The Standard Digital
The Standard Group PLC is a privately held Kenyan multi-media conglomerate operating The Standard newspaper, KTN television stations, three radio stations, vertical brands (Farm Kenya, Evewoman, The Nairobian), and Digger classifieds, serving Kenyan consumers and advertisers across print, broadcast, and digital channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1902
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Standard Digital does
The Standard Group PLC, operating commercially as The Standard / The Standard Digital, is a privately held Kenyan multi-media conglomerate headquartered on Mombasa Road, Nairobi, and majority-owned by Gideon Moi. The group operates a platform-plus-multiple-channels architecture spanning a flagship daily newspaper (The Standard) with an e-Paper digital edition, four television stations (KTN News, KTN Home, BTV, KTN Farmers TV), three radio stations (Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM), vertical content brands (Farm Kenya/Smart Harvest, Evewoman, The Nairobian), and a Digger classifieds ecosystem covering jobs, motors, and real estate, plus an enterprise VAS platform and The Standard Courier delivery service. The underlying technology is a multi-media content management and distribution stack with mobile apps on Google Play and the App Store, live-streaming for broadcast properties, Google Sign-in authentication, and integration with Safaricom's M-Pesa mobile-money rail for digital micropayments.
The business model is a hybrid of advertising and subscription/transactional revenue. Print and e-Paper subscriptions, digital advertising across standardmedia.co.ke and mobile apps, broadcast advertising on KTN TV and radio stations, and classified listing fees on Digger form the core monetization. As of 2026 the company is testing a pay-per-article micropayment tier priced at 5–99 Kenyan shillings, settled via M-Pesa, to capture casual readers unwilling to commit to bundled subscriptions — a model being jointly trialed with The Daily Nation. Customer segments span the general Kenyan public (primary), the agricultural sector via Farm Kenya/KTN Farmers TV, employment seekers via Digger Jobs, and classified advertising users across motors and real estate. Geographic footprint is single-country, domestic Kenya, with no disclosed international operations.
The Standard Digital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Standard Digital
- Legal name
- The Standard Group PLC
- Website
- https://standardmedia.co.ke
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1902
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The Standard Group PLC is a privately held Kenyan multi-media conglomerate operating The Standard newspaper, KTN television stations, three radio stations, vertical brands (Farm Kenya, Evewoman, The Nairobian), and Digger classifieds, serving Kenyan consumers and advertisers across print, broadcast, and digital channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Standard Digital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Multi-media News and Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Publishing Platforms (News/Magazines) (BPAMAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)
Keywords
Where The Standard Digital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Standard Digital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print Newspaper Sales: Traditional print newspaper sales and subscriptions through physical distribution networks across Kenya
- Digital Subscriptions and Micropayments: Testing micropayment models charging 5-99 shillings per article or day, leveraging M-Pesa mobile money infrastructure for casual readers unwilling to commit to standard subscriptions
- Television and Radio Broadcasting: Broadcasting revenue through KTN News, KTN Farmers TV, Radio Maisha, Spice FM, and Berur FM stations
- Digital Advertising: Online advertising revenue through standardmedia.co.ke website and mobile applications
- Classified Advertising: Revenue from Digger Jobs, Digger Motors, and Digger Real Estate classified advertising platforms
- Enterprise Services: VAS (Value Added Services) and other enterprise offerings
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-article micropayment option for casual readers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital subscription tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Standard Digital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Standard Digital is the digital and multimedia arm of The Standard Group PLC, Kenya's leading multi-media house. It delivers breaking news, in-depth journalism, and entertainment content through The Standard newspaper (print and e-Paper), television stations (KTN News, KTN Home, BTV, KTN Farmers TV), radio stations (Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM), satellite publications (The Nairobian, Evewoman), and online classified platforms (Digger Jobs, Digger Motors, Digger Real Estate). The company monetizes via subscriptions, advertising, micropayments integrated with M-Pesa, and classified transaction fees.
Product overview
The Standard Group PLC is a multi-media organization operating a platform-plus-multiple-channels architecture. The core offering includes The Standard newspaper (print and digital) and its e-Paper digital edition. The company operates a portfolio of television stations including KTN News, KTN Home, BTV, and KTN Farmers TV; radio stations including Radio Maisha, Spice FM, and Berur FM; and satellite publications including The Nairobian and Evewoman. Specialized vertical platforms include Farm Kenya with Smart Harvest for agricultural content. Enterprise services include VAS (Value Added Services), Digger classifieds (Jobs, Motors, Real Estate), and The Standard Courier. The multi-platform media house leverages digital, broadcast, and print channels to deliver news and entertainment across Kenya.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KTN: Television news brand including KTN News, KTN Home, and KTN Farmers TV
- The Nairobian
- Evewoman
- Smart Harvest
- Farm Kenya
- Digger
- Radio Maisha
- Spice FM
- Berur FM
Products and services
- The Standard Newspaper
- The Standard e-Paper
- KTN News
- KTN Home
- BTV
- KTN Farmers TV
- Radio Maisha
- Spice FM
- Berur FM
- The Nairobian
- Evewoman
- Farm Kenya
- Digger Jobs
- Digger Motors
- Digger Real Estate
- VAS (Value Added Services)
- The Standard Courier
Quantifiable outcome
- Testing micropayment model with 5-99 shilling pricing to capture casual readers
Companies that use The Standard Digital
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Standard Digital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
The Standard Digital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- M-Pesa (Safaricom)coreThe Standard is leveraging Kenya's M-Pesa mobile money infrastructure to enable micropayments for digital news content, charging 5-99 shillings per article. This partnership enables mobile-first payment options for casual readers unwilling to commit to traditional subscriptions.
- The Daily Nation (Media Innovation)coreThe Standard and The Daily Nation are jointly testing micropayment models for news in Kenya as part of broader industry efforts to adapt reader revenue models to local income levels, payment systems, and mobile-first consumption patterns. Industry researchers view these initiatives as potentially instructive for global news media facing declining print revenues.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Standard Digital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nation Media Group: Kenya's largest multi-platform media group operating The Daily Nation newspaper, NTV, NTV Kenya, and multiple radio stations across East Africa. Most direct competitor to The Standard across print, TV, and digital, and joint experimentation partner on micropayments.
- Standard Group competitor - People Daily / Mediamax Network: Mediamax Network operates People Daily newspaper, K24 TV, and Kameme FM, competing with The Standard Group across print, television, and radio in the Kenyan market with similar vernacular and English-language offerings.
- The Star (RFP Trans-Century): Kenyan daily newspaper competing directly with The Standard's print and digital news offerings in the same Nairobi-based national news market, targeting similar political and general-interest audiences.
- Royal Media Services: Kenyan broadcaster operating Citizen TV, Inooro FM, Ramogi FM, and other vernacular stations. Directly competes with The Standard's KTN and Radio Maisha for Kenyan broadcast audiences and political-influence-driven advertising.
Regional players
- Punch Nigeria: Leading Nigerian newspaper group operating print and digital news with similar multi-platform structure to The Standard. Comparable as a Pan-African legacy newspaper business adapting to digital reader-revenue models, though serving West Africa rather than East Africa.
- Daily Monitor (Nation Media Group Uganda): Ugandan daily newspaper under Nation Media Group operating with similar print and digital model to The Standard. Comparable as a regional African newspaper business facing identical secular print decline and digital transition dynamics.
Broad incumbents
- News Corp: Global multi-platform media company operating newspapers (Wall Street Journal, New York Post), digital real estate, and book publishing. Comparable as a multi-platform legacy media operator navigating print-to-digital transition, though with vastly greater scale and geographic diversification.
- BBC Africa: Global broadcaster with significant Kenyan and African news operations. Competes for premium news audiences and digital subscription revenue in Kenya, though with broader international scope and public-service funding model.
- Reach plc: UK-based large newspaper group operating Mirror, Express, Star, and regional titles with digital subscriptions, e-Paper, and reader-revenue strategies. Comparable as a legacy multi-title newspaper business executing digital subscription pivots in a print-declining market.
- Gannett: US newspaper publisher operating USA Today and hundreds of local titles with digital subscriptions and e-Paper offerings. Comparable as a legacy newspaper conglomerate executing digital subscription and micropayment pilots across a large multi-platform portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Standard Digital social profiles
Digital presenceThe Standard Digital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Standard Digital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Standard Digital subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries13 records
The Standard Digital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Standard Digital 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 Standard Digital
What does The Standard Digital do?
The Standard Digital is the digital and multimedia arm of The Standard Group PLC, Kenya's leading multi-media house. It delivers breaking news, in-depth journalism, and entertainment content through The Standard newspaper (print and e-Paper), television stations (KTN News, KTN Home, BTV, KTN Farmers TV), radio stations (Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Berur FM), satellite publications (The Nairobian, Evewoman), and online classified platforms (Digger Jobs, Digger Motors, Digger Real Estate). The company monetizes via subscriptions, advertising, micropayments integrated with M-Pesa, and classified transaction fees.
Is The Standard Digital a public or private company?
The Standard Digital is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Standard Digital founded?
The Standard Digital was founded in 1902. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is The Standard Digital based?
The Standard Digital is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does The Standard Digital make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Print Newspaper Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions and Micropayments, television and Radio Broadcasting, digital Advertising, classified Advertising and enterprise Services.
Who are The Standard Digital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nation Media Group, Standard Group competitor - People Daily / Mediamax Network, The Star (RFP Trans-Century) and Royal Media Services. Regional players are Punch Nigeria and Daily Monitor (Nation Media Group Uganda). Broad incumbents are News Corp, BBC Africa, Reach plc and Gannett.
Does The Standard Digital have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Standard Digital.
What industry is The Standard Digital in?
The Standard Digital's product category is Multi-media News and Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAE, Digital Publishing Platforms (News/Magazines), with a secondary code of MPAJAMAD, Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.