Austria Presse Agentur

What Austria Presse Agentur does

Austria Presse Agentur (APA), founded in 1946, is Austria's national news agency and the country's primary information services provider. It is organized as a cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft) owned by twelve Austrian daily newspapers and the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, an ownership structure that aligns its incentives with the Austrian media ecosystem and structurally insulates it from state and government influence. The business operates through three entities: the parent APA eG (news agency), the wholly-owned APA-Comm GmbH (PR and communication services, est. 2000), and the wholly-owned APA-IT Informations Technologie GmbH (IT services, est. 2002).

The product platform centers on APA-NewsDesk, a unified news and data hub providing access to news, images, graphics, video, transcripts, and a ~165-million-document media database, and PR-Desk, an all-in-one platform for PR professionals bundling OTS press release distribution, media monitoring, journalist contact database (MediaContact), and AI tools. The technology stack includes ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 20000-1 certified managed infrastructure, the Mobile Publishing Suite for publisher apps, and AI capabilities (CompanyGPT, Text-Assistant on OpenAI, AI image search with face recognition, Speech-to-Text, and the 2024 KI-Visibility-Score). APA produces 350 news messages daily, 48,800 press photos annually, and distributes press releases to ~800 Austrian media, ~10,000 journalists, and up to 161 countries internationally.

Revenue is generated across seven streams: newswire subscriptions (APA-Basisdienst), OTS transaction-based press release distribution, APA-Comm subscription and service fees for PR-Desk and media monitoring, APA-IT managed services and hosting, image licensing, automated content feeds (APA-Lines), and professional services (APA-Campus training, APA-Grafiken infographics). Go-to-market is sales-led via a direct salesdesk and account management for enterprise customers, complemented by self-serve platforms, an e-commerce store, and mobile apps. Primary customers are Austrian media organizations, PR and communications departments, publishers, and public-sector entities.

Name

Austria Presse Agentur

Legal name

APA – Austria Presse Agentur eG

Website

https://apa.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Austria Presse Agentur (APA), founded in 1946 and cooperatively owned by twelve Austrian daily newspapers and ORF, is Austria's national news agency operating an integrated platform spanning newswire, media monitoring, press release distribution, image licensing, and AI-enabled content tools for media, PR, publishing, and public-sector customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News Agency and Information Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Relations & Press Office Services (BPAFADAF), PR, Reputation Management & Earned Media Platforms (BPAMALAO)

Keywords

• News agency services
• Media monitoring
• Press release distribution
• Stock photo licensing
• IT infrastructure services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. News Agency Subscriptions (APA-Basisdienst): Annual or multi-year subscription fees for access to the APA-Basisdienst, providing 24/7 access to verified news content, photos, infographics, and videos distributed via the APA-NewsDesk platform.
2. APA-OTS Press Release Distribution: Fee-based distribution of press releases and PR content to Austrian media (800+ outlets), journalists (10,000+), press offices, and international distribution to up to 161 countries.
3. APA-Comm Services (Media Monitoring, Analysis, PR-Desk): Subscription and service fees for PR-Desk platform, media monitoring, media analysis, MediaContact database, and related communication services for PR professionals.
4. APA-Tech Services (Managed Services, Hosting, Mobile Publishing): Fees for IT infrastructure services including managed services, data center housing/hosting, and the Mobile Publishing Suite for publishers and enterprises.
5. APA-Images (Image Licensing): Revenue from licensing press photos, studio portraits, infographics, and creative stock images from Austria's largest image collection (60+ million images).
6. APA-Lines (News Feeds): Subscription fees for automated, ready-made news content feeds delivered via technical interface in various formats for websites, news portals, newsletters, screens, and print publications.
7. APA-Campus (Education & Training): Fees for workshops and training programs for PR and journalism professionals, including KI-Kompakt AI competency courses.
8. APA-Grafiken (Infographics on Demand): Fees for custom infographic creation, data visualization, social media slides, graphic animations, and interactive graphics for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

APA – Austria Presse Agentur is Austria's national news agency and the country's leading information services provider. It delivers 24/7 verified news, press photos, infographics, video, and audio content through its APA-NewsDesk platform, distributes press releases via OTS to ~800 Austrian media outlets, 10,000+ journalists, and up to 161 countries internationally, and provides cross-media monitoring, media analysis, image licensing (60M+ images), AI tools, managed IT services, hosting, and the Mobile Publishing Suite. The APA-Group comprises the news agency, APA-Comm (PR solutions), and APA-Tech (IT services).

Product overview

APA operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around its news agency core services. The main platforms include APA-NewsDesk (central news and data hub) and PR-Desk (all-in-one PR platform). APA-NewsDesk provides unified access to news content, images, graphics, videos, and the media database through modules including News, Images, Agenda, Daten, Infografik, and Text-Assistant. PR-Desk bundles OTS (press release distribution), Medienbeobachtung (media monitoring), MediaContact, Mediendatenbank, Medienanalyse, Austria-Kiosk, Speech-to-Text, and Text-Assistant modules. Core products include APA-Basisdienst (core news service), APA-Images (image agency with 60M+ images), APA-Lines (automated news feeds), and APA-Grafiken (infographics). AI offerings include CompanyGPT (GDPR-compliant AI), KI-Tools (AI for image, text, language), Speech-to-Text, and AI-powered image search with face recognition. IT services include Housing und Hosting, Mobile Publishing Suite, and VideoService.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APA-NewsDesk: Central news and data hub offering access to news, images, graphics, videos, live content, and media database
• APA-OTS
• PR-Desk
• APA-Images
• APA-Grafiken
• APA-Lines
• APA-Science
• APA-Basisdienst
• CompanyGPT by APA
• APA-Campus
• APA-Tech
• APA-Comm
• APA-Pressezentrum
• Medienbeobachtung
• Medienanalyse
• MediaContact
• Mobile Publishing Suite
• Austria-Kiosk

Products and services

• APA-Basisdienst Core multimedia news wire service providing hundreds of verified, current news reports, press photos, and infographics 24/7, 365 days a year. Targeted at media organizations, journalists, and editorial teams.
• APA-NewsDesk Central news and data hub providing authenticated access to current news, images, graphics, videos, live content, daily newspaper articles, radio/TV transcripts, and social media content through a unified platform with single login. Targeted at media organizations and enterprise clients.
• PR-Desk All-in-one platform for professional PR and communications work bundling modules for press release distribution (OTS), media monitoring, agenda planning, news research, journalist contacts (MediaContact), AI Text-Assistant, Austria-Kiosk, and Speech-to-Text. Targeted at PR professionals at corporations, NGOs, and public institutions.
• OTS (Original Text Service) Central press release distribution service reaching ~800 Austrian media outlets, 10,000+ journalists, and www.ots.at, with international distribution to up to 161 countries. Includes the KI-Visibility-Score feature (launched 2024) for measuring AI presence of press releases. Targeted at corporations, PR agencies, and public organizations.
• Medienbeobachtung (Media Monitoring) Cross-media media monitoring covering print, web, radio, TV, podcasts, news agencies, newsletters, and social media. Print content delivered daily; online and news agency content delivered in real time, 365 days/year. Targeted at PR professionals and corporate communications teams.
• APA-Images Austria's largest image agency with access to over 60 million images, including current and historical press photos, studio portraits, infographics, and creative stock images. Features AI-powered image search with face recognition. Targeted at media outlets, publishers, and content creators.
• CompanyGPT by APA GDPR-compliant AI solution offering generative AI capabilities within a secure, privacy-compliant environment. Targeted at Austrian businesses needing data-protection-compliant AI.
• KI-Tools der APA (APA AI Tools) AI tools for image, text, and language processing, including Text-Assistant (AI-supported content work tool), Speech-to-Text transcription, and AI-powered image search with face recognition. Targeted at media professionals and PR teams.
• Mobile Publishing Suite (MPS) Solution enabling publishers and companies to publish their print and digital content as customized apps for smartphones, tablets, and web e-paper, including multimedia and interactive features, push notifications, reading lists, and analytics. Targeted at publishers and enterprises.
• Housing und Hosting High-availability and fail-safe IT infrastructure with 24/7 support delivered as data center services by APA-Tech. Targeted at media companies and enterprises requiring reliable hosting.
• APA-Science Austria's largest platform for education, science, and research, providing specialized news and content for these sectors. Targeted at research institutions, universities, and science media.
• APA-Grafiken (Infographics on Demand) Infographic service providing professionally created and checked visual representations of current news, including data dossiers, social media slides, graphic animations, and interactive graphics. Targeted at media outlets and corporate communications teams.
• APA-Lines (News Feeds) Ready-made news content service providing current, editorially verified, legally secure content across breaking, general, business, entertainment, service, finance, and science news, delivered as text with images in various technical formats and feeds. Targeted at websites, news portals, newsletters, screens, and print publications.
• Content on Demand Custom content creation service producing optimal content for specific needs, including compelling texts, images, and compact graphics. Targeted at organizations needing bespoke editorial content.
• APA-Pressezentrum (Event Venue) High-tech event location in Vienna with top-tier service for hosting press conferences, corporate events, and gatherings. Targeted at corporations and organizations hosting media events.
• MediaContact Journalist and media contact database providing national and international journalist and blogger contacts for professional media work, enabling targeted research and selection of media contacts by topic, region, and media type. Targeted at PR professionals.
• Mediendatenbank (Media Database) Austria's largest media and specialist database with ~165 million individual documents and nearly 1 million new articles added daily, providing access to thousands of national and international sources across print, online, radio, TV, podcasts, and social media. Targeted at media professionals and researchers.
• Medienanalyse (Media Analysis) Systematic analysis of media resonance for companies, organizations, or topics, providing PR success evaluation through quantitative and qualitative metrics including reach, advertising value, and image analysis. Targeted at PR and communications professionals.
• VideoService Service for managing and editing livestreams and videos efficiently, with playback on all devices and operating systems. Targeted at media organizations and enterprises producing video content.
• APA-Campus Workshops and training programs for PR and journalism professionals, including KI-Kompakt (AI competency) courses. Targeted at communications and journalism professionals.
• APA-Store Online shop for selected editorial products such as live blogs and infographics available for purchase. Targeted at media organizations and content buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 165 million individual documents in the media database, with nearly 1 million new articles added daily
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International News Agency NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA is part of an international network of news agencies and has partnerships with international news agencies for content exchange and global coverage. This network enables APA to distribute press releases internationally to up to 161 countries.
• 60+ National and International Partner Agencies (Image Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA-Images combines its own photo archive with content from a network of over 60 national and international partner agencies, providing access to over 60 million images globally.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Agence France-Presse (AFP): One of the three major global news agencies, operating a worldwide bureau network and offering wire services, photos, video, and content feeds. Comparable to APA at the core news agency layer but at vastly larger international scale and broader language coverage.
• Getty Images: Global image licensing and editorial photography platform. Overlaps with APA-Images (Austria's largest image agency with 60M+ images) in editorial photo licensing and AI-powered image search, though Getty operates globally with a much larger catalog and broader commercial reach.
• Cision: Global leader in PR, media monitoring, and earned media analytics. Overlaps directly with APA-Comm's PR-Desk, OTS, and Medienbeobachtung offerings at significantly larger international scale, and represents the primary competitive threat in media monitoring and PR distribution.
• Associated Press (AP): US-headquartered cooperative news agency providing wire services, photos, and video to global media. Operates at global scale with a similar cooperative ownership philosophy, making it a structural analog in mission and governance if not in market reach or scale.
• Meltwater: Global media intelligence and social listening platform providing media monitoring, analytics, and PR insights. Directly comparable to APA's Medienbeobachtung and Medienanalyse offerings at much larger international scale and with broader data sources.
• Reuters (Thomson Reuters): Major global news and information provider offering wire services, financial data, and multimedia content to media and enterprise customers. Operates at significantly larger scale and global reach than APA but competes in the same wire services and media intelligence categories.

Direct peers

• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur): Germany's national news agency and the closest structural analog to APA: cooperative-owned wire service providing verified news, photos, and content distribution to German media. Operates a similar multi-revenue model spanning news, PR, and media monitoring, making it the most directly comparable peer for product mix, ownership structure, and customer base.
• ANSA: Italy's leading national news agency, providing news wires, photos, and multimedia content to Italian media. Closely comparable as another European national news agency with similar product scope, customer base, and domestic market focus.
• PR Newswire (Cision): Global press release distribution service. Directly comparable to APA's OTS Originaltext-Service in core function—distributing press releases to media and journalists—but operates at vastly larger international scale with broader language coverage and reach.
• Keystone-SDA: Swiss national news agency serving a comparable DACH market with a similar multi-product platform including wire services, images, and PR distribution. Closely comparable in scale, cooperative ownership philosophy, product breadth, and customer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/APAInside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apa-comm

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Austria Presse Agentur