Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen

What Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen does

Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen (ZVW), founded in 1971 and headquartered in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is a privately-held regional newspaper publisher operating as a Kommanditgesellschaft (KG) under German law with Zeitungsverlag GmbH as general partner. The company publishes the Waiblinger Zeitung and provides comprehensive local and regional news coverage across all 19 municipalities of the Rems-Murr-Kreis, including VfB Stuttgart sports journalism, community events, and Blaulicht (emergency services) reporting. ZVW is managed by co-Managing Directors Dr. Ruth Betz and Ullrich Villinger, with the Villinger family maintaining ownership involvement, and employs between 101 and 250 people.

ZVW operates a multi-platform content distribution architecture spanning print newspaper home delivery, a digital ePaper product accessible across PC, tablet, and smartphone via dedicated apps, and the ZVW+ premium digital subscription providing paywall-free website access with commenting functionality. The technology stack includes Salesforce for newsletter and subscription management, CleverPush for push notifications, Podlove for self-hosted podcast publishing, Google Analytics/Tag Manager for site optimization, and Sourcepoint for GDPR consent management. The company has built a vertical ecosystem of specialized portals covering jobs (rems-murr-jobs.de), real estate (zvw-immo.de), funeral announcements (zvw-trauer.de), and a long-form sponsored content platform (ZVW Story).

The business model combines six revenue streams: recurring print subscriptions, monthly digital subscriptions (ePaper at €49.90/month and ZVW+), display and classified advertising, transaction fees from specialized classified portals, ticket and reader travel revenue, and professional services revenue from organized events (Forum Vorsorge+, Immomesse, Forum Gesundheit+, Job und Karrieretage, Bau Energie Wohnen). Primary customers are local residents of the Rems-Murr-Kreis (B2C subscribers) and local/regional SMBs and employers (B2B advertisers and job/real estate posters). The ZVW Digital subsidiary coordinates digital services and innovation initiatives.

Name

Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen

Legal name

Zeitungsverlag GmbH & Co Waiblingen KG

Website

https://zvw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscriptions
• Epaper digital editions
• Local classifieds portals
• Regional advertising services

Headquarters

HQ city

Waiblingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Newspaper Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from physical newspaper delivery to households in the Rems-Murr-Kreis region
2. Digital Subscriptions (ePaper & ZVW+): Monthly recurring revenue from ePaper digital editions (€49.90/month) and ZVW+ premium digital access subscriptions
3. Advertising & Display Ads: Revenue from digital and print advertising placements, sponsored content, and banner advertisements across all ZVW platforms
4. Classified Advertisements: Revenue from specialized classified portals including job listings (rems-murr-jobs.de), real estate listings (zvw-immo.de), and funeral announcements (zvw-trauer.de)
5. Events & Exhibitions: Revenue from organized events including Forum Vorsorge+, Immomesse, Forum Gesundheit+, Job und Karrieretage, and themed topic worlds
6. Reader Travels & Tickets: Revenue from reader travel packages (Leserreisen) and ticket sales through ZVW Ticketshop (reservix.de integration)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen (ZVW) publishes a regional daily newspaper and associated digital media products serving the Rems-Murr-Kreis area of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company offers print and digital (ePaper, ZVW+) subscriptions, mobile apps, podcasts, and operates specialized classified portals for jobs, real estate, and obituary announcements, complemented by reader travel, ticketing, and event services.

Product overview

Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen (ZVW) operates a multi-platform news and media portfolio serving the Rems-Murr region in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The core offering consists of the printed Waiblinger Zeitung newspaper and its digital equivalents (ePaper and ZVW+ subscription), supplemented by specialized classified portals for jobs (Rems-Murr-Jobs), real estate (ZVW-Immo), and obituaries (ZVW-Trauer). The digital ecosystem includes a mobile app, podcast series (Die Lage im Ländle, Wir reden über den VfB, Land unter, Bewegungsmelder), newsletter services, online puzzles, reader travel packages, and event ticketing. The ZVW Story platform offers long-form narrative journalism. All digital products are offered through the aboshop.zvw.de commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZVW+: Digital subscription service allowing access to premium articles on zvw.de without paywall restrictions, including commenting functionality
• ZVW ePaper
• ZVW Stories
• ZVW Familiencommunity 100eyes
• Rems-Murr-JOBS
• ZVW Immobilien
• ZVW Trauer

Products and services

• Printed Newspaper Subscription Physical newspaper subscription covering local news from the Rems-Murr district and regional coverage including Stuttgart and Baden-Württemberg, delivered to subscriber households.
• ePaper Digital Subscription Digital replica of the printed newspaper accessible on PC, tablet, and smartphone, including four local editions, all weekly papers, and digital evening edition. Priced at €49.90/month after a 1-month free trial.
• ZVW+ Digital Subscription Premium digital subscription providing unlimited access to all articles on zvw.de without paywall restrictions, including commenting functionality for registered users.
• Kinderzeitung (Children's Newspaper) Age-appropriate news content subscription designed for children and young readers.
• ZVW Trauerportal (Grief Portal) Online platform for publishing and browsing obituary announcements, with newsletter notifications for registered users.
• ZVW Immobilienportal (Real Estate Portal) Property listing platform for searching and advertising real estate in the Rems-Murr region with contact inquiry forms and email search agents.
• Rems-Murr-Jobs Portal Local job board enabling employers to post vacancies and job seekers to create profiles, upload CVs, and apply directly through the platform.
• ZVW Podcasts Editorial podcast series including regional news ('Die Lage im Ländle'), VfB Stuttgart sports ('Wir reden über den VfB'), weather ('Land unter'), and sports ('Bewegungsmelder') coverage.
• Leserreisen (Reader Travel) Travel package offerings combined with editorial content, including special events like Vatican tours with Musica Sacra concerts.
• ZVW Ticketshop Event ticketing service operated via Reservix for local cultural and sporting events.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration21 records

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter delivery and subscription management platform for ZVW's email marketing and digital subscription services
• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)coreTechnology or IntegrationNews agency partnership providing access to national and international news content for ZVW's editorial coverage
• Google (Analytics, Tag Manager, Maps)coreTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics, tag management, and mapping services for website optimization and geographic content presentation
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing for digital subscriptions and shop purchases, including credit card and direct debit options
• PAYONEcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service provider for credit card and SEPA direct debit transactions in the online shop
• INFOnlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationAudience measurement and reach analysis service for German digital media, required for IVW and AGOF reporting
• VG WortcoreTechnology or IntegrationCopyright tracking pixel for measuring article views to enable author royalty distributions
• Facebook/MetaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media integration, Facebook Pixel for advertising, and community engagement on Facebook and Instagram
• YouTube/Google IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo hosting and embedding for editorial video content including match highlights and event coverage
• SourcepointcoreTechnology or IntegrationConsent management platform (CMP) for GDPR compliance and cookie consent handling on zvw.de

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mannheimer Morgen: Larger regional newspaper in northern Baden-Württemberg. Broader geographic reach but a similar operating model combining print, digital subscriptions, and classifieds — useful as a scale benchmark for ZVW's regional category.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung: Germany's largest national-quality daily, headquartered in Munich. Reaches ZVW's catchment digitally and competes for premium digital subscribers and national advertising budgets.
• Axel Springer SE: Germany's largest digital news publisher (Bild, Welt). Indirectly competes for regional advertising and digital subscription share within ZVW's catchment via digital distribution and dominant classifieds (Stepstone).

Regional players

• Badisches Tagblatt: Regional newspaper in Baden serving the Baden-Baden/Rastatt area. Comparable in size and family-owned structure to ZVW, illustrating the typical scale and economics of an independent Baden-Württemberg local publisher.

Direct peers

• Stuttgarter Zeitung / Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Direct regional peer publishing the leading daily newspaper in the Stuttgart metropolitan area. Covers overlapping geography with ZVW (Baden-Württemberg) and competes for the same local advertising and subscription budgets.
• Schwarzwälder Bote: Regional daily publisher in Baden-Württemberg serving the Black Forest and surrounding districts. Comparable local coverage model with multi-locality editions, print + digital subscriptions, and similar audience scale.
• Nürtinger Zeitung / Wendlinger Zeitung: Small regional daily directly adjacent to the Rems-Murr-Kreis, covering Nürtingen and Wendlingen. Closest geographic competitor with very similar print/digital subscription economics.
• Reutlinger General-Anzeiger: Regional daily newspaper serving Reutlingen and the surrounding Neckar-Alb region in Baden-Württemberg. Similar operating model, audience size, and product mix to ZVW.
• Südwest Presse (Neue Pressegesellschaft): Regional newspaper group publishing dailies across Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria with a comparable mix of print, ePaper, and digital subscriptions. Operates a similar multi-locality model in adjacent German markets.
• Heilbronner Stimme: Independent regional newspaper based in Heilbronn, directly north of ZVW's footprint. Comparable family-owned structure with parallel print + digital subscription and classified verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zvw_redaktion
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIhvBpMO-MdFx9We1X8zRzA
• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/zvwonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zeitungsverlag-waiblingen
• Instagraminstagram.com/zeitungsverlag_waiblingen/?hl=de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Zeitungsverlag Waiblingen