Brandtree

Who owns The Athletic?

The Athletic is owned by The New York Times (the United States, NYSE: NYT), which has owned the brand since 1 February 2022.[1] The Athletic was founded in 2016 in the United States and was independent until 2022.

Key facts

Current owner
The New York Times Company verified
Owned since
Previous owner
Independent (2016–2022)
Owner HQ
🇺🇸 United States, New York, New York
Origin
🇺🇸 United States
Founded
2016
Category
Media & entertainmentPublishingNewspapers & magazines
Parent ticker
NYSE: NYT
Last verified
· 1 sources

About The Athletic

The Athletic covers sport by subscription with no advertising, hiring beat writers from local newspapers across America and Britain. The New York Times acquired it in 2022 for $550 million in cash. It hired many of those writers as local newspapers cut sports desks, and it reached profitability in 2024 after several years of heavy investment by its owner.

Ownership timeline of The Athletic

Owners of The Athletic from 2022 to 2026 The New York Times 2022–present The New York Times 202220232024202520262027
  1. 2022 – present The New York Times [1] verified

Where The Athletic sits in The New York Times

Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.

Where The Athletic sits in The New York Times Tree of 4 brands under The New York Times. The New York Times The Athletic The New York Times Wirecutter Wordle

Open the full The New York Times ownership tree →

Other brands owned by The New York Times

See the full The New York Times brand portfolio (4) →

Latest news about The Athletic

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the parent company of The Athletic?

The parent company of The Athletic is The New York Times, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.

Is The Athletic American?

Yes. The Athletic originated in the United States in 2016 and its owner, The New York Times, is also headquartered in the United States.

Since when has The New York Times owned The Athletic?

The New York Times has owned The Athletic since 1 February 2022.

Who owned The Athletic before The New York Times?

The Athletic was an independent company from its founding in 2016 until The New York Times acquired it in 2022.

Is The Athletic still owned by The New York Times?

Yes. As of 8 September 2026, The Athletic is still owned by The New York Times. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.

Sources (1) & corrections

Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

  1. [1] The New York Times Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-27 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 27 February 2026; retrieved 8 September 2026.

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