advertising base.
• Time Out Group: Global city-guide media brand with established multi-city print + digital + social + event model. Highly comparable business model (insider city guides, advertising-driven, restaurant/events awards) but operates at vastly broader global scale.
• The Jakarta Post: English-language newspaper and digital media in Indonesia, with a lifestyle/lifestyle-journalism sub-brand. Comparable in serving English-reading expat and business audiences in Jakarta, though broader in editorial scope (news-led, not pure lifestyle).

Direct peers

• NOW! Bali: Sister publication under the same Phoenix Communications parent, covering Bali with the same insider-city-guide, multi-platform (print + digital + newsletter) media model. The closest direct comparable peer, replicating the Jakarta playbook in another Indonesian city.
• The Beat Jakarta: Jakarta-based lifestyle, nightlife, and events publication serving the expatriate community. Direct overlap on Jakarta nightlife, dining, and events coverage and on the same hospitality/F&B advertiser base.
• Indonesia Expat Magazine: Long-running English-language print and digital magazine targeting the expat community in Indonesia. Directly comparable target audience (expats, business professionals) and editorial focus (Jakarta-centric lifestyle, events, services).

Regional players

• Hive Life: Digital lifestyle publication covering Hong Kong, Singapore, and other Asian hubs, targeting affluent expat professionals. Comparable audience (international professionals, lifestyle content) and advertiser mix (hospitality, dining, premium brands) without the print legacy.
• Coconuts Media: Digital-first Southeast Asian city news/lifestyle publisher operating across Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Manila, etc. Comparable in covering Southeast Asian urban lifestyle and reaching expat/young professional audiences, though digital-native rather than print-led.
• BK Magazine: Long-running Bangkok-based lifestyle/city magazine with similar city-insider, expat-friendly content and F&B/hospitality advertiser base. Operates in a different city but mirrors the business model, audience, and pricing tiers closely.

Emerging players

• Esquire Indonesia / Grooming Etc. Indonesia-edition of the international lifestyle magazine. Comparable in advertising-led premium magazine business model serving Indonesian urban professionals and lifestyle brands; broader genre (men's, fashion, culture) than NOW! Jakarta's expat/insider focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NOWJakarta
• Instagraminstagram.com/now_jakarta
• Xx.com/NOW_Jakarta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/now-jakarta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 NOW! Jakarta