The Athletic
The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform providing personalized, beat-reporter-led coverage of professional and college sports leagues to sports enthusiasts, operating as a sports vertical within The New York Times Company's All Access subscription bundle.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Athletic does
The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform providing personalized coverage of professional and college sports leagues to sports enthusiasts. Founded in 2016 by Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, the company built a model of dedicated beat reporters covering every major team, with editorial breadth spanning the NFL, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLB, college football, NCAA basketball, tennis, Formula 1, and WNBA. Its product surface comprises a core subscription news product, recurring newsletters (The Pulse, World Cup Briefing), and interactive puzzle games (Connections: Sports Edition, Connections: Soccer Edition, and a Connections Coach resource). The platform is delivered through web and native mobile applications and operates across North America, the United Kingdom, and additional global markets.
Since 2024, The Athletic has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company following an approximately $550 million acquisition. Under the parent company, The Athletic is integrated as a sports vertical within the broader NYT digital portfolio and is included in the All Access subscription bundle, which also encompasses NYT News, Cooking, Wirecutter, and Games products. Distribution occurs primarily through the All Access self-serve digital channel and direct cross-promotion on NYTimes.com. The revenue model is recurring subscription (consumer-paid), with The Athletic's standalone pricing replaced by bundle-level pricing set at the NYT level. Standalone revenue, headcount, and pricing details for The Athletic are not separately disclosed; its results are currently consolidated within the parent company's reporting.
The Athletic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Athletic
- Legal name
- The Athletic Media Company
- Website
- https://nytimes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform providing personalized, beat-reporter-led coverage of professional and college sports leagues to sports enthusiasts, operating as a sports vertical within The New York Times Company's All Access subscription bundle.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Athletic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Sports Media
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Streaming Distribution & App Platforms (CTV, Mobile, Web) (MPAKAOAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sports Programming Syndication & Highlights Distribution (MPABAMAG)
Keywords
Where The Athletic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Athletic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: The Athletic is included in an All Access subscription along with other NYT properties. It operates as a subscription-based sports journalism platform.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Athletic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform that provides personalized, in-depth coverage of professional and college sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLB, NCAA basketball, tennis, Formula 1, and WNBA) by dedicated beat reporters. It is bundled within The New York Times Company's All Access subscription, offering ad-free sports journalism, daily newsletters, and interactive sports-themed puzzle games.
Product overview
The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform offering personalized coverage of sports teams and leagues. It is integrated as a section within The New York Times and requires an All Access subscription. The platform covers major professional and college sports leagues including NFL, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLB, NCAA basketball, tennis, Formula 1, and WNBA. The product suite includes sports-focused newsletters (The Pulse, World Cup Briefing) and interactive word puzzle games (Connections: Sports Edition, Connections: Soccer Edition, Connections Coach).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Athletic Subscription-based sports media platform providing personalized coverage of sports teams and leagues, including NFL, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLB, college sports, tennis, F1, and WNBA, for individual sports fans and subscribers.
- The Pulse Newsletter delivering top sports stories Sunday to Friday to sports fans who want curated daily sports coverage.
- World Cup Briefing
- Connections: Sports Edition
- Connections: Soccer Edition
Companies that use The Athletic
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Athletic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Athletic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Athletic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SB Nation: Network of team-specific sports blogs covering NFL, NBA, MLB, college sports and more. Directly comparable to The Athletic in its team-by-team personalized coverage model and digital-first sports journalism positioning.
- Deadspin: Independent digital sports media outlet covering major sports leagues with a commentary and journalism blend. Targets similar sports enthusiast audiences with personalized league and team coverage in a digital-first format.
- Sports Illustrated: Long-standing sports journalism brand providing in-depth coverage of major sports leagues, with a paid subscription product (SI+) directly competing with The Athletic's premium sports journalism positioning and audience.
- Bleacher Report: Digital-first sports media platform delivering team-specific and league-wide coverage across NFL, NBA, MLB, and college sports. Targets similar sports enthusiast consumers with personalized content and operates a comparable subscription-anchored model via B/R Sports app and Team Stream features.
- The Sporting News: Established sports journalism publication covering major US and international leagues with team-specific content verticals. Directly comparable in producing premium written sports journalism content for sports enthusiasts.
- Barstool Sports: Digital sports and pop culture media brand producing written, video, and podcast content targeting sports enthusiasts. Competes for the same sports fan attention with a more entertainment-driven editorial voice versus The Athletic's journalism-first approach.
- The Ringer: Digital media company focused on sports and pop culture content with a similar subscription-anchored model and team of dedicated sports writers. Comparable product offering (long-form journalism, podcasts) targeting a similar sports fan demographic.
Broad incumbents
- ESPN: The dominant sports media brand in the US, covering all major leagues The Athletic covers. ESPN+ operates as a subscription digital sports product and is the closest direct competitor in the subscription sports journalism space, though ESPN's portfolio extends to television, radio, and fantasy.
- Vox Media: Larger digital media holding company operating SB Nation, The Verge, Vox, and other subscription-anchored digital publications. Comparable as a parent of subscription sports content (SB Nation) and as a broader digital media operator with similar content production economics to The Athletic.
Emerging players
- Front Office Sports: Emerging digital sports media company covering the business of sports, leagues, and athletes. Comparable to The Athletic in its subscription-anchored sports journalism model, though narrower in its business-of-sports focus versus The Athletic's broader league coverage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Athletic social profiles
Digital presenceThe Athletic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Athletic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Athletic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Athletic 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 Athletic
What does The Athletic do?
The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media platform that provides personalized, in-depth coverage of professional and college sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, Premier League, MLB, NCAA basketball, tennis, Formula 1, and WNBA) by dedicated beat reporters. It is bundled within The New York Times Company's All Access subscription, offering ad-free sports journalism, daily newsletters, and interactive sports-themed puzzle games.
Is The Athletic a public or private company?
The Athletic is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Athletic founded?
The Athletic was founded in 2016. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is The Athletic based?
The Athletic is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Athletic make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are The Athletic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, The Sporting News, Barstool Sports and The Ringer. Broad incumbents are ESPN and Vox Media. Front Office Sports is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Athletic have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Athletic.
What industry is The Athletic in?
The Athletic's product category is Digital Sports Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAOAL, Sports Streaming Distribution & App Platforms (CTV, Mobile, Web), with a secondary code of MPABAMAG, Sports Programming Syndication & Highlights Distribution. Its NAICS code is 7113 and its SIC code is 7990.