The Bolton News

What The Bolton News does

The Bolton News is a regional news outlet serving Bolton, Farnworth, Westhoughton, and Horwich in Greater Manchester, England. Founded in 1867 and now operating as a digital-first platform at theboltonnews.co.uk, the publication covers local news, crime and court reporting, politics, community events, entertainment, and sport — with particular emphasis on Bolton Wanderers football club. It serves as a principal source of local information for residents across the four named communities, distributing content to individual readers and aggregating community news through its own digital surfaces and social channels.

The core product is a digital news website supported by a portfolio of ancillary products: a PageSuite-powered Digital Edition replicating the print newspaper for online subscribers, a suite of segmented email newsletters (Morning Briefing, Breaking News Alerts, Crime and Court, Bolton Wanderers, Sports AM), a podcast series (The Buff) covering Bolton Wanderers, classified advertising sections for jobs, cars, and homes, a paid-access historical archive, a dedicated local business directory at directory.theboltonnews.co.uk, and a Public Notices portal for statutory announcements. The platform operates on a freemium model with subscription tiers unlocking premium content and an advertising-reduced reading experience, governed by IPSO-regulated editorial standards under the Editors' Code of Practice.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring digital subscriptions, advertising (display, classifieds, and directory listings), statutory public notices published on behalf of local councils via the News Media Association / Google Public Notice Portal, and subscriber reader rewards and competitions. The Bolton News is wholly owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, a UK regional newspaper network headquartered in Bournemouth that operates nearly 900 local titles reaching approximately 42 million UK readers each month. The Bolton News shares back-office, sales, and technology infrastructure with sibling Newsquest titles in the North West and Lancashire regions and operates with a lean editorial team of approximately 20 staff.

Name

The Bolton News

Legal name

Newsquest Media Group Ltd

Website

https://theboltonnews.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Bolton News is a regional digital and print news outlet serving Bolton and surrounding Greater Manchester communities, offering local news, sports, crime reporting, public notices, newsletters, and classifieds under a freemium subscription model as part of Newsquest Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA)

Keywords

• Local news publishing
• Digital newspaper
• Regional journalism
• News subscription
• Classified advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 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. Digital Subscriptions: Digital subscriptions providing access to premium content including the digital edition, with advertising-free reading experience for subscribers
2. Advertising: Local and digital advertising including display ads on website, classifieds for jobs, cars, homes, and local listings directory
3. Public Notices: Statutory public notices published on behalf of councils and local authorities
4. Reader Rewards & Competitions: Subscriber competitions and reader rewards programs

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Bolton News is a local digital news platform serving Bolton, Farnworth, Westhoughton, Horwich and surrounding areas in Greater Manchester, England. It publishes local news, sports coverage (with a strong focus on Bolton Wanderers), crime and court reporting, politics, entertainment and community events. The publication operates a freemium model with paid digital subscriptions unlocking an advertising-light experience and access to the digital edition, alongside revenue from display advertising, classifieds, public notices, newsletters and reader rewards.

Product overview

The Bolton News is a local digital news platform operated by Newsquest Media Group, offering a comprehensive portfolio of news and media products. The core product is the news website providing local coverage of Bolton, Farnworth, Westhoughton, Horwich, and surrounding areas. The offering includes the main digital news platform supplemented by a Digital Edition for print subscribers, multiple email newsletter products (Morning Briefing, Breaking News Alerts, Crime and Court, Bolton Wanderers, Sports AM), a podcast series (The Buff), and a Public Notices platform for statutory announcements. Additional services include classified advertising (Jobs, Cars, Homes), a local business directory, and an archive service for historical content. The site operates on a freemium model with subscription services unlocking premium content and advertising reduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Bolton News Website The primary digital news platform providing local news, sports, crime, traffic, events and archive content for residents of Bolton and surrounding areas.
• Digital Edition Online digital version of the print newspaper that subscribers can access to read the full print edition digitally.
• Newsletter Subscriptions Email newsletter services including Morning Briefing, Breaking News Alerts, Crime and Court, Bolton Wanderers and Sports AM that deliver curated news content to subscribers.
• The Buff Podcast Podcast series covering Bolton Wanderers football club news, analysis and commentary for fans of the club.
• Public Notices Platform for publishing and viewing statutory public notices including planning applications, traffic closures, licensing, probate announcements and other legal public notifications.
• Classifieds (Jobs, Cars, Homes) Local classified advertising sections for employment, vehicles and real estate listings serving the Bolton area.
• Local Directory Local business listings directory for the Bolton area, helping residents find local businesses and services.
• Newspaper Archive Newspaper archive service allowing paid access to historical news content covering decades of Bolton-area reporting.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Newsquest Media Group LtdcoreOthersThe Bolton News is owned and operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, an audited local newspaper network. Newsquest is headquartered at The Echo Building, 18 Albert Road, Bournemouth, England BH1 1BZ. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637.
• USA TodayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive subscriber partnership with USA Today for syndicated content from American colleagues, bringing exclusive international news content to UK readers.
• News Media Association / GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Notice Portal operated by News Media Association (representing nearly 900 local and regional news titles reaching 42 million people) in conjunction with Google, providing statutory public notices distribution.
• Public Notice PortalcoreTechnology or IntegrationAllows businesses and public users to access public notices, with notices received from local news publishers across the UK. Archive dates back to May 2023.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oldham Chronicle: Independently owned local newspaper covering the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, also part of Greater Manchester. Directly comparable local news subscription and print product serving a neighbouring borough.
• The Gazette (Blackpool): Regional newspaper covering the Lancashire coast including Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. Comparable local news subscription, classifieds and public notice product mix in the broader North West England market served by Newsquest titles.
• Lancashire Telegraph: Regional newspaper covering East Lancashire including parts of Greater Manchester. Closely comparable local news subscription, classifieds and public notice business model serving an adjacent North West England market.
• Warrington Guardian: Regional newspaper covering Warrington and surrounding Cheshire areas. Same freemium digital subscription model with newsletters, classifieds and public notices — comparable in scale and operating approach to The Bolton News.
• Wigan Observer: Local newspaper covering Wigan and surrounding boroughs within Greater Manchester. Closely comparable product mix including digital edition, newsletters, classifieds and public notices for a neighbouring local authority area.
• Bury Times: Local newspaper covering the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, immediately adjacent to Bolton. Operates the same Newsquest-style digital subscription and classifieds model targeting a similar commuter-belt demographic.
• Manchester Evening News: Largest regional newspaper covering Greater Manchester including Bolton. Operates the same digital subscription, newsletter, and classified advertising model and is the most direct competitive overlap in The Bolton News' geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• BBC North West: Public-service broadcaster providing free local news, sport and weather coverage across the North West including Bolton. Represents the principal free alternative that constrains The Bolton News' subscription pricing power.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheBoltonNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/theboltonnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_bolton_news
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-bolton-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Bolton News