Die Furche

What Die Furche does

Die Furche is an Austrian weekly newspaper (Wochenzeitung) founded in 1945 and headquartered in Vienna at Hainburger Straße 33. It publishes German-language coverage of politics, society, culture, religion, and intellectual topics for an Austrian readership seeking quality journalism and deeper analysis than daily news provides. The company operates as a limited partnership (Die Furche – Zeitschriften-Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. & Co. KG.) under the Styria Media Group AG, sharing operational infrastructure with sister entities within the conglomerate.

Die Furche's core technology consists of a content-managed website (furche.at), an e-paper digital edition delivery system, a subscriber management system, and an email newsletter distribution infrastructure. The platform integrates standard web analytics (Google Analytics), social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Spotify) for content distribution, and third-party services for cookie consent management (IAB Europe TCF) and credit reporting (KSV 1870). No mobile application is offered; digital access is delivered through the responsive website and PDF e-paper.

The business model is subscription-led and recurring. Revenue streams comprise print subscriptions (weekly home delivery within Austria plus editorial newsletter), digital subscriptions (e-paper and premium online content), and combined print-and-digital bundles, supplemented by advertising sales (print and programmatic digital via COPE) and ancillary revenue from reader travel programs (Leser:innenreisen), prize draws (Gewinnspiele), and individual e-paper sales. Pricing is structured across annual billing cycles with free trial, time-limited, and discounted student tiers, and the company explicitly reserves the right to adjust subscription fees based on changes in personnel, paper, printing, delivery, energy, fuel, rent, taxes, and fees. GTM combines a self-service Abo-Webshop with telephone and email subscription support.

Name

Die Furche

Legal name

Die Furche – Zeitschriften-Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. & Co. KG.

Website

https://furche.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Die Furche is an Austrian weekly German-language newspaper founded in 1945, headquartered in Vienna and part of the Styria Media Group. It serves Austrian readers seeking in-depth coverage of politics, society, culture, religion, and intellectual topics via print, digital e-paper, and combined subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Weekly Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Weekly newspaper
• German-language press
• Print subscriptions
• Digital publishing
• Journalism media

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Subscription Revenue: Print subscriptions (Printabonnements) provide weekly home delivery of the print edition plus weekly editorial newsletter. These are the primary revenue driver, with subscriptions sold for initial minimum periods (Mindestbezugsdauer) then continuing indefinitely until cancelled with four-week notice.
2. Digital Subscription Revenue: Digital subscriptions (Digitalabonnements) include e-paper access (PDF version of print edition) and premium website content. Revenue is recurring based on subscription periods with four-week cancellation notice.
3. Combined Print + Digital Subscription: Combination subscriptions (Print- und Digital-Kombi-Abonnements) bundle print and digital access at a single subscription price.
4. Advertising Revenue: Print and digital advertising (Anzeigen, Werbebeilagen) including political advertising and public sector advertising. The company offers advertising space in the print edition and on the website, with rates published at furche.at.
5. E-Paper Individual Sales: Individual e-paper editions available for purchase, providing PDF access to the weekly print edition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Die Furche publishes a weekly German-language newspaper covering Austrian and European politics, society, culture, religion, knowledge, and international affairs. The publication is delivered through print subscriptions with home delivery, digital subscriptions providing E-Paper (PDF) and premium online content access, and combined print+digital subscription packages.

Product overview

Die Furche is an Austrian weekly newspaper (Wochenzeitung) published since 1945, operating as a traditional media publisher. The company offers a multi-format product portfolio comprising print subscriptions with home delivery, digital subscriptions providing E-Paper (PDF) access and premium online content, and combined print-digital packages. Supporting products include trial subscriptions, time-limited subscriptions, student discounts, editorial newsletters, reader travel programs, and prize draws. The offerings are distributed through a proprietary Abo-shop with payment processing via Klarna (SEPA direct debit) and Braintree (credit card/PayPal), with content delivered via furche.at website and social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Spotify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Die Furche Printabonnement (Print Subscription) Weekly print subscription delivering the Austrian weekly newspaper Die Furche to subscribers' addresses, including the accompanying editorial newsletter. Available with domestic (frei Haus) and international delivery options.
• Die Furche Digitalabonnement (E-Paper) Digital subscription providing access to the E-Paper (PDF version of the print edition) and premium content on the website furche.at. Recurring subscription with four-week cancellation notice.
• Print- und Digital-Kombi-Abonnement
• DIE FURCHE Newsletter
• DIE FURCHE Leser:innenreisen (Reader Travel)
• DIE FURCHE Gewinnspiele (Prize Draws)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Klarna Bank ABminorOthersPayment processing partner for SEPA direct debit payments. Die Furche offers Klarna as a payment option in the subscription webshop. Klarna performs credit checks and manages the direct debit collection process.
• Österreichische Auflagen Kontrolle (ÖAK)coreOthersIndustry association for circulation auditing. Die Furche is a member of ÖAK, which provides objective comparable circulation data. Die Furche participates in regular circulation verification through this organization.
• Styria Media Group AGcoreOthersParent company and sister entities within the Styria Media Group AG. Die Furche shares operational infrastructure, technology platforms, and services with sister companies in the media group.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Der Spiegel: Germany's flagship weekly news magazine covering politics, business, culture, and opinion. Spiegel's weekly editorial depth and subscription model closely mirror Die Furche's positioning, though at much larger scale.
• Die Zeit: Germany's flagship weekly newspaper (Wochenzeitung) with similar intellectual, political, and cultural focus and a comparable subscription-driven business model. Die Zeit is the most direct functional analogue to Die Furche across the broader DACH market.
• Profil: Austrian weekly news magazine covering politics, business, and society. Profil is the most direct domestic competitor to Die Furche in format, frequency, and editorial positioning.
• Falter: Vienna-based weekly newspaper/magazine focused on politics, culture, and city life. Falter competes directly with Die Furche for the same Austrian intellectual, urban reader demographic.
• NEWS (magazine): Austrian weekly news magazine owned by VGN Medien. Competes directly with Die Furche in the Austrian weekly news and politics category with a similar subscription model.

Broad incumbents

• Süddeutsche Zeitung: Germany's leading quality daily newspaper. Comparable in editorial positioning and subscription-driven business model, but at a much larger scale and daily frequency.
• Die Presse: Austrian quality daily newspaper covering politics, business, and culture. Die Presse competes for the same Austrian informed-reader segment as Die Furche, with broader daily newsroom coverage.
• Der Standard: Austrian daily newspaper with strong digital presence serving an educated urban readership. Overlaps with Die Furche's 'General Informed Public' target but operates daily rather than weekly.
• Neue Zürcher Zeitung: Swiss German-language quality daily with strong intellectual and political journalism. Comparable in editorial values and subscription economics, though serving the Swiss market primarily.

Others

• Trend: Austrian business magazine covering economics and politics. Trend addresses a narrower business-focused subset of Die Furche's reader base and is published within the same Austrian media market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/diefurche
• Facebookfacebook.com/diefurche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/die-furche

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Die Furche