Axel Springer

Performance indicators

In the world, Axel Springer's revenue for 2014 increased to €3.038 billion, EBITDA - to €507.1 million, net profit - to €251.2 million.

In 2017, the holding employed 2,867 journalists, which is slightly less than in 2016 (^[1].

History

2026: $766m purchase of Britain's biggest newspaper, The Telegraph

One of the largest European media holdings Axel Springer bought the British newspaper Telegraph Media Group for £575 million ($766 million). The deal brought together two of Europe's most powerful conservative media brands. This was announced in March 2026 by Axel Springer CEO Matthias Döpfner. He added that the plans are to turn the Telegraph into the leading center-right media outlet in the English-speaking world. The agreement was concluded with a joint venture of RedBird Capital Partners and a fund from - UAE RedBird IMI. More here

2015

Artcom Media buys out Axel Springer assets in Russia

In September 2015, it was announced that Axel Springer SE had sold a 100% stake to Artcom Media's Russian owner Alexander Fedotov. The sale agreement was signed on September 17, 2015. The subject of sale was trademarks for publications. After the transaction, the company was renamed AS Rus Media

Fedotov owns the publishing house Artcom Media (publishes L'Officiel, Numero, Port and SNC magazines). He expects that new assets will be able to strengthen the business direction of the publishing house.

Axel Springer Russia CEO Regina von Flemming will later buy 20% of the company, negotiations on this are at the final stage, the companies said. From January 1, 2016, von Flemming will step down as CEO and take over as Advisor to the CEO.

"We are glad to cooperate and are ready to start working with Alexander Fedotov and the ACMG team to promote the Forbes brand in Russia. Artcom Media has established itself as a publisher of high quality magazines in terms of external characteristics and in terms of editorial content, "says Forbes Media Executive Director Mike Federle

Axel Springer International President Ralph Buhi regrets that the company had to leave the Russian market because it believed in 'further economic development and liberalization of the country'.

regret that we are forced to leave the Russian market due to the entry into force of amendments to the federal media law restricting foreign persons in their rights. For us as the publisher of the influential business magazine Forbes, this restriction is unacceptable. We are glad to find a buyer who is ready to fully accept the editorial team in its composition, "Bukhi is quoted in the company's message

The publishing house's assets included:

Magazines:

• Forbes Russia,
• OK!,
• GEO,
• GALA Biography,
• GEO Traveller
• GEOlyonok

Sites:

• Finanz.ru

Closed projects:

• Newsweek Russian

The audience of Forbes.ru according to TNS in June 2015 reached 3.3 million people 12 − 63 years old (June 2014 - 3 million, 2013 - 3.9 million, 2012 - 1.4 million), Finanz.ru - 644.9 thousand. The average number of visits for Forbes according to Similarweb is 6.4 million per month, for Finanz - 1.25 million.

Search for buyers for assets in Russia

In August 2015, it became known that Axel Springer is looking for buyers of its Russian division publishing magazines, Forbes OK! and GEO, as well as owning online versions and the Finanz.ru portal, reported "," Kommersant citing three anonymous sources. Russia They have been trying to sell their assets to the Germans since 2013, but at this time they accelerated due to the law on restricting foreigners in Russian media, which will come into force in 2016.

Possible buyers include:

• the owner of the ESN group, the Komsomolskaya Pravda publishing house and the Moscow Metro newspaper Grigory Berezkin,
• Vardanyan, Broitman & Partners partner, former Troika Dialog shareholder Ruben Vardanyan and
• Artcom Media Group owner Alexander Fedotov.

Not the entire Russian division is sold, but 80%. Regina von Flemming, who has been the CEO of the company since 2005, may receive the remaining fifth part of Axel Springer Russia.

Edda Fels, Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications at Axel Springer, Mia Carbonell, a representative of American Forbes Media, and Regina von Flemming told Kommersant that they did not comment on market rumors. Ruben Vardanyan, through the reception, said that he had not received an offer to buy 80% of Axel Springer Russia. Alexander Fedotov declined to comment. The editor-in-chief of the Russian Forbes Elmar Murtazaev did the same.

Also, the buyer must be approved by a third party - Forbes Media, the owner of the rights to the Forbes brand. Forbes Media hopes to transfer the asset to a new partner, while Axel Springer is ready to close it altogether.

This will not be the first big deal in the Russian media market, the reason for which was the law on foreigners in the media. In early August 2015, Viktor Shkulev increased his stake in the HSM holding to 80%, leaving 20% to American partners.

2014: Net loss in Russia RUB 155 mln

According to SPARK-Interfax, Axel Springer Russia's revenue amounted to 872 million rubles. in 2014, net loss - 155 million rubles.

As follows from the company's report for the first half of 2015 in Russia, advertising feels very bad: projected revenue fell by 35% in print and grew by only 5% online year-on-year. There, the company notes the protracted crisis in the Russian economy and a decrease in GDP by 3.2% in real terms compared to 2014.

2013: Sale of rights to Computer Bild magazine in Russia

In March 2013, Burda acquired the rights to Computer Bild magazine from Axel Springer Holding, which previously independently published it in Russia.

2012: Internet revenue bypasses paper for the first time

In 2012, Axel Springer's Internet revenues exceeded domestic paper revenues for the first time. Due to this, the company showed a record profit^[2] Hard times have^[2].

2004: Business start-up in Russia

Axel Springer SE in Russia was founded in 2004.

Notes