We’re changing how Kantipur is funded. Here’s what it means for you.

For 33 years, Kantipur has been a cornerstone of Nepali journalism, delivering stories from across the nation and its diaspora. Now, the media group is implementing significant changes to its funding model, including a price increase for its print edition and the introduction of digital subscriptions.

The price of the print newspaper will rise to Rs 20, a move necessitated by sharp increases in newsprint, printing, and distribution costs. Kantipur states it has absorbed these rising expenses for 15 years but can no longer do so without compromising the quality and independence of its journalism. This decision marks the first price adjustment in a decade and a half.

For the first time in its history, Kantipur is launching a digital subscription service, Kantipur One. This service will be included at no additional cost for all print subscribers, offering an ad-free experience across its website and app. Subscribers will gain early access to in-depth features and investigations, full e-paper access, human-narrated audio versions of select stories, English translations of Nepali reporting, and a weekly newsletter.

Recognizing its global readership, particularly among the Nepali diaspora in the Gulf, US, UK, and Australia, Kantipur is also offering a separate digital-only subscription. The media group emphasizes that advertising revenue alone is insufficient to support the kind of comprehensive reporting Nepal needs, journalism that involves over 100 journalists reporting from the ground, holding power accountable, and covering the nation in both Nepali and English across multiple platforms.

Kantipur asserts that asking readers to contribute through subscriptions is essential for sustaining its reporting, ensuring it remains independent and not beholden to any single interest. The group highlights the extensive network of reporters and stringers across Nepal who dedicate significant time and effort to uncovering stories, often spending months on a single investigation to trace information, document community impacts, or follow policy consequences at the household level.