What Bertelsmann does

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA is a privately held, family-controlled transnational media, services, and education conglomerate founded in 1835 in Gütersloh, Germany, operating across more than 50 countries with approximately 76,965 employees. The company is structured around six core operating divisions: RTL Group (75%-owned; broadcasting, streaming, content production through Fremantle, digital), Penguin Random House (wholly owned; world's largest trade book publisher), BMG (wholly owned; music publishing and recordings), Arvato Group (wholly owned; supply chain solutions, financial services via Riverty, IT services via Arvato Systems, business processing via Arvato Connect), Bertelsmann Marketing Services (digital marketing and printing), and Bertelsmann Education Group (medical education via Afya, healthcare workforce training via Relias, professional practice via Alliant International University). The portfolio is complemented by Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of venture and growth funds active across Europe, the US, India, and Asia.\n\nBertelsmann generates revenue through multiple distinct mechanics: subscription and recurring revenue from RTL Group streaming (RTL+, M6+, Bedrock platform) and Relias healthcare training; one-time sales of print books, e-books, and audiobooks through Penguin Random House's 350+ imprints; music publishing administration, recording production, and synchronization licensing royalties through BMG's catalog of 3M+ songs; managed services, supply chain solutions, and transaction-based fintech fees through Arvato Group (including Riverty's BNPL services processing 235M transactions annually for 1,800+ merchants); and professional services across marketing, printing, and education. Underlying technology platforms include RTL's Bedrock streaming technology for content personalization, Relias's training platform serving 4.5M users, Afya's digital medical education solutions, and group-wide AI deployment through an OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise partnership covering multiple brands and continents.\n\nBertelsmann reported €19.0 billion in group revenues for fiscal year 2025 with €3,019 million in Operating EBITDA adjusted and €1,007 million in Group profit — the 11th consecutive year exceeding €1 billion. The company's customer base spans European television audiences, global book readers, music artists and songwriters, corporate B2B clients, healthcare professionals, and students, with no significant customer concentration. Major strategic transactions in 2026 include the pending BMG-Concord merger (creating the world's largest independent music company at ~$15B valuation), the completed RTL Group acquisition of Sky Deutschland from Comcast for €150M, the launch of Riverty Bank in Luxembourg under a newly secured EU banking license, and continued expansion in India through Bertelsmann India Investments and the Lets Transport acquisition.

Name

Bertelsmann

Legal name

Bertelsmann SE & Co KGaA

Website

https://bertelsmann.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1835

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Bertelsmann is a privately held, family-controlled German media, services, and education conglomerate (founded 1835) operating across 50+ countries with €19B in FY2025 revenue, serving European TV audiences, global book readers, music artists, B2B clients, healthcare professionals, and students through six core divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Conglomerate Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Leadership & Management (EDAGANAA), Microfinance, Financial Inclusion & Inclusive Markets (BPAGABAM), Corporate Fintech / Insurtech CVC (Financial-services-led CVC) (FSANAHAK)

Keywords

• Media broadcasting entertainment
• Book publishing services
• Music publishing licensing
• Supply chain solutions
• Healthcare education training

Headquarters

HQ city

Gütersloh

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Entertainment (RTL Group): RTL Group generates revenue through TV advertising, streaming subscriptions (RTL+, M6+), and content production/distribution via Fremantle. RTL Group reported €6,326 million revenues in 2025.
2. Book Publishing (Penguin Random House): Penguin Random House generates revenue through book publishing and sales, including print books, e-books, and audiobooks. Publishes around 14,500 new works annually and sells more than 750 million books. Reported €4,981 million revenues in 2025.
3. Music (BMG): BMG generates revenue through music publishing administration, recording production, and sync licensing. Represents more than 3 million songs and recordings. Reported €900 million revenues in 2025.
4. Services (Arvato Group): Arvato Group provides supply chain solutions, financial services (Riverty), IT services, and business processing services for corporate clients across various industries. Reported €4,378 million revenues in 2025.
5. Marketing Services: Bertelsmann Marketing Services includes digital marketing, printing (Mohn Media, GGP Media, Vogel Druck), Sonopress (storage media), and Topac (printing/packaging). Reported €1,029 million revenues in 2025.
6. Education (Bertelsmann Education Group): Bertelsmann Education Group operates medical education (Afya), healthcare training (Relias), and university education (Alliant). Reported €949 million revenues in 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bertelsmann is a transnational media, services, and education conglomerate operating through seven divisions: RTL Group (European entertainment across broadcast, streaming with RTL+/M6+, and content production via Fremantle); Penguin Random House (the world's largest trade book publisher, 14,500 new works per year, 750 million+ books sold annually); BMG (music publishing and recording representing 3 million+ songs); Arvato Group (B2B services including supply chain, IT, and financial services through Riverty); Bertelsmann Marketing Services (digital marketing and offset printing); Bertelsmann Education Group (medical education via Afya, healthcare training via Relias, and professional university via Alliant); and Bertelsmann Investments (venture capital and growth equity funds). The company generated €19 billion in revenues in 2025 with 76,965 employees across more than 50 countries.

Product overview

Bertelsmann is a media, services, and education company operating as a diversified conglomerate with multiple divisions. The portfolio includes RTL Group (entertainment across broadcast, streaming, content, and digital with channels, streaming services RTL+/M6+, and production arm Fremantle), Penguin Random House (world's largest book publisher), BMG (fourth-largest music company with sync & licensing services), Arvato Group (supply chain solutions, financial services via Riverty/Riverty Bank, IT services via Arvato Systems, and business processing via ArvatoConnect), Bertelsmann Marketing Services (digital marketing via Territory/Campaign/DeutschlandCard, offset printing via Mohn Media, storage media via Sonopress Group), and Bertelsmann Education Group (Afya medical education, Relias healthcare training, Alliant University). The company generated €19 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2025 with approximately 76,965 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RTL+: Streaming service operated by RTL Deutschland in Germany and Hungary
• M6+
• Fremantle
• Toggo
• Super RTL
• Bedrock
• Bertelsmann University
• Sonopress
• Mohn Media
• GGP Media
• Vogel Druck
• Territory
• Campaign
• DeutschlandCard
• AZ Direct
• Dialog
• Topac
• MBS
• Book Printing Group
• Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments
• BAI Capital
• Bertelsmann India Investments
• Bertelsmann Next India
• Bertelsmann Global Voices
• Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern
• Create Your Own Career
• Afya
• Relias
• Alliant International University
• SocialCloud
• Culture@Bertelsmann
• The Blue Sofa
• Arvato Systems
• Arvato Connect
• Riverty Bank

Products and services

• RTL Group Leading European entertainment company operating 52 TV channels, 6 streaming services including RTL+ and M6+, and 40 radio stations across Germany, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, and other markets. Includes content production arm Fremantle (11,000+ hours of programming annually in 28 countries), Bedrock streaming technology, Super RTL family broadcasting, and Toggo children's programming. Bertelsmann holds 75% majority share. RTL+ and M6+ have 8+ million paying subscribers combined.
• Penguin Random House World's largest trade book publisher, publishing approximately 14,500 new works annually and selling more than 750 million print books, e-books, and audiobooks each year. Operates 350+ imprints across six continents publishing in English, German, and Spanish markets. Publishing list includes 80 Nobel Prize laureates and 143 US Pulitzer Prize winners. Wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
• BMG Fourth-largest global music company combining music publishing administration and recording production, representing more than 3 million songs and recordings. Operates 16 offices across 13 key markets. Includes BMG Sync & Licensing (SYNC+) global sync service integrating commercial sync, production music, and media services. Wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
• Arvato Group Internationally operating services group developing and delivering customized solutions for business processes across supply chain, financial services (Riverty), IT services (Arvato Systems), and business processing (ArvatoConnect) in more than 30 countries. Serves consumer products, technology, healthcare, automotive, publishing, and internet businesses. Wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
• Bertelsmann Education Group Education activities focusing on healthcare and education sectors delivering innovative teaching and learning solutions and performance management. Includes Afya (Brazil's leading medical education group with 32 medical schools), Relias (US online training platform serving 4.5 million users and 11,000+ healthcare customers), and Alliant International University (professional practice-oriented university). Wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
• Bertelsmann Marketing Services Cross-channel full-service provider combining all of Bertelsmann's digital marketing and printing activities, including offset printing (Mohn Media, GGP Media, Vogel Druck, Book Printing Group), digital marketing units (Territory, Campaign, DeutschlandCard, AZ Direct, Dialog), and storage media (Sonopress Group with Topac printing/packaging). Wholly owned by Bertelsmann.
• BMG Sync & Licensing (SYNC+) Global sync service under BMG integrating Commercial Sync, Production Music, and Media Services for seamless music-for-media solutions, providing music licensing for film, TV, advertising, and other media uses.
• Riverty Financial services brand under Arvato Group offering easier ways for consumers to pay and businesses to monitor financial flows. Provides buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and banking services processing 235 million transactions annually for 1,800+ merchants and 25 million customers across 10 European markets. Establishes Riverty Bank as a fully licensed EU bank in Luxembourg from July 2026.
• Arvato Systems IT services division of Arvato Group providing IT consulting, implementation of standard software, and industry-specific IT outsourcing solutions for enterprise clients across multiple sectors.
• ArvatoConnect Business processing services division of Arvato Group developing technology-led solutions for customer connections and loyalty, headquartered at Botanica, Ditton Park in the UK.
• Sonopress Group Storage media producer with locations in Germany and Asia producing Eco Records for the music industry, combined with printing and packaging specialist Topac under the Bertelsmann Marketing Services division.
• Territory Digital marketing agency under Bertelsmann Marketing Services offering data-based multi-channel marketing solutions and comprehensive agency and content services for advertisers.
• Afya Brazil's leading provider of medical education and solutions, operating 32 medical schools and 25 postgraduate medical education units. Serves 1 in 3 physicians and medical students in Brazil, with 25,000+ medical students currently enrolled and 26,000+ physicians graduated since 1999. Provides digital medical education and clinical practice support solutions.
• Relias Leading US provider of online training, mandatory and specialized upskilling, and professional development for healthcare professionals. Serves over 4.5 million users and more than 11,000 healthcare customers with continuing education and workforce management solutions, headquartered in Morrisville, NC.
• Alliant International University Professional practice-oriented university within Bertelsmann Education Group offering graduate and professional degrees across multiple disciplines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 consecutive years of Group profit exceeding €1 billion
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bharat Innovates 2026minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Bertelsmann India Investments supported 'Bharat Innovates 2026' deep-tech showcase in Nice, France. CEO Carsten Coesfeld participated in investor sessions. BII chaired India's advisory committee for the event.
• Founders FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Bertelsmann Stiftung supports Founders Foundation which hosts 'Hinterland of Things' technology conference. Thomas Rabe spoke at 2026 conference attended by ~2,000 participants.
• Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Bertelsmann India Investments engaged with IITs and Indian Institute of Science through Bharat Innovates 2026 showcase, connecting research-led startups with global investors.
• Sky DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026RTL Group closed acquisition of Sky Deutschland from Comcast for €150M, combining RTL+ and Sky Deutschland to create 12M subscriber streaming service across Germany, Austria, Switzerland.
• Riverty (Subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026Riverty, wholly-owned fintech by Bertelsmann, secured EU CRR banking license from ECB and Luxembourg CSSF. Will establish Riverty Bank in Luxembourg targeting July 2026 operations.
• ConcordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026BMG (Bertelsmann) merging with Concord to create world's largest independent music company. Bertelsmann holds 67%, Concord shareholders 33% plus $1.16B cash. Combined entity projected to generate $2.2B revenue and $730M EBITDA in 2026. Headquarters in Nashville and Berlin.
• RTL GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026RTL Group (75% owned by Bertelsmann) executing strategic pivot including €150M acquisition of Sky Deutschland from Comcast, creating 12M subscriber streaming service. Reported €6.0B revenue in 2025 with streaming revenue up 26%.
• HBO MaxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026RTL+ and HBO Max launched joint streaming bundle. RTL also partnered with DPG Media for sale of RTL Nederland, driving group profit to €1.028B.
• OpenAIcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2025Bertelsmann partnered with OpenAI for one of the largest ChatGPT Enterprise deployments across multiple brands worldwide. Aims to increase productivity in creative processes and improve efficiency in daily workflows for employees across continents.

Scale indicators41 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• News Corp: US-listed media conglomerate with HarperCollins book publishing (directly comparable to Bertelsmann's Penguin Random House), Dow Jones media assets, and a News Media segment. Most direct peer for Bertelsmann's book publishing and media portfolio mix.
• Vivendi: European-headquartered diversified media conglomerate holding Universal Music Group, Canal+ (TV/streaming), Havas (advertising/marketing) and Editis (publishing). Most structural analog to Bertelsmann: European heritage, mixed media/services portfolio, listed ownership, and recent portfolio reshaping.
• Universal Music Group: World's largest music company, majority-owned by Vivendi/listed Euronext Amsterdam. Direct peer to Bertelsmann's BMG across recorded music, publishing, sync licensing, and artist services—same competitive set.
• Warner Music Group: Third major music company alongside UMG and Sony Music. Comparable recorded music and publishing economics, with overlapping artists and label operations vis-à-vis Bertelsmann's BMG.
• Lagardère: Paris-listed media conglomerate built around Hachette Livre (one of the world's 'Big Five' trade publishers) and Lagardère News. Closest European publishing peer to Penguin Random House, with overlapping travel retail and education exposure.
• Pearson: UK-listed education and learning company spanning higher-ed, English-language learning, and assessments. Direct peer to Bertelsmann Education Group (Relias, Alliant), particularly in workforce/professional learning and digital assessment.

Broad incumbents

• Warner Bros. Discovery: Global entertainment heavyweight combining Warner Bros. studios, HBO/Max streaming, CNN news, and Warner Music-adjacent IP. Broader incumbent to Bertelsmann/RTL on the broadcast/streaming side, with overlapping programming economics and content asset base.
• The Walt Disney Company: Entertainment conglomerate with ESPN, Disney+, ABC, Hulu, and major studio IP. Established incumbent in the broadcast/streaming battleground where RTL Group competes; relevant for streaming valuation and content-rights benchmarking.
• Comcast: US media/cable/connectivity parent of NBCUniversal and former Sky owner. Recently divested Sky Deutschland to Bertelsmann/RTL, making Comcast a directly relevant counterparty with overlapping European cable and broadcast exposure.

Others

• Sony Group: Diversified entertainment conglomerate owning Sony Music (one of BMG's three major-label peers), Sony Pictures, Crunchyroll, and PlayStation. Wide-portfolio incumbent directly comparable to Bertelsmann across music, film (Fremantle), and digital distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bertelsmann_com
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bertelsmann

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments56 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bertelsmann