What Falter Verlagsgesellschaft does

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H., headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is an independent media company founded in 1977 that publishes the FALTER weekly newspaper and operates a diversified portfolio of editorial products across print, digital, audio, and live-event formats. The core product is the FALTER Wochenzeitung, a weekly newspaper covering Austrian politics, culture, city life, media criticism, science, and opinion, available in print, E-Paper via epaper.falter.at, and through the FALTER-App on iOS and Android. The company also produces five podcasts (FALTER Radio, Klenk+Reiter, Scheuba fragt nach, FALTER Natur, Besser lesen mit dem FALTER), four newsletters (FALTER.morgen, FALTER.maily, FALTER.natur, Kind in Wien), a book publishing division (Falter Verlag), and the long-running Vienna restaurant guide "Wien, wie es isst" (44th edition in 2025, covering 4,000+ establishments across all 23 Vienna districts).

The underlying technology stack consists of a digital publishing platform (falter.at, mein.falter.at subscription portal, epaper.falter.at), podcast production and distribution infrastructure, an e-commerce platform (shop.falter.at), and an email marketing system integrated with eyepin for newsletter automation. The company also runs the FALTER Arena live-event venue, the Wiener Stadtgespräch discussion series, a Lokalführer dining directory, FALTER Kino cinema coverage, and a Corporate Publishing service via publishing.falterverlag.at. Notable subsidiaries include Falter Zeitschriften Gesellschaft m.b.H. (wholly owned) and The Vienna Review Publishing GmbH (70% majority stake).

The business model is a multi-stream media operation combining recurring subscriptions (print, digital, e-paper, and solidarity "FALTER-Förderabo" tiers) with advertising revenue (including €1,397,424.95 in state advertising from Austrian public bodies in 2024), book publishing and online shop sales, event ticket and venue revenue, and Corporate Publishing services. Distribution is Austria-only, spanning direct-to-consumer online channels (abo.falter.at, shop.falter.at), the FALTER-App, Austrian newsstands, and bookstore networks. Ownership rests with ST Verlagsbeteiligungsgesellschaft m.b.H., backed by private foundations (Andante Privatstiftung 37.49%, Ateleia Privatstiftung 27.49%) and individual shareholders, providing foundation-protected editorial independence. Managing Director is Mag. Siegmar Schlager; the company operates with 101-250 employees.

Name

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft

Legal name

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H.

Website

https://falter.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft is a Vienna-based independent Austrian media company founded in 1977, publishing the FALTER weekly newspaper across print, e-paper, mobile, podcasts, and newsletters, alongside book publishing and event programming for Austrian readers, advertisers, and public bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent newspaper publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper Publishers (513110), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA), Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Independent newspaper publishing
• Weekly political journalism
• Vienna cultural reporting
• Podcast and newsletter media
• Regional book publishing

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

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

Revenue model

1. Newspaper Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions for FALTER newspaper, including weekly issues, E-Paper access, and various subscription tiers like FALTER-Förderabo (support subscription)
2. Book Publishing and Sales: Publishing and selling books through Falter Verlag, including Vienna-focused guides, lifestyle books, and regional interest titles via shop.falter.at
3. Online Shop Sales: E-commerce platform selling books, DVDs, CDs, fan merchandise, and single issues
4. Advertising Revenue: Print and online advertising space sold to advertisers, including state advertising from Austrian government bodies
5. Event Services: FALTER Arena venue and Wiener Stadtgespräch events, event program coordination

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft publishes the FALTER weekly newspaper in print, E-Paper and mobile-app formats, covering Austrian politics, culture, media criticism and city life. Around this flagship title it operates a portfolio of supporting products including FALTER:Woche event guide, podcasts (FALTER Radio, Klenk+Reiter, Scheuba fragt nach, FALTER Natur, Besser lesen), daily and topical newsletters, the Wien, wie es isst restaurant guide covering all 23 Vienna districts, a book publishing division (Falter Verlag) producing Vienna-focused titles, the FALTER Arena events venue, and a corporate publishing service for business clients.

Product overview

Falter Verlagsgesellschaft operates an independent Austrian weekly newspaper and multi-platform media company headquartered in Vienna. The core offering is the FALTER weekly newspaper (Wochenzeitung), available in print, E-Paper, and via the FALTER-App. The product portfolio spans multiple digital platforms including the FALTER Shop e-commerce site (faltershop.at), podcasts (FALTER Radio, FALTER Natur, Besser lesen, Klenk+Reiter, Scheuba fragt nach), newsletters (FALTER.morgen, FALTER.maily, FALTER.natur, Kind in Wien), and the online directory services Lokalführer and FALTER Kino. Complementary offerings include FALTER:Woche (event guide), Best Of Vienna, Wien wie es isst (restaurant guide app), the Wuchtelwette prediction game, and a book publishing division producing Vienna-focused titles. The company also offers Corporate Publishing services and maintains an e-commerce platform selling books, DVDs, and merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FALTER:Woche: Weekly event guide and magazine supplement.
• FALTER Radio
• FALTER.natur
• FALTER.morgen
• FALTER.maily
• FALTER Arena
• FALTER.TV
• FALTER Arena
• Wien, wie es isst
• FALTER Buchverlag

Products and services

• FALTER Wochenzeitung (weekly newspaper) Independent Austrian weekly newspaper covering politics, culture, media criticism, city life, and opinion, distributed in print, E-Paper and via the FALTER-App to Austrian subscribers and newsstand readers.
• FALTER E-Paper Digital replica of the FALTER weekly newspaper accessible through epaper.falter.at for subscribers who prefer screen reading.
• FALTER-App Native mobile application providing FALTER journalism and articles on iOS and Android devices.
• FALTER:Woche event guide Weekly Vienna event guide covering recommended events, festivals, locations and FALTER Arena / Wiener Stadtgespräch programming, distributed as a print supplement and digital section.
• FALTER Radio podcast Flagship FALTER podcast covering Austrian current affairs, political discussions and investigative journalism distributed via falter.at and major podcast platforms.
• Klenk+Reiter podcast True crime and forensic medicine podcast hosted by Florian Klenk, examining criminal cases and forensic investigations from Austrian courts.
• Scheuba fragt nach podcast Interview podcast featuring in-depth conversations with notable personalities on Austrian current affairs and cultural topics.
• FALTER Natur podcast Nature-themed podcast from FALTER exploring environmental topics and natural sciences for Austrian listeners.
• Besser lesen mit dem FALTER (Buchpodcast) FALTER book podcast featuring literary discussions, author interviews and reading recommendations tied to Falter Verlag's book catalog.
• FALTER.morgen newsletter Daily morning email newsletter delivering the latest FALTER journalism and headlines to subscribers' inboxes.
• FALTER.maily newsletter Daily email newsletter featuring investigative stories and in-depth reporting from FALTER journalists.
• FALTER.natur newsletter Nature-themed email newsletter accompanying FALTER.natur coverage of environmental topics and natural sciences.
• Kind in Wien newsletter Family-oriented email newsletter covering child-friendly activities, locations and cultural events for parents in Vienna.
• FALTER Kino cinema section FALTER's cinema section on falter.at providing film reviews, recommendations and a dedicated cinema newsletter to Austrian cinema-goers.
• Wien, wie es isst restaurant guide and app Annual Vienna restaurant guide (print book and companion mobile app) covering all 23 districts with reviews of more than 4,000 establishments, published by Falter Verlag.
• Lokalführer (Essen & Trinken directory) Online guide to Vienna restaurants, bars, cafés and culinary establishments on falter.at with reviews, recommendations and cooking recipes.
• Falter Verlag book publishing Book publishing division producing Vienna- and Austria-focused titles including guides, cultural histories, lifestyle books and regional interest titles, sold via shop.falter.at and Austrian bookstores.
• FALTER Shop (shop.falter.at) E-commerce storefront selling FALTER subscriptions, single issues, books, DVDs and FALTER fan merchandise to Austrian customers with 1–3 business day domestic delivery.
• FALTER Arena & Wiener Stadtgespräch events FALTER's live-event venue and programming platform, hosting cultural events, festivals, public discussions (Wiener Stadtgespräch) and ticketed events in Vienna.
• Kind in Wien family guide Family-oriented guide on falter.at covering child-friendly activities, locations and cultural events for parents in Vienna.
• Corporate Publishing B2B service in which Falter's editorial team produces custom magazines, reports and publications for corporate clients, delivered via publishing.falterverlag.at.
• FALTER print and online advertising Sale of advertising space across FALTER's print newspaper, digital site, newsletters and podcasts, sold to Austrian advertisers including state and public-sector bodies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restaurant guide covering all 23 Vienna districts with over 4000 establishments
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Republik: Swiss online-only magazine operating on a cooperative membership model; comparable editorial-independence and subscription-led monetisation philosophy, but purely digital-native and without print legacy.

Direct peers

• Kurier: Major Austrian tabloid-style daily with strong Vienna local coverage and digital platforms; comparable multi-platform publishing model targeting overlapping Austrian audiences.
• Wiener Zeitung: Austria's oldest newspaper, now operating as a digital-first publication with strong Vienna governance and policy coverage; competes for the same politically-engaged Vienna reader segment as FALTER.
• Der Standard: Austria's leading independent daily newspaper; directly comparable to FALTER as a Vienna-headquartered, independent political/cultural news outlet monetised through subscriptions, advertising, and digital editions, but with daily (vs. weekly) publishing cadence.
• Die Presse: Austrian daily broadsheet newspaper covering politics, business, and culture; competes with FALTER for the same Austrian subscriber and advertising base across print and digital editions.
• Profil: Austrian weekly news magazine focused on politics, investigative journalism, and media criticism — the closest direct competitor to FALTER's weekly political/cultural editorial positioning.
• taz (die tageszeitung): German independent cooperative daily with comparable editorial-independence positioning, foundation/cooperative ownership, and a multi-platform news + opinion model serving a DACH-region audience.
• WOZ Die Wochenzeitung: Swiss independent left-leaning weekly newspaper with subscription-led model and strong investigative journalism; structurally analogous to FALTER as a smaller, independent weekly in a German-speaking market.

Broad incumbents

• Die Zeit: Major German weekly newspaper with national reach; comparable weekly news/culture cadence and similar mix of print, digital, podcast, and book products, but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Der Spiegel: Germany's flagship weekly news magazine with a full multi-platform offering (print, digital, podcast, audio, events); comparable product breadth to Falter's portfolio but operates at much larger scale and national reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/falter_at

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Falter Verlagsgesellschaft