MADSACK Mediengruppe

What MADSACK Mediengruppe does

MADSACK Mediengruppe is a privately held German regional media conglomerate headquartered in Hannover and founded in 1909, controlled by the Madsack family through Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG. The group operates 23 regional newspaper titles (including Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Leipziger Volkszeitung, Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung, Lübecker Nachrichten, and Sächsische Zeitung) alongside the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), the first national news portal operated by a regional media group in Germany. Its technology stack centers on the RND OnePlatform, a holistic publishing platform bundling editorial content management, subscription marketing, and advertising sales on a modern software stack that is licensed to 25+ partner publishers and serves 130+ media brands with 100 million monthly visits and 7.2 million readers.

The business operates across four revenue streams: consumer subscriptions (print, digital Plus-Abo at €2.49/week, E-Paper, and newsletter products totaling 1.9 million subscribers), advertising (print, digital, centralized Zentralvermarktung), postal and logistics services (Citipost, Nordbrief, LVZ Post delivering 280 million letters annually, ranking among Germany's top three private postal providers), and B2B services including publishing solutions, corporate publishing, events, recruitment, video production (TVN Group), radio aggregation (radio.net), and coworking spaces. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer digital self-serve subscription sign-ups with traditional field sales for print, partner network distribution via RND, and direct postal delivery operations.

MADSACK's strategy, articulated under CEO Thomas Düffert's 'Crunchtime 2030' program, emphasizes accelerated digital transformation and AI integration across journalism workflows, evidenced by the March 2026 hire of Chief Transformation Officer Thomas Schultz-Homberg from DuMont and renewed RND leadership under Lina Timm and Denni Klein. Recent strategic moves include the acquisition of Nordwest Mediengruppe (effective January 2026, adding €120M+ revenue), majority stake increases in Hüpke & Sohn and Kieler Nachrichten, the pioneering Prignitz digital-only local journalism pilot, and expansion of partner-publisher ecosystem. The company serves regional German readers and B2B advertisers, while positioning itself as a Verbund service provider enabling smaller regional publishers to access national content and shared technology infrastructure.

Name

MADSACK Mediengruppe

Legal name

Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://madsack.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

MADSACK Mediengruppe is a privately held German regional media conglomerate operating 23 newspaper titles, the RND national news portal reaching 100M monthly visits, a top-3 private postal network delivering 280M letters annually, and B2B publishing services for 1.9 million subscribers and 130+ partner media brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB), Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Digital subscription services
• Postal logistics services
• Media advertising sales
• Publishing platform technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Traditional print newspaper subscriptions providing recurring revenue. MADSACK titles include 23 regional newspaper brands with approximately 458,000 print-only subscriptions as of early 2026.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Digital-only subscriptions including Plus-Abos and e-paper subscriptions. MADSACK achieved 63% conversion of print subscribers to e-paper and 300%+ increase in digital-plus subscriptions. Currently approximately 361,000 digital-only and 87,000 combined print/e-paper subscriptions.
3. Newsletter Subscriptions: Newsletter products delivering curated news content. MADSACK titles have approximately 1,025,000 newsletter subscriptions across various formats.
4. Print and Digital Advertising: Advertising revenue from both print and digital platforms. MADSACK operates centralized marketing (Zentralvermarktung) and serves as advertising partner for partner publishers on RND OnePlatform.
5. Post and Logistics Services: MADSACK is one of the largest private postal service providers in Germany, delivering over 280 million letters annually through Citipost, Nordbrief, LVZ Post brands. Includes delivery services for newspapers and commercial postal services.
6. Publishing Services for Third Parties: Centralized services for publishers including editorial, marketing, printing, accounting, and IT. Services offered to external media houses and publishers so they can focus on core business.
7. Corporate Publishing and Events: Full-service and digital agencies provide corporate publishing, event organization, and ticketing services for B2B and B2C clients.
8. Digital Business Holdings: Revenue from digital ventures including TVN Group (video/TV production), radio.net (radio/podcast aggregator), Basislager Coworking Spaces, and MADSACK Recruiting Solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MADSACK Mediengruppe is a diversified German regional media group that publishes 23 regional newspaper titles in print and digital formats, operates the RND national news portal and content network serving 130+ partner media brands, and sells digital subscriptions (Plus-Abo, E-Paper, newsletters). Beyond publishing, it operates one of Germany's largest private postal networks (Citipost, Nordbrief, LVZ Post) and offers B2B services including the RND OnePlatform publishing platform licensed to external publishers, corporate publishing, video production via TVN Group, and recruiting solutions.

Product overview

MADSACK Mediengruppe operates as a diversified regional media conglomerate with 23 newspaper titles as its core publishing business. The portfolio centers on RND.de as the national news portal, supported by the RND OnePlatform publishing platform that serves both internal titles and external partner publishers. Digital products include Plus-Abonnement subscriptions, E-Paper editions, and RND Newsletter products. Non-publishing operations encompass TVN Group (video production), radio.net (podcast aggregation), postal/logistics services (Citipost, Nordbrief, LVZ Post), recruiting solutions, and coworking spaces. The group provides B2B publishing solutions to external media houses and operates advertising/agency services through subsidiaries. Total subscriptions reach 1.9 million across print, digital-only, and newsletter formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RND (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland): National news network and portal, one of the largest and most-cited media networks in Germany with over 100 million monthly visits
• RND OnePlatform
• radio.net
• TVN Group
• Basislager
• MADSACK Recruiting Solutions
• MADSACK Market Solutions
• Citipost
• Nordbrief
• LVZ Post
• mma (madsack medien agentur)
• hochzwei
• Havelcom
• oz-on
• Digitalathleten

Products and services

• RND.de (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland) National news portal and flagship digital brand of MADSACK, providing overregional news content and reaching 100 million monthly visits; the first national news portal operated by a German regional media group.
• 23 Regionale Zeitungstitel (Regional Newspaper Titles) Portfolio of 23 regional daily newspaper titles in Germany including Leipziger Volkszeitung, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung, Lübecker Nachrichten, Kieler Nachrichten, Ostsee-Zeitung, and Sächsische Zeitung, forming the core publishing portfolio with print and combined print+e-paper subscriptions.
• Plus-Abo (Digital-Abo Plus) Digital subscription at €2.49/week offering full access to premium content of the respective regional newspaper brand; uses a time-wall mechanism where articles are freely accessible for the first hour after publication before becoming subscriber-only.
• E-Paper Digital newspaper edition delivered electronically to subscribers, with enhanced functionality including text-to-speech/read-aloud, bookmark, and zoom features; supported by a 63% conversion rate of print subscribers to e-paper.
• RND Newsletter Personalized newsletter products delivering curated regional and national news content, with approximately 1.025 million newsletter subscriptions across MADSACK titles; managed as a distinct digital media product line by RND Fortis GmbH.
• RND OnePlatform Holistic publishing platform that bundles digital content, editorial processes, content management, Plus-Abo subscription marketing and advertising sales on a modern software stack; licensed to 25+ partner publishers including B. Boll Mediengruppe.
• radio.net Radio and podcast aggregator operating as one of Europe's most successful streaming audio platforms, providing access to radio streams and podcast content across European markets.
• Citipost / Nordbrief / LVZ Post (Postal & Logistics) One of Germany's largest private postal service providers, delivering over 280 million letters annually through three regional brands: Citipost (Hannover, Göttingen, Hildesheim), Nordbrief (Rostock, Lübeck, Kiel), and LVZ Post (Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Potsdam).
• TVN Group National leading moving image service provider offering film, TV, and streaming production projects across the entire media production process from concept to broadcast.
• Basislager Coworking Spaces Coworking spaces in Leipzig and Rostock fostering networked collaboration with startups, part of MADSACK's startup promotion initiatives.
• MADSACK Recruiting Solutions Recruitment solutions provider offering customer-centric services for companies and individuals seeking employees, operating as part of MADSACK's verbund partnership.
• Publishing Solutions (B2B Services for Publishers) Centralized services for external publishers covering editorial, marketing, printing, accounting and IT, enabling partner media houses to focus on their core business through shared infrastructure and expertise.
• Full-Service and Digital Agencies (mma, Havelcom, oz-on, hochzwei) Group of full-service and digital agencies (mma, hochzwei, Havelcom, oz-on) providing individual B2C and B2B communication solutions including conception, editing, production, distribution, corporate publishing, event organization and ticketing.
• Prignitz-Kurier (Digital-Only Local Edition) First purely digital local edition of MADSACK, converting over 60% of print subscribers to digital subscriptions in the Prignitz region of Brandenburg; outcome of the Modellprojekt Prignitz digital-only local journalism pilot.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63% of print subscribers converted to e-paper subscriptions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DRIVE (Digital Revenue Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026DRIVE is a publisher project coordinated by dpa and Highberg/Schickler, with 30 regional publishers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland working to increase digital revenues through data science, AI, and new cooperation models. MADSACK participates as one of the founding/partner publishers.
• Ippen.Media / Ippen Digital GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiator of Tag des Lokaljournalismus and operator of 80+ media brands under IPPEN.MEDIA umbrella including Frankfurter Rundschau, Münchner Merkur, HNA. MADSACK CEO Thomas Düffert participates in joint industry initiatives.
• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading independent news agency founded in 1949, serving media, companies, and organizations. MADSACK participates in DRIVE project coordinated by dpa and is a shareholder of dpa through its media company ownership.
• BDZV (Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman federation of digital publishers and newspaper publishers. MADSACK CEO Thomas Düffert serves as board member. BDZV supports Tag des Lokaljournalismus initiative.
• Sportcast GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between MADSACK Mediengruppe and Sportcast GmbH for TV outside broadcast coverage, established November 2021.
• RND Partner PublisherscoreTechnology or IntegrationOver 130 media brands including Kölner Stadtanzeiger, Neue Westfälische, Badische Zeitung, Siegener Zeitung, and others receive RND national content and/or use RND OnePlatform technology.
• Verlegerfamilie Heinrich (Kieler Nachrichten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMADSACK holds 50% plus one vote in KN-Group (Kieler Nachrichten and Segeberger Zeitung), with partnership expanded in 2021 for product development, marketing, and commercial operations.
• Highberg / SchicklerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManagement consulting firm coordinating DRIVE (Digital Revenue Initiative) project with dpa and regional publishers for digital transformation.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck: Holtzbrinck is a major German publishing group whose titles include Die ZEIT, Handelsblatt, and Der Tagesspiegel. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping subscription, advertising, and digital transformation capabilities comparable to MADSACK's portfolio at national scale.
• Axel Springer SE: Axel Springer is Germany's largest media publisher, operating BILD, WELT, Business Insider, and Politico. While not focused on regional journalism, it competes with MADSACK's RND national portal for digital news reach, advertising spend, and subscription customers across Germany.
• Süddeutscher Verlag: Süddeutscher Verlag publishes the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest national quality daily, plus regional titles in Bavaria. It is a broad incumbent comparable to MADSACK in combining a national subscription product with regional print operations and digital transformation.
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): FAZ is one of Germany's leading national quality newspapers with a strong digital subscription business (FAZ Plus). It competes with RND in national digital paid content rankings and shares MADSACK's focus on subscription-based, trust-driven journalism.

Direct peers

• NOZ Medien (Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung): NOZ Medien is a privately held German regional newspaper publisher operating in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, directly adjacent to MADSACK's northern German footprint. It offers a comparable mix of regional print titles, digital subscriptions, and advertising services for SMB clients.
• DuMont Mediengruppe: DuMont is a traditional German regional publisher whose titles include Kölner Stadtanzeiger and Berliner Zeitung, and is the prior employer of MADSACK's incoming CTO Thomas Schultz-Homberg. DuMont competes directly with MADSACK in regional German newspaper publishing and digital subscription transformation.
• Ippen.Media (Ippen Digital GmbH): Ippen operates 80+ media brands including Frankfurter Rundschau and Münchner Merkur and is a co-initiator of industry initiatives alongside MADSACK such as Tag des Lokaljournalismus. It is a direct competitor in regional and national digital journalism in Germany with comparable subscription and advertising models.
• Rheinische Post Mediengruppe: Rheinische Post Mediengruppe is a family-owned regional German media company publishing the Rheinische Post and related titles in North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes with MADSACK in regional journalism, digital subscriptions, and B2B advertising services across German-speaking markets.
• Funke Mediengruppe: Funke is one of Germany's largest regional newspaper publishers, operating titles such as Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, and Hamburger Abendblatt. It directly competes with MADSACK in the regional German newspaper market with a similar portfolio of regional brands and digital subscription products.

Regional players

• CH Media / Tamedia (TX Group): Tamedia and CH Media operate leading regional newspaper portfolios in Switzerland with similar paid digital subscription models and digital transformation programs. They serve as a comparable regional peer in the broader DACH market with a similar mix of trusted regional brands and digital subscription products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/madsack
• Xx.com/madsack

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about MADSACK Mediengruppe