Metro Philadelphia

What Metro Philadelphia does

Metro Philadelphia is a Philadelphia-based local news publication founded in 2001 that operates across digital and print channels, publishing content online daily and in print three times per week. The outlet covers local news, crime, politics, transit, business, education, affordable housing, elections, and lifestyle content across eight named Philadelphia neighborhoods (Center City, North, Northeast, Northwest, Riverwards, South, West) plus suburban coverage via a dedicated suburbs microsite. A sub-brand, the Philly Sports Network, covers Philadelphia Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, 76ers, Union, college teams, and international soccer including World Cup content. The company was acquired by O'Rourke Media Group from Schneps Media in July 2025.

The underlying technology is a standard digital news publishing platform with e-editions for digital subscribers and free email newsletters (Metro Philly Newsletter, Philly Sports Network Newsletter). Payment processing is handled via Stripe integrated through Flip-Pay (operated by International Micro Payment Ventures Ltd) for digital edition subscriptions, and audience measurement runs on Google Analytics with opt-out via the Network Advertising Initiative tool. The site is GDPR- and CCPA-compliant, including a 45-day data deletion workflow. No public or partner-facing APIs are documented. Products include the core Metro Philadelphia news outlet, the Philly Sports Network sub-brand, E-Editions, email newsletters, an events calendar with submission capability, neighborhood-specific coverage sections, a Things-to-Do entertainment guide, and a paid print subscription product.

Metro Philadelphia operates a dual revenue model combining recurring subscription revenue (print home delivery and digital editions) with advertising revenue sold to local businesses through the O'Rourke Media Group advertising portal. Customer segments are Philadelphia metro residents seeking local news, sports, and event coverage. The business is privately held with 101-250 employees, headquartered in Philadelphia with a mailing address in Morrisville, PA, and pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Metro Philadelphia

Legal name

Metro Philadelphia

Website

https://metrophiladelphia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Metro Philadelphia is a privately held local news publication founded in 2001, serving Philadelphia metro residents with daily digital and thrice-weekly print coverage of local news, neighborhoods, sports, and events under O'Rourke Media Group ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news publishing
• Digital journalism
• Sports coverage
• Newspaper publishing
• Entertainment news

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Print and digital subscriptions for the newspaper published online daily and in print three times a week
2. Advertising: Advertising packages sold to local businesses, available through O'Rourke Media Group's advertising portal

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Metro Philadelphia is a local daily online and thrice-weekly print newspaper serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area with news, sports, and entertainment coverage. It also operates the Philly Sports Network sub-brand covering Philadelphia professional and amateur sports, distributed through web, e-editions, email newsletters, and social media. Revenue is generated through paid print and digital subscriptions alongside local advertising packages.

Product overview

Metro Philadelphia operates as a local media publication platform offering a unified news product across digital and print channels. The core offering is the Metro Philadelphia news outlet covering local news, neighborhoods, and city events, complemented by the Philly Sports Network for sports coverage. Additional offerings include E-Editions for digital access to print content, email newsletters, an events calendar, Things to Do guides, and neighborhood-specific coverage sections. The publication is published online daily and in print three times a week, with subscriptions available through O'Rourke Media Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Philly Sports Network: Sports coverage network covering Philadelphia sports teams including Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, 76ers, and Union.

Products and services

• Metro Philadelphia News The primary local news outlet covering Philadelphia-area news, crime, politics, transit, business, education, affordable housing, elections, money, and lifestyle content, published online daily and in print three times a week for Philadelphia-area residents.
• Philly Sports Network

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• O'Rourke Media GroupcoreOthers · 16 July 2025O'Rourke Media Group acquired Metro Philadelphia, Metro.us, and the Philly Sports Network from Schneps Media. The outlets focus on news, local events, and serve as guides to the city, publishing online daily and in print three times a week.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Philadelphia Magazine: A long-standing Philadelphia regional magazine and website covering news, food, arts, and city life. It overlaps directly with Metro Philadelphia's lifestyle, food & drink, arts, and 'Things to Do' verticals for the same reader and advertiser base.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: The flagship daily newspaper serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is the most direct comparable to Metro Philadelphia, competing for the same local readers, subscribers, and advertisers across digital and print in the same DMA.
• Patch: A national hyperlocal digital news network with strong Philadelphia-area coverage. Patch competes with Metro Philadelphia's neighborhood-by-neighborhood coverage model and targets the same local advertisers.
• Billy Penn: A digital-first local news outlet covering Philadelphia. It competes head-to-head with Metro Philadelphia for online local-news readership and programmatic advertising in the same Philadelphia market.

Regional players

• WHYY: The Philadelphia region's primary public radio and TV station. WHYY is a regional peer competing for Philadelphia audiences and civic journalism dollars, but operates primarily as a public broadcaster rather than a commercial newspaper.
• 6abc Action News: The dominant local TV news station in the Philadelphia DMA. It competes with Metro Philadelphia for local news audiences and local advertiser budgets, though distribution is broadcast rather than print/digital-first.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett: The largest US newspaper chain (USA TODAY Network) operating numerous local dailies and digital sites. As a broad incumbent, Gannett competes with Metro Philadelphia for national/local ad budgets and represents the consolidated scale against which smaller independents benchmark.

Emerging players

• TAPinto: A network of hyperlocal online news sites serving New Jersey and Pennsylvania suburbs adjacent to Philadelphia. It is an emerging hyperlocal digital peer that overlaps with Metro Philadelphia's suburban coverage strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MetroPhilly
• Facebookfacebook.com/MetroPhilly
• Instagraminstagram.com/metrophilly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metrophilly

Compliance2 records

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 Metro Philadelphia