Free tool
Media company valuation calculator
How much is your publishing business worth? Pick your type — newspaper, magazine, B2B, newsletter, or YouTube — and get an instant enterprise value range backed by three valuation methods.
Pick your business type
Different publishers get valued with different methods. Choose the type that best describes your business — each calculator uses the EBITDA multiple plus the specific alternative buyers pair it with for that category.
Newspaper
Daily, weekly, or community newspaper. Values on EBITDA multiples plus per-subscriber circulation value — the method buyers use when reported earnings are noisy.
EBITDA 3.0–6.0x · Per-subscriber $100–$500
Magazine
Consumer, enthusiast, or trade magazine. Values on EBITDA multiples plus the MVIC/net-sales revenue multiple that Fulcrum pairs with EBITDA in its publishing guide.
EBITDA 2.5–5.0x · MVIC/sales 0.5–2.0x
B2B / trade publisher
B2B, trade, or industry-data publisher. Values on adjusted EBITDA multiples plus the ARR multiple used to underwrite subscription information services.
EBITDA 4.0–8.0x · ARR 2.0–5.0x
Newsletter / Substack
Paid newsletter or Substack. Values on EBITDA / SDE multiples plus per-subscriber value — the LTV proxy Flippa and creator-market buyers actually transact on.
EBITDA / SDE 1.5–3.0x · Per-subscriber $10–$100+
YouTube / creator channel
YouTube channel or creator business. Values on SDE multiples plus a revenue multiple discounted for platform dependency, per gomerge's creator-channel methodology.
SDE 1.2–2.5x · Revenue 2.0–4.0x (algo-discounted)
What you get from every calculator
Two methods, blended
EBITDA multiple plus the one alternative buyers pair with it for your business type — with each method's input, multiple, and result shown separately.
Seven value drivers
Recurring mix, audience ownership, IP depth, margin, key-person risk, advertiser concentration, and growth — each moves the multiple within its band.
Article-level citations
Every method links to the specific gomerge, Fulcrum, Poynter, Berkery Noyes, or Flippa article the range is grounded in — not the publisher homepage.
Reference sources
- gomerge
Media M&A firm publishing EBITDA and revenue multiple bands and the seven value drivers behind them.
- Fulcrum Inc.
US business-valuation firm publishing detailed guides on publishing-industry MVIC ranges by segment.
- Poynter
Journalism institute publishing analysis of newspaper transactions, including the going-concern realities of print-heavy titles.
- Berkery Noyes
M&A advisor publishing quarterly and annual media/marketing transaction reports with EBITDA and revenue multiple medians.
- Flippa
Marketplace for online businesses, publishing per-subscriber and multiple benchmarks for newsletters and creator businesses.
Ranges are grounded in these published benchmarks — not live comparable-sale data. Treat results as a preliminary estimate, not a formal appraisal.
How to value a media company
- 1
Pick your business type
Select newspaper, magazine, B2B publisher, newsletter, or YouTube channel. Each type uses a different primary method and different benchmark ranges.
- 2
Enter financials and audience
Revenue, adjusted EBITDA, subscriber or audience count, and ARPU. The tool won't invent numbers you don't provide.
- 3
Answer the seven value drivers
Recurring mix, audience ownership, IP depth, margin quality, key-person risk, advertiser concentration, and growth. Each nudges the multiple within its band.
- 4
Read your valuation range
You get a blended low-to-high range across three methods, plus a mid-point. Below that, the method-by-method breakdown shows exactly how each number was built.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is my media company worth?
- It depends on your business type. Newspapers trade at 3–6x EBITDA with a per-subscriber cross-check ($100–$500). Magazines average ~3.7x EBITDA with an MVIC/sales cross-check (0.5–2.0x). B2B publishers earn 4–8x EBITDA and 2–5x ARR on recurring revenue. Newsletters and creator channels use SDE multiples plus per-subscriber or revenue benchmarks. Pick your business type above to run the numbers with the right pair.
- What valuation methods should a publisher use?
- Two, not three. EBITDA (or SDE) multiple always. Plus the alternative buyers actually pair it with for your category — per-subscriber for newspapers and newsletters, MVIC/sales for magazines, ARR for B2B, discounted revenue multiple for YouTube. This tool uses the pair the source publications (gomerge, Fulcrum, Poynter, Berkery Noyes, Flippa) actually cite.
- How is this different from a business broker's valuation?
- Business brokers use comparable sales data and structured discovery — accurate but slow and often gated behind an engagement fee. This tool gives you a same-hour range built from published industry benchmarks so you can decide whether a formal appraisal is worth the fee.
- How accurate is this valuation calculator?
- Ranges are grounded in published industry benchmarks (gomerge, Fulcrum, and Poynter) and are meant as a preliminary estimate — not a formal appraisal. Real transactions depend on buyer strategy, deal structure, and comparable-sale timing. Treat this as a starting point for a conversation with an M&A advisor.
- What's the difference between EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA?
- Adjusted EBITDA adds back owner compensation above market rate, one-time expenses, and non-recurring items. For owner-operated media businesses, this is usually higher than reported EBITDA — sometimes materially. Use adjusted EBITDA in this calculator.
- Why two methods instead of one?
- Different buyers weight different methods. Strategic acquirers usually anchor on EBITDA. Financial buyers, roll-up players, and creator-market operators cross-check against the alternative — ARR for B2B, per-subscriber for newspapers and newsletters, revenue multiple for magazines and YouTube. Showing both is how buyers actually triangulate.
- Do I need to enter every field?
- No. Any field left at zero drops the corresponding method from the blend. At minimum, enter revenue and either EBITDA or subscriber count with ARPU. The tool won't invent numbers you didn't provide.
- Is my data saved or sent anywhere?
- Your inputs are stored in your browser's local storage so the calculator remembers them if you refresh. Nothing is sent to Pelcro or a third party unless you submit the email form to request the full breakdown.