BurdaForward

What BurdaForward does

BurdaForward GmbH is a German digital media house and wholly-owned subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media, operating a portfolio of 14 established digital brands that collectively reach more than 40 million German internet users each month. Its core properties include FOCUS online (Germany's most-visited news portal), CHIP (consumer technology and reviews), BUNTE.de (entertainment), TV Spielfilm (TV and streaming guide), Finanzen100 (financial information), EFAHRER.com (electromobility), and The Weather Channel Germany. The company is headquartered in Munich with additional offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Offenburg, Düsseldorf, and Bari (Italy). Co-CEOs Lydia Rullkötter and Daniel Steil have led the company since 2024 following the departure of long-time CEO Oliver Eckert.

The company monetizes primarily through B2B digital advertising sold directly to brands and via agencies, with a minimum booking volume of EUR 4,000 net and pricing models including fixed, CPC, and CPM. Secondary revenue streams include test-seal/certification licensing (Testsiegel), the recently launched 'Money + Mind' paid financial newsletter (2025), and the CHIP Online Store (2025) e-commerce platform. Supporting technology includes first-party Snowplow Analytics, IAB TCF v2.0 compliant Sourcepoint consent management, cross-brand 'My BurdaForward' unified login, and AI capabilities applied to editorial production, advertising integration ('Goodvertising'), homepage design, podcast recommendations (Der Kopfhörer), and streaming recommendations (StreamPicker).

The go-to-market is hybrid: a sales-led B2B advertising motion handled directly and through the BCN reseller joint venture (effective January 1, 2025), combined with a product-led consumer engagement model that drives reach through free, paywall-free content. Distribution partnerships include the exclusive long-term Joyn streaming tie-up for TVSpielfilm.de and product sales via Amazon and eBay marketplaces. The company is actively diversifying revenue mix in 2024-2026 via paid newsletters, e-commerce, knowledge-hub content with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and content commerce while divesting non-core print assets.

Name

BurdaForward

Legal name

BurdaForward GmbH

Website

https://burda-forward.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

BurdaForward is a German digital media house and subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media, operating 14 brands including FOCUS online and CHIP that reach over 40 million German users monthly. It monetizes primarily through B2B digital advertising, with emerging subscription and e-commerce revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Publishing

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Representatives (541840), Media Representatives (54184)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply-Side Platforms (SSP) & Publisher Monetization (BPAMALAC)

Keywords

• Digital media publishing
• Online news portals
• Digital advertising platform
• Content marketing services
• Digital media brands

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: Primary revenue stream from advertising integration in digital offerings including display ads, video ads, sponsored content, and tracking-based advertising. Advertisers can book fixed prices, CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per mille) models. Minimum booking volume of 4,000 EUR net for ad campaigns. Additional revenue from creation services (Kreationsleistungen).
2. Seal/Certification Licensing: Revenue from licensing tests seals (Testsiegel) for companies to use in their advertising materials. Packages include usage rights for DACH region or broader geographic scope.
3. Paid Newsletters: Revenue from paid newsletter products including 'Money + Mind' financial newsletter launched in 2025 as the first paid newsletter in the financial sector.
4. E-commerce/Content Commerce: Revenue from content-driven e-commerce models including CHIP online store for tech products launched in 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BurdaForward is a digital media house that operates a portfolio of 14 leading German digital brands (FOCUS online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TV Spielfilm, Finanzen100, EFAHRER.com, The Weather Channel and others), collectively reaching more than 40 million German internet users each month. It monetizes this audience primarily by selling digital advertising inventory (display, video, sponsored content, programmatic) to B2B advertisers and agencies, complemented by test seal licensing, paid newsletter subscriptions, and e-commerce.

Product overview

BurdaForward is a digital media house operating a multi-brand platform portfolio. The company manages leading German news and entertainment brands including FOCUS Online, CHIP, BUNTE.de, TV Spielfilm, Finanzen100, EFAHRER.com, and The Weather Channel. These brands collectively reach over 40 million users monthly. The platform operates on a hybrid model combining advertising-supported free content with emerging paid products like the Money + Mind newsletter. Core offerings include news portals, consumer technology content (CHIP with its network tests and online store), entertainment guides (TV Spielfilm with Joyn partnership), financial services (Finanzen100), and sustainability-focused channels (FOCUS online Earth). Supporting infrastructure includes the My BurdaForward cross-brand login system, the StreamPicker streaming recommendation app, and proprietary advertising technology built on goodvertising principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOCUS online: Germany's leading news portal reaching over 40 million people monthly with general news and information.
• CHIP
• FOCUS online Earth
• BUNTE.de
• TV Spielfilm
• TV Spielfilm PLUS
• Finanzen100
• EFAHRER.com
• EFAHRER.com CHIP ePower
• StreamPicker
• Money + Mind
• CHIP.de Online Store
• Constructive World Award

Products and services

• FOCUS Online Germany's leading news portal offering general news, solution-oriented journalism, video podcasts (MUT) and newsletters, reaching more than 40 million people in Germany every month.
• CHIP Germany's largest consumer and technology portal offering product tests, technology news, an online store, and annual network tests for internet and mobile providers.
• BUNTE.de German celebrity and entertainment news portal covering celebrities, royalty, and lifestyle content.
• TV Spielfilm German TV guide and entertainment portal providing program information, streaming recommendations, and an exclusive partnership with Joyn for streaming content.
• Finanzen100 Leading German financial app and website for private investors offering financial news, portfolio tracking, and investment information.
• EFAHRER.com Germany's largest portal for electromobility providing electric vehicle news, solar company rankings, and sustainable mobility information, including the new CHIP ePower sub-brand for renewable energies.
• StreamPicker Free mobile app providing selected and customized film and series recommendations to help users navigate streaming services.
• Money + Mind Paid financial newsletter expanding the 'René will Rendite' brand, marketed as the first paid newsletter in the German financial sector.
• CHIP Online Store E-commerce platform operated by CHIP for selling technology products, extending the brand from editorial product testing into direct commerce, with distribution also through Amazon Marketplace and eBay.
• CHIP Netztest Annual network testing service evaluating German internet and mobile providers' performance across contract terms, availability, and speed, conducted in partnership with NET CHECK.
• Constructive World Award Award program by FOCUS online celebrating solution-oriented journalism and recognizing media professionals for constructive reporting.
• Der Kopfhörer In-house podcast product providing personalized podcast recommendations based on user preferences, used as a case study for contextual targeting and first-party data strategies.
• Digital Advertising Services
• Test Seal Licensing (Testsiegel)
• MUT - Der Deutschland-Talk Video podcast series featuring top representatives from politics and business, produced in collaboration with entrepreneur Tijen Onaran.
• FOCUS online Earth Climate and sustainability-focused sub-brand and content portal under FOCUS online covering environmental protection, sustainability solutions, and climate action initiatives, including the 'Generation Planet' campaign with Rolex.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches >40 million people in Germany every month
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Integration11 records

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Fraunhofer-GesellschaftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025FOCUS online launched 'Zukunft gestalten' (Shaping the Future) knowledge hub in cooperation with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The goal is to make scientific solutions to major challenges of our time more visible and easier to understand.
• JoyncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Joyn and TVSpielfilm.de entered an exclusive long-term partnership. The cooperation provides added value for users with streaming content information.
• BCN (Burda Community Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024BCN, a joint venture between Hubert Burda Media, FUNKE Mediengruppe and Mediengruppe Klambt, was mandated to market BurdaForward's entire digital portfolio (FOCUS online, BUNTE.de, CHIP.de, TVSpielfilm.de) starting January 1, 2025. BCN is responsible for over 300 media brands on the German market, representing a major distribution partnership.
• RolexminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Rolex partnered with FOCUS online Earth for the 'Generation Planet' climate campaign focusing on innovative commitment to environmental protection.
• CIRCULAR REPUBLICminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2023FOCUS online Earth cooperates with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, an initiative by UnternehmerTUM, as media partner for the CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL. Focuses on resource-efficient circular economy topics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Axel Springer: Germany's largest digital media company (BILD, WELT, Business Insider, Politico Europe), operating a comparable multi-brand news and advertising portfolio. Directly competes with BurdaForward for German digital ad budgets and editorial share of attention.
• RTL Deutschland (Bertelsmann/Ad Alliance): Operates Germany's largest private broadcaster plus streaming (RTL+), with a unified cross-media advertising sales house (Ad Alliance) that competes directly with BCN/BurdaForward for advertiser budgets across TV, digital, and audio.
• Funke Mediengruppe: German regional and national media publisher (Funke Medien NRW, Braunschweiger Zeitung, etc.) and joint-venture partner in BCN. Direct competitor in German digital news and advertising inventory.
• Ippen Digital: Digital media house operating a large network of regional German news portals (ippen.media network including Münchner Merkur, Frankfurter Rundschau, tz). Direct competitor in the German digital advertising and news category.
• Spiegel Group (Spiegel-Verlag): Publisher of Der Spiegel and manager of manager-magazin, with a growing digital subscription business. Direct competitor for premium German news audiences and brand-safe advertising spend.
• ZEIT Verlag (Die ZEIT): Publisher of Die ZEIT and ZEIT ONLINE, operating a successful paid digital subscription model. Direct competitor for high-quality German journalism audiences and a benchmark for BurdaForward's emerging paid-newsletter efforts.
• Gruner + Jahr / G+J Medien: German magazine and digital publisher (Stern, Geo, Brigitte, Capital) owned by Bertelsmann. Direct competitor in German lifestyle, entertainment (BUNTE.de overlap), and advertising inventory.

Broad incumbents

• Ströer SE & Co. KGaA: Major German digital-out-of-home and online advertising sales house (Ströer Digital, t-online). Competes with BurdaForward's BCN channel for digital ad budgets and jointly represents publisher monetization on the OVK chairmanship.
• Microsoft Advertising (MSN/Outlook): Global advertising platform and news/content syndicator. Competes with BurdaForward for German digital ad budgets via display, native, and audience targeting at a much larger scale.
• Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck: German media group owning Die Welt / WeltN24, Handelsblatt, and other news properties. Broad incumbent competing for premium German news audiences and advertiser budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BurdaForward
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGB1NeDSZEc4FxK3hABVkGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/BurdaForwardAdvertising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burdaforward
• Instagraminstagram.com/burdaforward
• Pinterestpinterest.com/burdaforward
• TikToktiktok.com/@burdaforward

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries8 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 BurdaForward