Axel Springer has announced a strategic decision to create a new corporate structure, a focused media company and separately held classifieds businesses. Under the ownership of Friede Springer, vice chairwoman of Axel Springer’s supervisory board, and CEO Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer will become a privately owned and operated news media and media marketing company.
Bloomberg has billed the restructuring thus: “KKR & Co. and German billionaire Mathias Döpfner agreed to split up media conglomerate Axel Springer, separating its fast-growing classifieds units from its news businesses.”
A final agreement is expected in the coming months. Subject to receipt of all requisite regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close in Q2 2025.
Axel Springer’s media holdings, well known for major brands such as Bild, Business Insider, and Politico, also include involvement in radio through its stake in Radio Hamburg, one of Hamburg’s most popular stations. Axel Springer’s connection to radio dates back to the 1980s, with early investments in Munich radio stations and continued involvement in broadcasting via joint ventures. While primarily focused on digital and print journalism, the company has retained a minority interest in audio broadcasting through these partnerships.
Springer said, “For the past decades, we have enjoyed remarkable achievements with Axel Springer. Throughout, we never lost what truly defines us: being a journalistic institution with clear values. So, it was Mathias and my vision that one day, Axel Springer would again be a privately owned and operated company. The realization of this vision now fills me with great joy.”
Döpfner said, “Before we began our partnership with [investment firm] KKR five years ago, Friede and I had an idea of how the company could ideally look like down the road. That vision is now close to becoming reality. This would not have been possible without the dedication of our employees, who give their all to Axel Springer. But it’s also clear that this outcome would have never been possible without the excellent and consistently reliable partnership with KKR. In the new structure, we will have the very best requisites for a great future for journalism.”
Entirely privately owned
Henry Kravis, co-founder and co-executive chairman at KKR, said, “Our partnership with Friede and Mathias has been exceptional and reflects the great admiration KKR has for visionary entrepreneurs and family-led businesses like Axel Springer. After a long and productive partnership, this natural next step for the Axel Springer group is a great outcome for all stakeholders involved.”
The planned new structure foresees that Axel Springer’s media businesses — Bild, Business Insider, Politico, Welt, idealo, Bonial, Morning Brew, Dyn Media, eMarketer, and the joint venture Ringier Axel Springer Poland — will remain within Axel Springer. Springer and Döpfner will together hold close to 98 percent of the company. Axel Sven Springer, one of the company founder’s grandchildren, will retain the remaining shares — a smaller portion of his previous minority shareholding. This makes Axel Springer an entirely privately owned and operated media company for the first time since the company’s IPO back in 1985.
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