SID
SID is Germany's leading sports news agency, wholly owned by AFP since 1997, delivering multimedia sports content (text, video, data, live tickers) to over 90% of German media outlets, plus marketing services to sports federations, leagues, and brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersCologne, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SID does
SID (Sport-Informations-Dienst) is Germany's leading sports news agency and a wholly-owned subsidiary of AFP (Agence France-Presse) since 1997. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Cologne, the company operates a multimedia sports content platform delivering text, photo, video, live data, and statistics to media companies, sports federations, leagues, and brands through a network of offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich. Its seven core product lines include SID Text (up to 300 news items and 30,000 words daily), SID Video, SID Exklusiv (custom exclusive reports), SID Stories (digital multimedia packages up to 100 items daily), SID Daten (sports data via XML/NEWSML), SID Ticker (live tickers via iFrame integration), and SID Marketing (a wholly-owned subsidiary offering press work, video production, social media, and event organization services).
SID's underlying technology centers on multimedia news production and distribution infrastructure that supports multiple content formats delivered through standardized XML, NEWSML, and iFrame integrations into customer editorial systems. A satellite news network partnership with AFP enables distribution to over 90% of German media outlets, and the SID Download Center serves more than 1,000 registered TV and video editors. Exclusive data partnerships with the DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) and Delta3 (Deltatre) provide official Bundesliga match data and standardized automated statistics delivery, creating a data backbone for SID Ticker and SID Daten.
The business model is B2B content licensing combined with professional services, generating revenue through subscription-based news content licensing to media companies, video content production for TV and online outlets, structured sports data feeds, and marketing services for sports brands and federations. Pricing is quote-based with annual billing cadence and is not publicly disclosed. The customer base spans major German public and private broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, Sky, Sport1), online portals (kicker.tv, SPIEGEL Online), sports leagues (DFL, Handball Bundesliga), federations (DBS), and brands (AUDI). A 53-person full-time editorial team plus a network of 105 freelancers, including dedicated deployments at major events such as the FIFA World Cup, sustains 365-day continuous coverage.
SID firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SID
- Legal name
- SID Sport-Informations-Dienst GmbH
- Website
- https://sid.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- SID is Germany's leading sports news agency, wholly owned by AFP since 1997, delivering multimedia sports content (text, video, data, live tickers) to over 90% of German media outlets, plus marketing services to sports federations, leagues, and brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SID industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports News Agency
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Highlights, Clip Licensing & Archive Rights (MPABAJAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- OTT Platform CMS & Content Operations (Catalog, Scheduling, Workflows) (MPAHAJAA)
Keywords
Where SID is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cologne
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
SID business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- News Content Licensing: B2B licensing of sports news content (text, photos, videos, data) to media companies including newspapers, TV stations, and online portals. Subscription-based model with quote-based pricing.
- Video Content Production: Production of commissioned video content, web videos, and film footage for TV stations, online services, and event coverage.
- SID Marketing Services: Communication services including press work, video production and distribution, newsletter services, digital solutions, social media marketing, and event organization for sports brands and federations.
- Data and Statistics: Delivery of sports results, tables, rankings, and statistics via XML/NEWSML formats to websites, channels, and mobile sports platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom quote-based pricing for media companies and sports organizations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
SID product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SID (Sport-Informations-Dienst) is Europe's largest dedicated sports news agency, producing and licensing multimedia sports content (text news, photos, video, live data, and statistics) to German and European media companies, sports federations, and brands. Its product portfolio centers on six content brands—SID Text (up to 300 daily text items), SID Video (web videos and raw footage), SID Exklusiv (custom exclusive formats), SID Stories (illustrated digital stories, up to 100 daily), SID Daten (results, tables and statistics via XML/NEWSML), and SID Ticker (live data via iFrame)—together with SID Marketing for sports communication and event services. Content is distributed via AFP's satellite network, XML/NEWSML data feeds, the SID Forum Download Center, and direct editorial integrations, reaching more than 90% of German media outlets.
Product overview
SID (Sport-Informations-Dienst) is a multimedia sports news agency offering a portfolio of content products centered around text, video, and data services. The core product line includes SID Text (up to 300 daily news items), SID Video (web videos and raw footage), SID Exklusiv (customized exclusive reports), SID Stories (multimedia package with up to 100 illustrated items daily), SID Daten (results, statistics, and sports calendars via XML/NEWSML), and SID Ticker (live sports data via iFrame integration). SID Marketing complements the portfolio with PR, video production/distribution, digital solutions, and social media services. SID distributes content nationally and internationally via satellite networks in partnership with AFP, reaching over 90% of German media outlets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SID Video: High-quality video content as ready-to-publish web videos or raw material for exclusive sports coverage
- SID Exklusiv
- SID Text
- SID Stories
- SID Daten
- SID Ticker
- SID Marketing
Products and services
- SID Text Text-based sports news service delivering up to 300 messages per day (around 30,000 words) with reports, interviews, and commentary from SID's global reporter network; aimed at media companies needing continuous wire-style sports coverage.
- SID Video High-quality sports video content delivered as ready-to-publish web videos or as raw footage for TV and online sports services; produced by SID's network of video reporters with direct athlete, federation, and club access.
- SID Exklusiv Customized exclusive sports formats ranging from quick webisodes to in-depth TV reports, providing behind-the-scenes reports and exclusive stories from the world of sport for media platforms and broadcasters.
- SID Stories Digital complete solution delivering fully illustrated texts (up to 100 news items per day) as ready-to-publish packages for internet portals, mobile services, and out-of-home media.
- SID Daten Sports data service delivering results, tables, rankings, statistics, schedules, and previews covering all major sports, distributed via standardized XML and NEWSML formats to media websites and mobile platforms.
- SID Ticker Live ticker service providing real-time game progression, team statistics, and player profiles for German and European football leagues and tournaments; easily integrated into customer websites via iFrame and powered by official DFL Bundesliga data.
- SID Marketing Sports communication and marketing services for federations, leagues, and brands, including traditional press work, video production and distribution, newsletter services, digital solutions, social media marketing, and event organization, distributed through AFP and SID satellite networks.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90%+ market penetration among German sports desks
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SID
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SID technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature6 records
SID partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga)coreSID uses official DFL game data for its live tickers and statistical services. This partnership ensures SID Ticker provides accurate, official Bundesliga match data, team statistics, and player profiles.
- Delta3 (Deltatre)majorDelta3 (formerly Deltatre) is SID's data partner for SID Daten, providing comprehensive sports event data including Bundesliga, Champions League, world and European championships. Delta3 enables standardized and automated XML/NEWSML delivery of results, tables, rankings, and statistics.
- DBS (German Paralympic Sports Association)majorSID Marketing has supported DBS as media partner since 2016, producing daily social media content for Paralympics coverage at Rio 2016 and PyeongChang 2018. Partnership includes video content production and distribution for the German Paralympic team.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SID competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sportradar: Leading sports data and content distributor serving leagues, media, and betting operators worldwide; competes with SID on structured sports data delivery and B2B content licensing to media and platform customers.
- Stats Perform (Opta): Global sports data and content company providing official data feeds, live statistics, and AI-powered content for media and betting — directly comparable to SID Daten, SID Ticker, and SID's editorial-to-data workflow.
- Reuters (Thomson Reuters sports division): Global news agency operating a large sports news wire with multimedia coverage distributed to media outlets worldwide — direct functional analog to SID Text, SID Video, and SID's B2B agency model.
Regional players
- Sport1: Germany's largest dedicated sports TV channel, a long-standing SID customer (live tickers, video, multimedia content) that competes and partners with SID in the German sports media space.
- Kicker (Olympia Verlag): Leading German sports media brand operating kicker.de and kicker.tv — an SID customer and the dominant direct-to-consumer sports destination in Germany, comparable on market role if not business model.
- Eurosport (Discovery/Warner Bros. Discovery Sports): European multi-sport broadcaster producing and licensing sports news, highlights, and live coverage across DACH and broader Europe — a regional outlet operating in the same sports content ecosystem as SID.
- Sky Deutschland (Sky Sport): Major German pay-TV sports rights holder and SID customer, commissioning video, statistics, and ticker content from SID — operates an adjacent sports content business with overlapping customer-supplier relationships.
Emerging players
- DAZN: Global sports streaming platform distributing live rights in Germany and Europe with its own editorial and highlight production — an emerging alternative distribution channel that competes for the same sports attention budget SID serves.
Broad incumbents
- AFP (parent): SID's parent since 1997 and a global news agency with its own sports offering and global satellite distribution — the closest incumbent counterpart at a broader geographic and topical scale.
- Associated Press (AP Sports): Major international news agency with a broad sports wire (text, photos, video, data) sold to newspapers, broadcasters, and digital publishers — overlapping with SID's product set but as part of a much wider general news portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SID social profiles
Digital presenceSID financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SID leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
SID subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
SID funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SID 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 SID
What does SID do?
SID (Sport-Informations-Dienst) is Europe's largest dedicated sports news agency, producing and licensing multimedia sports content (text news, photos, video, live data, and statistics) to German and European media companies, sports federations, and brands. Its product portfolio centers on six content brands—SID Text (up to 300 daily text items), SID Video (web videos and raw footage), SID Exklusiv (custom exclusive formats), SID Stories (illustrated digital stories, up to 100 daily), SID Daten (results, tables and statistics via XML/NEWSML), and SID Ticker (live data via iFrame)—together with SID Marketing for sports communication and event services. Content is distributed via AFP's satellite network, XML/NEWSML data feeds, the SID Forum Download Center, and direct editorial integrations, reaching more than 90% of German media outlets.
Is SID a public or private company?
SID is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SID founded?
SID was founded in 1946.
Where is SID based?
SID is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SID make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. News Content Licensing is the primary driver. The others are video Content Production, SID Marketing Services and data and Statistics.
Who are SID's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sportradar, Stats Perform (Opta) and Reuters (Thomson Reuters sports division). Regional players are Sport1, Kicker (Olympia Verlag), Eurosport (Discovery/Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) and Sky Deutschland (Sky Sport). DAZN is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are AFP (parent) and Associated Press (AP Sports).
Does SID have an API?
No public API is recorded for SID.
What industry is SID in?
SID's product category is Sports News Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAJAJ, Sports Highlights, Clip Licensing & Archive Rights, with a secondary code of MPAHAJAA, OTT Platform CMS & Content Operations (Catalog, Scheduling, Workflows). Its NAICS code is 5121 and its SIC code is 7812.