WeltN24

What WeltN24 does

WeltN24 is the operating entity for WELT (Die Welt), one of Germany's flagship national news brands, headquartered in Berlin and owned by Axel Springer SE. The company runs a multi-format digital news platform spanning the welt.de website, iOS and Android mobile apps, the ePaper editions of DIE WELT and WELT AM SONNTAG, the WELT Live TV channel and N24 Doku documentary channel, podcasts (including 'Alles auf Aktien', 'MEGA', 'Der Amerika-Effekt', 'Aha!', and 'WELTmeister'), newsletters, and interactive features such as weather, games, and community. Content covers politics, business and finance, sports, culture, lifestyle, science, health, travel, regional news, and investigative journalism across more than 20 sections.

The company monetizes through a layered mix of recurring digital subscriptions (WELT Pur, WELT Plus, WELT Plus Premium, and the B2B WELT Business product), digital advertising (display, video, and personalized programmatic), sponsored content and advertorials with named partners (Mercedes-Benz Vans, Kia, Scalable Capital, Sparkasse), ePaper access, newsletters, and event marketing (including the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel security summit and the Deutscher KI-Preis AI prize). It serves German-speaking consumers in the DACH region, business professionals and executives, and corporate/enterprise customers, and operates under a freemium access model. Customer-facing technology includes AI-assisted personalization, an AI-powered digital assistant (WELTgo!, launched 2025), consent-based advertising identifiers via partnership with Utiq, and SSO through the Axel Springer myPass portal-wide identity layer.

As a private subsidiary within the publicly-traded Axel Springer SE conglomerate, WeltN24 does not disclose standalone financials, but its scale signals — 501-1,000 employees, multi-platform distribution, an extensive archived content library of 80+ years, and a broad subscription and advertising stack — position it as one of the larger digital news operations in the German-speaking market.

Name

WeltN24

Legal name

Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH

Website

https://welt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

WeltN24 operates WELT, a major German digital news brand, running multi-format platforms (web, mobile, TV, ePaper, podcasts, newsletters) with tiered digital subscriptions, advertising, sponsored content, and B2B products serving German-speaking consumers, business professionals, and enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from WELT Plus, WELT Plus Premium, WELT Pur, and WELT Business B2B products. Subscriptions provide access to premium content, exclusive articles, and features like the WELTgo! assistant. Billing is monthly or annual.
2. Digital Advertising: Revenue from display advertising, video ads, and personalized advertisements served on the platform. Uses third-party ad tech partners including Google Advertising Products, Outbrain, Snap, X Corp, and YouTube for ad serving and targeting.
3. Sponsored Content and Advertorials: Native advertising and sponsored content sections including special themed sections like Innovation Deutschland, Business Reporter, and partner content from companies like Mercedes-Benz Vans, Kia, Scalable Capital, and Sparkasse.
4. ePaper and Archive Access: Revenue from digital newspaper editions including DIE WELT, WELT AM SONNTAG, and various magazine editions available through the ePaper platform.
5. Newsletter and Email Marketing: Multiple newsletter products including breaking news alerts, market/finance updates, lifestyle content, and personalized article recommendations delivered via email.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WELT/N24 is a German-language digital news media platform that produces and distributes multi-format journalism across politics, business, finance, sports, culture, and lifestyle. Its core offering combines a flagship news website (welt.de), premium subscription access (WELTplus), mobile applications, digital ePaper editions of DIE WELT and WELT AM SONNTAG, live TV channels (WELT Live, N24 Doku), and a podcast network, all monetized through freemium subscriptions, digital advertising, sponsored content, and B2B corporate access via WELT Business.

Product overview

WELT ist ein deutsches Nachrichtenmedien-Unternehmen mit einer digitalen Plattform-plus-Ökosystem-Architektur. Das Kernprodukt WELT.de bietet aktuelle Nachrichten und Hintergrundberichte, ergänzt durch das Premium-Abonnement WELTplus für exklusive Inhalte. Das Produktportfolio umfasst mobile Apps (WELT News App, WELT Edition App), Streaming-Video (WELT Live TV, N24 Doku), Audio-Inhalte (WELT Podcasts), interaktive Features (WELT Spiele, WELT Community), Utility-Services (WELT Wetter, WELT Newsletter) sowie B2B-Angebote (WELT Business). Der KI-gestützte Assistent WELTgo! wurde 2025 eingeführt und bietet Abonnenten einen digitalen Assistenten für personalisierte Interaktion. Das Unternehmen vergibt zudem den Deutschen KI-Preis als Innovationsauszeichnung.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WELTplus: Premium subscription service offering exclusive content, in-depth analysis, and ad-free reading experience.
• WELT News App
• WELTgo!
• WELT Edition
• WELT AM SONNTAG
• ICON Magazine
• N24 Doku
• WELT Business

Products and services

• WELT.de (Main News Website) The flagship news website of WELT offering current news, background reports, videos, and interactive content across politics, economics, sports, culture, science, and lifestyle topics. Serves as the primary digital touchpoint for German-speaking news consumers with both free and subscription-gated content.
• WELTplus Premium Subscription Premium subscription product providing subscribers with access to exclusive articles, in-depth analysis, and special content across politics, economy, finance, sports, panorama, science, health, culture, opinion, history, travel, and lifestyle verticals. Available in multiple tiers including WELT Plus and WELT Plus Premium.
• WELT News App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing on-the-go news consumption with personalized content, push notifications, and live streaming capabilities for WELT subscribers and free users.
• WELTgo! AI Assistant AI-powered digital assistant exclusive to WELT subscribers that enables handling of everyday tasks, faster decision-making, and a novel chat-based journalism experience through generative AI interaction.
• WELT ePaper Digital edition of the printed WELT and WELT AM SONNTAG newspapers, including all magazine editions (ICON, UHREN, STILIST). Full e-paper editions available the evening before publication with complete digital replica reading experience.
• WELT Live TV / N24 Doku Live stream of the WELT news channel and N24 Doku documentary channel. Offers live TV coverage with current news, talk shows, documentaries, and reportage distributed via cable, satellite, streaming platforms, and TV apps.
• WELT Podcasts Podcast network offering multiple shows including Aha! (everyday knowledge), Alles auf Aktien (finance/stocks), Der Amerika-Effekt, MEGA (Make Economy Great Again), and WELTmeister (sports). Distributed via podcast platforms and the WELT website.
• WELT Business B2B Subscription Digital B2B subscription product for companies providing exclusive knowledge and well-founded information for decision-makers. Offers corporate teams premium business journalism, market intelligence, and professional development content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple subscription tiers serve different customer segments from casual readers to enterprise customers
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Deutscher KI-Preis PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Deutscher KI-Preis (German AI Prize) is organized by WELT/Axel Springer with partners for recognizing innovation in artificial intelligence. Includes categories for Innovation Award, Application Award, and Start-Up Award.
• Mercedes-BenzminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Mercedes-Benz is a partner of the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel (Security Summit), participating as a sponsor and content partner for the security conference.
• Rolls-Royce Power SystemsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Rolls-Royce Power Systems is a partner of the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel, sponsoring the security conference as a platform for industry dialogue.
• BAT (British American Tobacco)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025BAT is a partner of the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel, participating as a sponsor and content partner for the security conference.
• DFNZ (Deutschland sicher ohne Lobbyismus)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025DFNZ is a partner of the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel, participating in the security conference focused on German security policy.
• AMDTminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025AMDT is a partner of the WELT Sicherheitsgipfel, participating in the security conference.
• Utiq SA/NVcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 June 2024Utiq is a European technology company that provides consent-based advertising identifiers in partnership with telecommunications carriers. WELT uses Utiq technology to enable personalized advertising while providing user privacy choices. The partnership operates as joint controllers under GDPR Article 26.
• Adobe AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationAdobe Analytics is used as an order processor (Art. 28 DSGVO) for collecting and analyzing user behavior data on the WELT platform. Used for Mein WELT-Konto personalization and performance measurement.
• Piano Norway (Cxense)coreTechnology or IntegrationPiano Norway (Cxense) is used as an order processor for user behavior analytics and content personalization on the WELT platform.
• Google Advertising ProductscoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides advertising technology services including ad serving, targeting, and measurement for WELT's digital advertising operations.
• Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram)coreTechnology or IntegrationMeta provides social media integration, content embedding, and advertising technology through Facebook Business Tools for WELT's platform.
• Apple (Search Ads, IDFA)coreTechnology or IntegrationApple provides advertising technology through Apple Search Ads for app marketing attribution, utilizing IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) on iOS devices.
• myPass (Axel Springer)coreTechnology or IntegrationmyPass is Axel Springer's portal-wide single sign-on service enabling user authentication across all Axel Springer media properties including WELT.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Focus (Burda): Focus is a major German news magazine and digital news portal owned by Hubert Burda Media, covering politics, business, and lifestyle. It competes with WELT in the German general-interest digital news and advertising market.
• n-tv (RTL Group): n-tv is a 24-hour German news TV channel and digital news portal owned by RTL Group. It is the closest direct competitor to WELT's N24 news channel and WELT Live streaming product on both linear TV and digital platforms.
• Bild (Axel Springer): BILD is Axel Springer's mass-market German news brand and the most direct competitor to WELT in digital subscriptions, advertising, and news coverage. Both brands operate under the same parent and compete for the same German news consumer wallet, making BILD the closest comparable peer despite the shared ownership.
• Handelsblatt: Handelsblatt is Germany's leading business newspaper with a paid digital subscription (Handelsblatt Plus) targeting executives and business professionals. It is the closest peer to WELT Business for B2B and executive-tier news subscribers.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung: SZ is one of Germany's leading quality broadsheet newspapers with a paid digital subscription model (SZ Plus) and broad multi-format coverage. It competes directly with WELT Plus for paying German news consumers, particularly in business and politics.
• Die Zeit: Die Zeit is a major German weekly newspaper with a paid digital subscription offering in-depth politics, business, and culture coverage. It is a relevant peer for WELT Plus in the premium German-language subscription news market.
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): FAZ is a premium German national newspaper with a strong digital subscription product (FAZ+) targeting business and political decision-makers. It overlaps directly with WELT's premium and WELT Business audience in the DACH business journalism segment.
• Der Spiegel: Spiegel is Germany's leading investigative news magazine with a paid digital subscription (Spiegel+) covering politics, business, and culture. It is a primary competitor for premium German-language news subscriptions and breaking-news reach.

Broad incumbents

• Tagesschau (ARD): Tagesschau is Germany's most-watched public-service news broadcast and a dominant digital news destination. It is the broadest incumbent competitor in German news, competing with WELT/N24 for linear and digital news audiences across the country.

Regional players

• Tagesspiegel: Tagesspiegel is a Berlin-based daily newspaper with a paid digital subscription model and strong regional coverage. It is most comparable as a regional direct peer in the Berlin/DACH subscription news market where WELT also operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weltn24-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 WeltN24