Sharemagazines

What Sharemagazines does

Sharemagazines GmbH is a German B2B digital reading platform headquartered in Hamburg, with a branch office in Oldenburg where it was founded in 2013 after winning the University of Oldenburg's Gründerpreis. The company operates a streaming-based digital Lesezirkel (reading circle) that delivers newspapers, magazines, eBooks, and audiobooks to end users within partner locations, including hotels, clinics, hair salons, public libraries, restaurants, automotive dealerships, and banks. Access is gated via a location-based control mechanism that requires either a verified WiFi connection or QR code scan at a partner venue, preventing content from being consumed outside approved locations — a design choice intended to address magazine theft, hygiene concerns, and licensing restrictions.

The platform is accessible through native iOS and Android apps, web browsers, and embedded integrations with hotel property technology systems (SuitePad, straiv, Guestnet, Betterspace, Gastfreund), library systems (divibib), and hardware bundles (fonlos tablets). Content portfolio spans 900+ titles including STERN, GEO, Die Welt, Handelsblatt, TIME, The Guardian, and Vogue. In April 2025, sharemagazines secured an exclusive partnership with RTL+ to add 55,000+ hours of premium video, TV, and podcast content exclusively for the healthcare vertical, and in December 2025 launched a real-time newsfeed to extend the offering beyond static periodicals.

The business model is recurring B2B subscription: location operators pay monthly fees (with 12-month minimum terms) while end consumers read content free of charge within the venue. Pricing is tiered, with a documented premium gastronomy bundle priced at €49.90/month when bundled with speisekarte.de's digital menu service, versus €62.40/month standalone. The company is privately held and controlled by three managing directors (Jan van Ahrens, Oliver Krause, Gunnar Sieweke), with no disclosed external institutional investors beyond a 2016 IFB Innovationsstarter grant. Geographic footprint is DACH-focused (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), with a portfolio of named enterprise customers including Sana Kliniken, Steigenberger Hotels, Lindner Hotels, Leonardo Hotels, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche.

Name

Sharemagazines

Legal name

sharemagazines GmbH

Website

https://sharemagazines.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sharemagazines is a Hamburg-based B2B SaaS platform that streams newspapers, magazines, eBooks, audiobooks, and (for clinics) RTL+ video to end users within partner locations such as hotels, hospitals, salons, and libraries. The company sells recurring location subscriptions with 12-month minimum terms across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Reading Platform

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Book Publishers (513130), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Audiobook Retail & Subscription Platforms (Direct-to-Consumer) (MPAJAIAD)

Keywords

• Digital reading platform
• Location-based streaming
• B2B digital entertainment
• Digital newspaper service
• Hospitality content streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Location Subscription: sharemagazines charges location operators (hotels, clinics, salons, etc.) a subscription fee for access to the digital reading platform. The service is provided free to end consumers/visitors who read content within partner locations.
2. Premium Bundle Add-ons: Premium service offerings such as menu translation in 11 languages or vegan/vegetarian/allergen filters for gastronomy partners at additional cost (€49.90/month instead of €62.40/month combined with speisekarte.de).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sharemagazines is a B2B digital reading platform (digitaler Lesezirkel) that streams newspapers, magazines, eBooks, and audiobooks to guests, patients, and customers within partner locations such as hotels, clinics, hair salons, libraries, banks, car dealerships, and restaurants. Content is delivered live from sharemagazines servers and is restricted to partner venues via WiFi connection or QR code access, with end users accessing the service for free on their own devices or via integrated hotel/room tablets.

Product overview

sharemagazines is a digital reading circle platform providing streaming-based access to newspapers, magazines, eBooks, and audiobooks. The core product operates through a proprietary streaming mechanism that delivers content live from sharemagazines servers exclusively within partner locations. The platform is accessible via mobile apps (iOS/Android) and web browsers, with optional integration into partner hardware and software solutions. A notable add-on is the RTL+ content module, exclusive to clinical locations, providing video, TV, and podcast content. Content partnerships with publishers enable the portfolio, while technical integrations with platforms like Guestnet, Betterspace, and straiv extend availability into hotel and property management systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Newspapers and Magazines Streaming-based access to the most popular newspapers and magazines (900+ titles including STERN, BILD, GEO, VOGUE, TIME, The Guardian, Kicker) via the sharemagazines app or web browser within partner locations such as hotels, clinics, salons, libraries, banks, and dealerships.
• eBooks Digital book content streamed to users within partner locations, available alongside newspapers and magazines as extended reading content for hotels, clinics, and similar venues.
• Audiobooks Digital audiobook content streamed via the sharemagazines platform, available to partner locations such as hotels and clinics as part of the media portfolio.
• RTL+ Content for Clinics Exclusive add-on for clinical locations providing video, TV, and podcast content via the RTL+ partnership, supplementing the standard digital reading portfolio with streaming entertainment for hospital patients.
• Premium Bundle with speisekarte.de Combined offering for restaurants and cafés bundling sharemagazines digital reading with speisekarte.de digital menus into a single subscription, including optional premium features for menu translation and dietary filters.
• Real-Time Newsfeed A real-time news feed capability added to the sharemagazines platform, providing live breaking news updates alongside the digital newspaper and magazine portfolio for users within partner venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top-30 user status achieved by FREIZEIT IN Hotel Göttingen, demonstrating high engagement levels
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• RTL+flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Exclusive partnership for healthcare/clinic segment providing video, TV, and podcast content. Includes 55,000+ program hours, 420 series & reality shows, 320 children's formats, all 14 RTL Deutschland TV channels, and thousands of podcasts. This is a unique differentiator for the clinic vertical.
• speisekarte.decoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2020Digital restaurant menu partnership creating bundled offering for gastronomy. Allows restaurants to offer both digital menus and digital reading in one package. Premium bundle includes menu translation in 11 languages or dietary filters.
• fonloscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2020Hardware rental and leasing partner offering tablets pre-installed with sharemagazines. Enables small businesses like hair salons to access the service without large upfront capital investments. Complete bundle is insured during the rental period.
• SuitePadcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital guest directory integration partner for hotels. sharemagazines content embedded within SuitePad's hotel tablet system.
• straivcoreTechnology or IntegrationHotel technology integration partner providing digital guest directory and infotainment solutions. sharemagazines integrated into straiv platform for hotels like Raphael Hotel Wälderhaus and Hotel Essener Hof.
• divibibminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLibrary technology partner. divibib offers sharemagazines to their library customer base as a digital reading complement.
• GreenSign InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability certification body that recommends sharemagazines to their certified hotels as part of sustainability programs.
• AudaMediaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWaiting room technology partner helping businesses transition to digital reading in waiting areas.
• Sana KlinikencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor healthcare group providing sharemagazines digital reading to patients across their hospital network.
• TÜV SüdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuality and safety certification organization offering sharemagazines to their business network.
• Mercedes BenzcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAutomotive company offering sharemagazines in their dealership waiting areas.
• Lindner HotelscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel chain providing sharemagazines digital reading to guests across their properties.
• Steigenberger Hotels & ResortscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium hotel chain offering sharemagazines to guests at their properties.
• Deutsche TelekomminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTelecommunications company supporting sharemagazines through their partner network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cafeyn: French B2B/B2C digital press platform distributing newspapers and magazines via operator partnerships (telcos, banks, transport) across Europe. Closest European competitor to sharemagazines' B2B2C model and a likely head-to-head in DACH hotel and mobility deals.
• Readly: Swedish all-you-can-read magazine and newspaper subscription app active across Europe. Comparable offering scope (5,000+ titles) and overlapping publisher relationships; differs in being primarily D2C consumer subscription rather than B2B-location.
• Magzter: Digital magazine platform offering subscriptions to 5,000+ titles across categories. Comparable as a digital magazine aggregator but predominantly D2C, making sharemagazines' B2B-location approach a structural differentiator.
• Zinio: Global digital magazine newsstand offering individual subscriptions and library/institutional access to 6,000+ titles. Directly competes with sharemagazines in the library and digital-reading category with similar content licensing model.
• PressReader: Canadian digital newsstand serving libraries, hotels, airlines, and cruise ships with unlimited access to 7,000+ newspapers and magazines. Most directly comparable to sharemagazines in the B2B location-based digital reading category, especially for the library and hospitality verticals.

Emerging players

• Issuu: Digital publishing and reading platform used by publishers to distribute magazines globally. Adjacent to sharemagazines in digital content distribution but focused on publisher self-service rather than location-based reading.

Others

• SuitePad: Hotel in-room tablet provider that integrates sharemagazines as embedded content. Acts as a distribution channel rather than competitor, but the underlying digital guest directory/tablet category is adjacent to sharemagazines' hotel offering.
• straiv: Hotel digital guest directory and infotainment platform that embeds sharemagazines. Functionally a distribution partner in the hotel-tech stack; comparable on the digital-guest-experience axis but not a competing content product.

Regional players

• BookBeat: Swedish audiobook and e-book subscription service owned by Bonnier. Comparable on the audiobook distribution axis (part of sharemagazines' portfolio) but operates D2C in Nordics/DACH rather than via B2B location partnerships.
• Skoobe: German eBook and audiobook subscription service (Holtzbrinck/Droemer). Overlaps with sharemagazines' eBook/audiobook modules in the DACH region but is consumer D2C, not B2B-location, and does not include periodicals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sharemagazines
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaBNj2XYsSlU4QbwpKYricw
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharemagazines
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharemagazines-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/sharemagazines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Sharemagazines