What Westfalen-Blatt does

Westfalen-Blatt is a regional daily newspaper publisher headquartered in Bielefeld, Germany, serving the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region across seven districts (Kreis Paderborn, Bielefeld, Kreis Höxter, Kreis Herford, Kreis Minden-Lübbecke, Kreis Gütersloh, Kreis Lippe). Founded in 1946, the company operates under the legal entity Westfalen-Blatt Vereinigte Zeitungsverlage GmbH & Co. KG and is part of the broader Zeitungsgruppe Münster media group. The firm employs 501-1,000 staff and is led by Managing Directors Dennis Hagen and Marc Zahlmann. Its core product is the regional newspaper delivered in print and digital ePaper format, with deep local coverage of community news, regional sports (notably DSC Arminia Bielefeld and SC Paderborn 07), and OWL business developments.

The company has built a diversified digital product portfolio beyond the core newspaper, including a Digital Premium subscription tier, the Sunday digital magazine 'Mein Sonntag', specialized vertical portals (wb-jobs.de for employment, wb-immo.de for real estate, wb-trauer.de for funeral notices), an event ticketing platform (WB-Tickets), a reader travel program (WB unterwegs), and a merchandise shop (WB Lesershop). Technology infrastructure relies on standard digital publishing components: CleverPush for push notifications, Google and Microsoft cloud services, INFOnline for audience measurement, and content pass for consent management. Content is distributed across web, ePaper, mobile apps, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube).

Westfalen-Blatt's revenue model combines recurring B2C print and digital subscriptions (with tiered pricing including trial offers, iPad hardware bundles, and multi-year contracts) with B2B advertising sales (classified, display, and content marketing) and transaction-based fees from vertical portals, ticketing, travel, and merchandise. The customer base is split between regional individual readers and local SMB advertisers, with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts. Classified and commercial advertising sales are handled through a core channel partnership with OWL Media Solutions GmbH & Co. KG. The business is geographically concentrated entirely within the OWL region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Name

Westfalen-Blatt

Legal name

Westfalen-Blatt Vereinigte Zeitungsverlage GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://westfalen-blatt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Westfalen-Blatt is a private regional daily newspaper publisher based in Bielefeld, Germany, serving the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region with print and digital ePaper editions, vertical portals for jobs, real estate, and classifieds, and complementary reader services including ticketing, travel, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Core revenue from newspaper subscriptions including print editions and digital ePaper packages, with tiered offerings from basic digital access to premium packages with iPad included
2. Advertising Revenue: Classified ads, display advertising, and sponsored content across print and digital platforms including specialized vertical portals
3. Specialized Portals: Revenue from specialized online marketplaces including wb-jobs.de (job listings), wb-immo.de (real estate), wb-trauer.de (funeral notices), and classified marketplaces
4. Event and Ticket Sales: WB-Tickets platform for event ticketing and WB-Lesershop for reader merchandise
5. Reader Travel Services: WB unterwegs (WB on the go) travel program offering day trips and themed short trips with subscriber discounts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Westfalen-Blatt is a regional daily newspaper publisher serving the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region of Germany. It produces and distributes local news content in print and digital formats (ePaper, mobile app, website) and operates specialized online portals for jobs, real estate, funeral notices, event ticketing, reader travel, and merchandise. Revenue is generated primarily through reader subscriptions, classified and display advertising, and ancillary commerce offerings tied to its regional media brand.

Product overview

Westfalen-Blatt is a regional newspaper publishing group serving the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region in Germany. The core product is the daily newspaper (print and ePaper), which is supplemented by a portfolio of digital products and services including subscription tiers (Digital Premium), vertical portals for jobs (WB-Jobs), real estate (WB-Immobilien), and funeral notices (WB-Trauer). Additional offerings include an event ticketing service (WB-Tickets), a reader travel program (WB unterwegs), an online merchandise shop (WB Lesershop), targeted newsletters, and comprehensive advertising services for businesses. The ePaper serves as the digital version of the print newspaper, with a special Sunday edition called 'Mein Sonntag' offered exclusively to subscribers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WB Tickets: Ticket sales platform for events including concerts, sports, comedy, and theater
• WB Lesershop
• WB-Jobs
• WB-Immobilien
• WB-Trauer
• Mein Sonntag
• WB OnlineMarketing Club
• WB unterwegs

Products and services

• Westfalen-Blatt Newspaper Regional daily newspaper covering news, local sports (Arminia Bielefeld, SC Paderborn 07), regional events, politics, business, and culture for readers across the OWL region. Available in print and digital editions.
• Westfalen-Blatt ePaper Digital electronic edition of the Westfalen-Blatt newspaper accessible online and via mobile apps, including the exclusive Sunday edition 'Mein Sonntag'.
• Mein Sonntag Digital magazine specifically designed for Sundays, featuring background stories, inspirations, event previews, puzzles, and archive content, provided exclusively to ePaper and print subscribers.
• WB-Tickets Online ticket shop for live entertainment events including concerts, sports events, comedy, musicals, and theater performances in the OWL region.
• WB-Jobs Online job portal publishing current job listings from various professional sectors in the OWL region, offering print and online advertising options for employers.
• WB-Immobilien Real estate portal for property listings in the OWL region, allowing users to advertise properties for rent or sale in print and online formats.
• WB-Trauer Funeral notice portal for the OWL region, enabling users to publish and view obituary announcements online and in print.
• WB Lesershop Online merchandise shop featuring products with regional character including acrylic paintings with local motifs, handmade outdoor cushions, and special gift items.
• WB unterwegs (Leserreisen) Reader travel program offering day trips, thematic short trips, and exotic long-distance destinations with discounted prices for subscribers.
• Business Advertising Services (Anzeigen) Comprehensive advertising services for businesses including classified ads, display ads, job listings, real estate ads, family announcements, and marketplace categories, available in both print and online formats.
• Classified Marketplaces (Anzeigenportal) Online classifieds portal covering funeral notices, greetings, vehicles, travel, jobs, and general marketplace listings across the OWL region.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OWL Media Solutions GmbH & Co. KGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdvertising service partner handling classified and commercial advertising for the Westfalen-Blatt publishing group. Located at Niedernstraße 21-23, 33602 Bielefeld, providing sales and service for private and business advertising customers across all OWL region portals.
• Zeitungsgruppe MünsterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent media group association mentioned in website branding, suggesting broader regional newspaper collaboration within the Münster newspaper group network.
• Verband der Vereine Creditreform e.V.minorOthersCredit agency used for creditworthiness checks on advertising customers to mitigate payment default risk in business transactions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Neue Westfälische: Direct regional daily newspaper competitor also serving the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region, including Bielefeld and surrounding Kreise. Closest peer by geography, target audience, and product mix (print + ePaper + job portal).
• Westdeutsche Zeitung: Major regional German daily newspaper serving North Rhine-Westphalia with print and digital editions and classifieds portals. Comparable in scale, regional focus, and GTM motion.

Broad incumbents

• Rheinische Post: Established regional newspaper group in NRW with print, ePaper, and digital verticals including jobs and real estate. Broader geographic reach but similar subscription and classified advertising model.
• Funke Mediengruppe: Large German regional newspaper publisher operating multiple regional titles with combined digital subscription and advertising offerings. Comparable in business model as a multi-title regional publisher.
• Madsack Mediengruppe: Regional newspaper group behind Hannoversche Allgemeine and other titles, with shared digital infrastructure and subscription bundles. Analogous multi-title regional publisher structure.
• Axel Springer: Major German media company with national newspapers (Bild, Welt) and classifieds (StepStone). Comparable in digital subscription and classifieds monetisation though at national scale.
• Immobilienscout24: Germany's largest real estate listing platform, competing with WB-Immobilien for property listings in the OWL region. Relevant peer for the real estate vertical.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung: National German quality newspaper with strong digital subscription model (SZ Plus) and regional supplements. Comparable in digital subscription monetisation strategy, though operating at national rather than regional scale.
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: National German newspaper with FAZ.net digital subscription offering and regional editions. Comparable in subscription-led monetisation and digital premium tiering.

Emerging players

• StepStone: Leading online job marketplace competing directly with WB-Jobs for employer recruitment spend in the OWL region. Relevant peer through the job vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/westfalenblatt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westfalen-blatt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Westfalen-Blatt