Express.pk
www.express.pk was originally meant to offer news audiences a snapshot of what was being broadcast by Express News television channel. Over the years, though, the website has virtually become an online television channel besides being a ready source for news updates as well as for in-depth reporting and analyses. Overseas viewers can watch Express News live through it and those interested in getting a bird’s eye-view of life in Pakistan can benefit from its comprehensive coverage of every subject – from politics and security to lifestyle and sports.
Express News and www.express.pk follow the same socially conservative, middle of the road, market-minded approach that has become a trademark of Express Media Group.
When the website came online in 2012, multiple players were already present in Pakistan’s market for internet-based news platforms. But, backed by Express Media Group’s extensive network of reporters and driven by the strong brand recognition that Express News enjoys, it has become one of the main sources of news and views about Pakistan for both local and foreign audiences.
Audience Share
2.72%
Ownership Type
Private
Geographic Coverage
International
Content Type
Free Content
Media Companies / Groups
Express Media Group
Ownership Structure
www.express.com.pk is owned by Express Digital Private Limited, 33.33% shares of which are owned by Sultan Ali Lakhani. The remaining shares in the company are owned by Bilal Ali Lakhani (33.33%) and Aijaz-ul-Haque (33.33%) who is serving as a director in several Express Media Group companies.
Individual Owner
Group / Individual Owner
Aijaz-ul-Haque
Aijaz-ul-Haque serves as a director in several of Express media and Lakson Group and companies. He is the Chief Operating Officer at Express Digital Private Limited and managing editor of Daily Express.
General Information
Founding Year
2012
Affiliated Interests Founder
born in 1948 in Gondia, a town in what is now India’s Maharashtra state. His family subsequently moved to Karachi where his father Hassanali Karabhai set up a business in 1954. Over time, this business would expand and become Lakson Group which is now one of the largest commercial and industrial conglomerates in Pakistan.
Sultan Ali Lakhani worked as the group’s chairman till 1988 and is serving as its advisor presently. He is also the chief executive officer of Express Media Group which is wholly owned by Lakson Group and includes Television Media Network Private Limited (that owns and runs some television channels including Express News and Express Entertainment), Express Publications Private Limited (which owns and runs Urdu language daily Express, English language daily Express Tribune and Sindhi language daily Sindh Express), and Express Digital Private Limited (which runs three major news websites – www.express.com.pk, www.express.pk and www.tribune.com.pk – among others).
Sultan Ali Lakhani has been serving as the honorary consul of Mexico in Pakistan since long. He dabbled in politics too and remained a member of Senate, the upper house of Pakistan’s parliament, between 1988 and 1994 as a representative of a center-right party, Pakistan Muslim League. He once also famously pleaded guilty of committing bank fraud after he was arrested in 2000 by the National Accountability Bureau and kept in detention for nine months.
Affiliated Interests Ceo
is the CEO of Express Media Group and of Lakson Group. See above for more.
Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
started his journalism career in 2004 as a senior copy writer at Geo News television channel. He joined Express News in 2012, the same year its associated website www.express.pk was launched.
He oversees a team of 22 people whose job is to keep the website updated 24/7 mainly with inputs from Express Media Group’s wide network of reporters spread throughout Pakistan.
Affiliated Interests other important people
graduated from Punjab University’s mass communication department in 1988 and started his journalism career in 1989 as a trainee sub-editor at Urdu language daily Nawa-i-Waqt in Lahore. Over the next decade, he became its news editor.
In 2002, he quit Nawa-i-Waqt and joined daily Express, also as news editor. Only a year later, he became the editor of the newspaper and was elevated to the post of group editor after Express Media Group launched other news platforms.
the chief operating officer of www.express.com.pk and the managing editor of daily Express. Apart from that, he is also serving as a director in several companies associated with Express Media Group.
Contact
Plot No.5, Express Way, Off Korangi Road, Karachi
Tel.: +92 (0)-21-35800051-8
Fax: +92 (0)-21-35800050-5803835
Website: www.express.pk
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
USD 1.66 Million / PKR 186.56 Million
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
USD 0.63 Million / PKR 71.28 Million
Advertising (in % of total funding)
USD 1.66 Million / PKR 186.56 Million (100%)
Market Share
Missing Data
Further Information
Meta Data
The outlet was sent information request on 15 January 2019 through a courier company as well as by email. It did not respond even after a reminder was couriered on 1st February 2019 and emailed on 4 February 2019. No verified online information is available about its ownership structure and its financial status.
The financial information used in this media outlet profile has been obtained from a report that Express Digital Private Limited submitted to the SECP about the financial year that started on July 2017 and ended on June 30, 2018. An average exchange rate (112.43) of the Central Bank of Pakistan for 2017-2018 was used to convert PKR into USD.
The revenue and profit mentioned above also pertain to the whole of Express Digital Private Limited (which also owns some other news websites) and not to www.express.pk alone.
An Interview was conducted with Ovais-ur-Rahman Khan on 21 March 2019 over the phone.
