Taz De
Taz De is an independent, cooperative-owned German daily newspaper founded in 1978, publishing left-leaning journalism via digital, print, podcasts, and events. It serves German readers through a freemium model combining voluntary solidarity payments, subscriptions, and cooperative membership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Taz De does
Taz De (Die Tageszeitung) is one of the few independent national daily newspapers in Germany, founded in 1978 in Berlin and operated as a cooperative-owned publishing company through taz Verlagsgenossenschaft eG. The publication delivers left-leaning, independent journalism across politics, society, ecology, culture, and sports, with no backing from a major media conglomerate. The company employs 501-1,000 staff and serves a national readership of German-speaking consumers who value editorial independence and free access to news.
The product portfolio spans digital and print channels. The core offering is taz.de, a freely accessible digital news portal built on standard web publishing infrastructure with digital subscription and ePaper delivery. Complementary products include the weekly print edition (wochentaz), a quarterly magazine (taz FUTURZWEI), six podcasts spanning politics, climate, and international affairs, mobile applications for iOS and Android, multiple email newsletters, and an events/conference brand (taz lab). Supporting entities include taz panterstiftung (journalism foundation), Recherchefonds Ausland (foreign investigations fund), a merchandise shop, a canteen/event venue, and journalist-led travel offerings.
The business model is a hybrid freemium, subscription, and donation-based structure. The "taz zahl ich" solidarity payment model enables readers to voluntarily contribute starting from €5 per month to support free access to journalism, with over 49,500 supporters participating. Monetization is layered with digital subscriptions, weekly print subscriptions, cooperative membership equity contributions, events, and merchandise sales. Customer acquisition is primarily product-led through the website, newsletters, podcasts, and live events, targeting German-speaking readers seeking critical journalism free of corporate media influence.
Taz De firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Taz De
- Legal name
- taz Verlags und Vertriebs GmbH
- Website
- https://taz.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Taz De is an independent, cooperative-owned German daily newspaper founded in 1978, publishing left-leaning journalism via digital, print, podcasts, and events. It serves German readers through a freemium model combining voluntary solidarity payments, subscriptions, and cooperative membership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Taz De is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Taz De business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Voluntary Support (taz zahl ich): Readers contribute voluntarily with flexible amounts starting from 5 euros per month, supporting free access to journalism for all
- Digital Subscriptions: Daily digital newspaper subscription with app access, ePaper delivery, and additional digital features
- Print Subscriptions (Wochentaz): Weekly printed newspaper delivered to subscribers, with optional digital access included
- Cooperative Membership: Reader-members can join the taz Verlagsgenossenschaft eG as shareholders, providing capital and community support
- Events and Merchandise: taz organizes events, talks, and sells merchandise including special edition products
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Voluntary monthly support starting at 5 euros |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | 10-week trial subscription for wochentaz |
| Subscription | Annual | taz FUTURZWEI magazine subscription |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle with wochentaz and socks |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Taz De product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Taz De operates taz.de, a freely accessible national digital news portal, alongside a weekly print newspaper (wochentaz), the quarterly magazine taz FUTURZWEI, daily digital editions via the taz App and ePaper, podcasts, and newsletters. Distribution is bundled with a solidarity-based voluntary payment model ("taz zahl ich"), tiered digital and print subscriptions, cooperative membership in taz Verlagsgenossenschaft eG, and ancillary offerings such as the taz Shop and taz Reisen.
Product overview
taz (die tageszeitung) is a German left-leaning daily newspaper offering a multi-platform journalism portfolio. The core offerings include taz.de (free digital news portal), taz zahl ich (voluntary solidarity payment model), wochentaz (weekly printed newspaper), and taz App/ePaper (digital editions). The portfolio extends to taz FUTURZWEI (quarterly future/politics magazine), multiple podcasts (bundestalk, fernverbindung, klima update°, mauerecho, freie rede, reingehen), and specialized offerings including taz panterstiftung (journalism foundation), Recherchefonds Ausland (foreign reporting fund), taz lab (debate congress), and taz Kantine (event location). The publication operates on a cooperative model (taz Verlagsgenossenschaft eG) with no major media conglomerate backing, emphasizing independence and free access to journalism.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- taz.de (digital news portal) Freely accessible national digital news portal publishing daily reporting, opinion, and investigative journalism from taz journalists for German-speaking readers.
- wochentaz (weekly print newspaper) Weekly print edition of die tageszeitung delivered by mail to print subscribers, featuring the week's curated reporting and long-form journalism.
- taz FUTURZWEI (quarterly magazine)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 49,500 voluntary supporters through taz zahl ich model
Companies that use Taz De
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Taz De technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Taz De partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Le Monde diplomatiqueminorTaz publishes the German edition of Le Monde diplomatique, a monthly supplement covering international affairs and development topics
Scale indicators3 records
Taz De competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Berliner Zeitung: Berlin-headquartered German daily with overlapping print and digital subscription offerings. Competes for the same Berlin and national independent-reader segment.
- Der Tagesspiegel: Berlin-based daily newspaper with digital subscription model and similar multi-channel audience strategy. Direct geographic and product peer.
- Neues Deutschland: Berlin-based left-leaning German daily newspaper. Closely comparable to taz in editorial stance, Berlin origin, and target audience of politically engaged left-leaning readers.
- Junge Welt: Left-leaning German-language daily newspaper with a similar ideological positioning to taz. Comparable as a niche, ideologically-driven print and digital daily competing for the same reader segment.
Emerging players
- De Correspondent: Dutch reader-funded, cooperative-ownership journalism platform. Direct analogue to taz's 'taz zahl ich' solidarity model and reader-cooperative ownership structure, though primarily digital.
Broad incumbents
- Der Spiegel: Germany's leading independent news magazine with a strong digital subscription business. Overlaps with taz in investigative journalism, political coverage, and subscription-led monetization.
- Die Zeit: Major German weekly newspaper with strong digital subscription business and independent editorial positioning. Comparable business model (subscriptions + events) at significantly larger scale.
- Süddeutsche Zeitung: Germany's largest national quality daily with a paywalled digital subscription model. Broad incumbent in the same product category, serving a more centrist audience at significantly larger scale.
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): Major German national daily with established digital and print subscription products. Comparable as a high-prestige German daily, though ideologically distinct from taz.
- The Guardian: UK-based daily with trust-owned (effectively independent) governance, freemium digital model with voluntary contributions, and left-of-center editorial positioning. Closest international structural analogue to taz's cooperative/independent model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Taz De social profiles
Digital presenceTaz De compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Taz De financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Taz De leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Taz De subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Taz De funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Taz De M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Taz De
What does Taz De do?
Taz De operates taz.de, a freely accessible national digital news portal, alongside a weekly print newspaper (wochentaz), the quarterly magazine taz FUTURZWEI, daily digital editions via the taz App and ePaper, podcasts, and newsletters. Distribution is bundled with a solidarity-based voluntary payment model ("taz zahl ich"), tiered digital and print subscriptions, cooperative membership in taz Verlagsgenossenschaft eG, and ancillary offerings such as the taz Shop and taz Reisen.
Is Taz De a public or private company?
Taz De is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Taz De founded?
Taz De was founded in 1978. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Taz De based?
Taz De is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Taz De make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Voluntary Support (taz zahl ich) is the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions, print Subscriptions (Wochentaz), cooperative Membership and events and Merchandise.
Who are Taz De's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Berliner Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel, Neues Deutschland and Junge Welt. De Correspondent is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and The Guardian.
Does Taz De have an API?
No public API is recorded for Taz De.