Landbou.com

What Landbou.com does

Landbou.com is the digital subscription platform of the South African agricultural media brand Landbouweekblad, which has served Afrikaans-speaking farmers for over 100 years and is owned by Media24, part of the Naspers group. The company operates a freemium-to-paid content model: free users access daily agricultural news, market prices (JSE grains, livestock, wool, mohair), and hyperlocal weather forecasts for 46 South African regions, while paying subscribers (R159/month or R960/year) unlock digital magazines, the Landbouweekliks video series, podcast content including Landboumark Voorslag, digital books, and exclusive subscriber articles. A bundled Landbou.com + New York Times subscription is offered at R209/month, and the platform runs an integrated agricultural marketplace (mark.landbou.com) plus a niche dating service (Opsitkers) for the farming community.

The product surface is built on a web publishing platform with iOS, Android, and Huawei mobile applications, supporting push notifications, offline reading, and Apple Pay / Google Pay. Content is produced through five regional editorial offices (Cape Town, Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape, Limpopo) and distributed via website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube), sector-specific email newsletters, a WhatsApp channel, podcasts, the Landbouweekliks TV program on VIA channel 147, and the annual kykNET Buite Ekspo event. The only disclosed AI/ML capability is machine-generated text-to-speech for audio articles, with no evidence of proprietary recommendation, prediction, or computer-vision systems.

Revenue is generated through recurring subscriptions, display and sponsored advertising from agricultural input suppliers and equipment manufacturers, and a revenue share from the NYT bundle partnership. Landbou.com operates exclusively in South Africa, has approximately 12 employees disclosed, no independent funding rounds or venture capital involvement, and is structurally a niche, language-specific vertical media business embedded within a large diversified media conglomerate.

Name

Landbou.com

Legal name

Landbouweekblad / Landbou.com

Website

https://landbou.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Landbou.com is a South African digital agricultural media subscription platform operating under the 100-year-old Landbouweekblad brand, serving Afrikaans-speaking farmers with news, market prices, weather, podcasts, magazines, and a marketplace for ~R159/month, owned by Media24.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Monthly and annual subscription fees providing access to all digital content including magazines, Landbouweekliks episodes, books, and exclusive subscriber articles
2. Advertising: Display advertising and sponsored content on the website and in digital publications
3. NYT Bundle Partnership: Partnership with New York Times providing combined subscription bundle at R209/month, with Landbou.com receiving a share of this revenue

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Landbou.com is a South African digital subscription platform for the agricultural community, publishing the Landbouweekblad brand of agricultural news, market prices, hyperlocal weather forecasts for 46 regions, expert columns, specialized digital magazines, podcasts, and video content. The platform also operates Landboumark, an integrated marketplace for buying and selling agricultural products, livestock, and auctions, plus Opsitkers, a dating service for the farming community.

Product overview

Landbou.com is South Africa's leading digital agricultural news platform and paid subscription service, publishing under the Landbouweekblad (Landbou Weekly) brand for over 100 years. The platform operates a subscription model at R159/month, offering a bundled portfolio of products: the core Landbouweekblad magazine (digital and print heritage), specialized e-publikasies (Boerekos, Boereplanne, Vee, Tegnologie, Herlewing), the Landbouweekliks video series, Landboumark Voorslag and Potgooi podcast programs, the Landboumark digital marketplace for farm products/auctions/classifieds, an agricultural weather intelligence platform, and a dating service (Opsitkers) for the farming community. Free access is available for basic news, market prices, and weather features, while subscriptions unlock premium magazine issues, videos, podcasts, and archived content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Landbouweekliks: Weekly agricultural television program featuring visits to successful South African farmers
• Landboumark
• Boerekos
• Boereplanne
• Vee
• Tegnologie
• Herlewing

Products and services

• Landbou.com Digital Platform South African agricultural news platform and digital subscription service providing daily news, market prices, weather forecasting, and exclusive subscriber content. Subscription at R159/month unlocks all premium content including magazines, videos, podcasts, and digital books.
• Landboumark Digital marketplace enabling farmers to buy, sell, and discover products, services, auctions, and farm produce in one platform. Supports classifieds, auctions, and produce listings.
• Landbouweekblad Magazine Flagship weekly agricultural magazine, published in print for over 100 years and now available in digital format for subscribers. Covers news, farming techniques, market trends, and industry developments.
• Landbouweekliks Agricultural television/video program featuring visits to successful South African farms and farmers, broadcast on VIA channel 147 and available on Landbou.com.
• E-publikasies (Digital Magazines) Collection of standalone digital magazines including Boerekos (recipes), Boereplanne (farm planning), Vee (livestock), Tegnologie (technology), and Herlewing (regenerative agriculture). Available in digital format for subscribers.
• Weer (Weather Platform) Agricultural weather forecasting platform providing hyperlocal climate intelligence, rain forecasts, temperature predictions, disease warnings, and weather alerts for 46 regions in South Africa.
• Potgooi (Podcast Hub) Podcast content hub on Landbou.com offering audio programs including Landboumark Voorslag and other agricultural podcast episodes. Subscribers can also listen to articles via text-to-speech audio articles (klankartikel).
• Landbou.com Mobile Apps Mobile applications for Apple iOS, Android (Google Play), and Huawei AppGallery providing access to Landbou.com content, weather forecasting, and market data on mobile devices.
• Opsitkers Online dating/social platform for the South African agricultural community, enabling farmers and rural singles to connect.
• Landboumark Voorslag Podcast Podcast series featuring agricultural entrepreneurs and their business stories, published on Mondays at 19:00.

Quantifiable outcome

• Weather intelligence for 46 regions across South Africa
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• AgriLand: Ireland's largest agricultural news portal covering farming, machinery, and policy. Comparable as a digital agricultural media business with similar multi-platform content distribution (web, video, podcasts) and a regional focus, though operating in a different geography.
• The Western Producer: Canadian agricultural newspaper and digital publication covering Western Canadian farming. Comparable as a regional agricultural publication with deep roots in the farming community, transitioning from print to digital subscription revenue.
• Farmer's Weekly (Australia): Australian agricultural publication covering livestock, cropping, and rural affairs. Comparable as a regional agricultural media brand with multi-format content (print, digital, events) serving a national farming community.

Broad incumbents

• Successful Farming: Long-established US agricultural media brand (now part of Dotdash Meredith) covering crops, livestock, machinery, and markets. Comparable as a multi-platform agricultural media outlet with magazine heritage transitioning to digital subscriptions.
• Progressive Farmer (DTN): US agricultural information company combining legacy print publication with weather, market data, and digital subscriptions. Comparable as an agricultural media and data business with a similar blend of journalism, market intelligence, and weather services.
• Farmers Weekly (UK): UK-based leading agricultural publication from AgriBriefing, with a 90+ year heritage and digital subscription model. Comparable as an established agricultural media brand with subscription, news, market data, and advisory content for a regional farming community.
• Farm Journal: Major US agricultural media and data company producing trusted content for farmers. Comparable as an agricultural media company that has expanded beyond content into data, events, and B2B services targeting the farming community.

Direct peers

• Food for Mzansi: South African agricultural news platform targeting farmers and agripreneurs. Directly comparable as a digital-first agricultural media outlet operating in the same South African market with a focus on storytelling and community engagement around farming.
• Farmer's Weekly (South Africa): South Africa's leading English-language agricultural publication covering farming news, markets, and lifestyle content. Most directly comparable peer — same country, same agricultural journalism focus, same multi-format (print, digital, video) distribution model, though serving an English-speaking audience.

Emerging players

• Future Farming: International digital agricultural media brand focused on technology, mechanization, and innovation in farming. Comparable as a digital-first agricultural publication, though with a more specialized focus on agtech rather than broad farming coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/landbou
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLCjKirK5tSvI
• Facebookfacebook.com/Landbouweekblad
• Instagraminstagram.com/landbou
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/landbou-com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Landbou.com