WESER KURIER

What WESER KURIER does

WESER KURIER is a regional newspaper and digital media company headquartered in Bremen, Germany, operated through its parent corporation Bremer Tageszeitungen AG (founded 1945). It serves individual readers and households across Bremen and ten surrounding Lower Saxony districts — Bremerhaven, Delmenhorst, Landkreise Osterholz, Verden, Diepholz, Wesermarsch, Oldenburg, Rotenburg, and Cuxhaven — with comprehensive local news, politics, economics, culture, restaurant reviews, and sports coverage anchored by dedicated Werder Bremen football journalism. The company distributes through a network of regional edition titles (Delmenhorster Kurier, Verdener Nachrichten, Achimer Kurier, Syker Kurier, Osterholzer Kreisblatt, Regionale Rundschau, Die Norddeutsche, Wümme-Zeitung) alongside the main WESER-KURIER masthead.

The company's core technology and product surface spans the weser-kurier.de digital portal with WK+ premium subscription paywall (via Piano Software), a full E-Paper digital replica edition, the WK News App for iOS/Android with push notifications (CleverPush), the Kinderzeitung children's newspaper for ages 6-13, multi-title podcast content (Grün auf Weiss, Bremer Verbrechen, Raus aus der Bubble, Martini 43, Hinten links im Kaiser Friedrich, Gartenhelden) hosted on Podigee, and dedicated vertical classifieds portals for jobs (kimeta-integrated), real estate, automotive, obituaries, weddings, and baby announcements. Content sourcing relies on partnerships with dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur), teleschau, and KISaD; audience measurement runs on INFOnline (IVW-compliant); advertising operations use OMS/Ströer, Google Adsense/Tag Manager, and Taboola; and GDPR compliance is managed via Consentmanager. Editorial accountability sits with Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Piel under § 18 Abs. 2 MStV, with David Koopmann serving as Vorstand of Bremer Tageszeitungen AG and Tanja Bittner as the responsible advertising officer.

The business model combines subscription recurring revenue from print and digital (WK+ promotional rate at €1.50/week vs €3.00/week regular; 6-week digital trial at €2.49/week; 6-week print trial at €4.99/week; E-Paper + Samsung tablet bundle at €49.90/month for 24 months), advertising revenue across display and classified verticals, podcast monetization, and ancillary reader revenue from a shop selling Bremensien, art prints, themed editions, and Werder Bremen collectibles, plus Leserreisen (reader travel) packages and ticketing partnerships. GTM is direct-to-consumer via physical home delivery, newsstands, weser-kurier.de, the WK News App, and dedicated subscription portals (abo.weser-kurier.de), supported by a multi-channel marketing presence including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp channel, YouTube (WeserKurierTV), regional email newsletters, and the in-house Piels Position column.

Name

WESER KURIER

Legal name

Bremer Tageszeitungen AG

Website

https://weser-kurier.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WESER KURIER is a Bremen-based regional newspaper and digital media company serving readers across Bremen and Lower Saxony with print editions, WK+ digital subscriptions, E-Paper, mobile app, classifieds portals, and podcast content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Newspaper Subscriptions: Physical newspaper home delivery and newsstand sales of the print edition, including regional editions (Achimer Kurier, Delmenhorster Kurier, Die Norddeutsche, Osterholzer Kreisblatt, Regionale Rundschau, Syker Kurier, Verdener Nachrichten, Wümme-Zeitung)
2. Digital Subscriptions (WK+ and E-Paper): Premium digital subscriptions including unlimited web access, E-Paper, and app access. Bundled offers with hardware (tablets) also available.
3. Classified Advertising: Jobs, real estate, automotive, obituary, wedding, baby, greetings, and education classified advertisements across multiple verticals via dedicated portals
4. Display Advertising: Online display advertising via Google Adsense, OMS/Ströer, Taboola, and other ad technology partners integrated across website and app
5. Reader Revenue / Shop: Sale of special editions, collector series, travel packages (Leserreisen), tickets, and hotel vouchers
6. Podcast and Content Monetization: Podcast hosting via Podigee with potential premium content features; Piano-based paywall for restricted articles

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WESER-KURIER is a regional newspaper publisher producing a daily print edition and the weser-kurier.de digital news portal covering Bremen and Lower Saxony. Its core commercial offering is the WK+ digital subscription (with E-Paper and app access) and the print newspaper subscription, monetized alongside classified and display advertising on dedicated verticals for jobs, real estate, automobiles, and obituaries.

Product overview

WESER-KURIER operates a multi-platform media portfolio anchored by the main weser-kurier.de news portal with WK+ premium subscription, supplemented by the E-Paper digital edition, WK News mobile app, and traditional print newspaper. The company extends its reach through specialized verticals for jobs (jobs.weser-kurier.de), real estate (immobilien.weser-kurier.de), automobiles, and obituaries. Additional offerings include newsletters for regional areas, podcast content via Podigee, reader travel packages, and a shop selling themed merchandise and Werder Bremen collectibles. The Kinderzeitung targets children aged 6-13, while a network of regional editions serves surrounding areas including Delmenhorst, Verden, Diepholz, and Osterholz. The Mein WK customer portal provides subscription management for all digital and print products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WK+: Premium subscription service offering unlimited access to all content on weser-kurier.de and the WK News-App.
• E-Paper
• Delmenhorster Kurier
• Achimer Kurier
• Verdener Nachrichten
• Syker Kurier
• Regionale Rundschau
• Osterholzer Kreisblatt
• Die Norddeutsche
• Wümme-Zeitung
• WK Summertime

Products and services

• WESER-KURIER Online Portal (weser-kurier.de)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)coreTechnology or IntegrationNews agency partnership providing wire content and news feeds. dpa is Germany's leading news agency supplying content to German media outlets.
• Google (Analytics, Adsense, Tag Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationAd technology and web analytics partnership including Google Analytics, Google Adsense, Google Ads conversion tracking, Google Tag Manager, and YouTube integration.
• Piano SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital subscription paywall and analytics platform managing access to restricted articles and providing user behavior analytics.
• OMS/Ströer Digital Media GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketing service and advertising technology partner providing targeted advertising and audience-based marketing.
• INFOnline GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationAudience measurement service providing standardized website usage statistics (Page Impressions, Visits) for German media, part of IVW reporting.
• Podigee GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPodcast hosting service for WK podcasts including Grün auf Weiss, True Crime series, and other podcast content.
• CleverPush GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPush notification service for mobile app enabling news alerts and breaking news notifications.
• Consentmanager (Jaohawi AB)coreTechnology or IntegrationCookie consent management platform ensuring GDPR compliance for user data collection preferences.
• Facebook Ireland Ltd.coreTechnology or IntegrationSocial login integration and social sharing functionality via Facebook platform, including Facebook Pixel for advertising.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Süddeutsche Zeitung: Largest German national quality newspaper with paid digital subscriptions, classified portals (jobs, real estate), and a regional edition strategy similar in structure to WESER-KURIER's multi-edition network.
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): Major German national quality newspaper with a digital subscription paywall and multi-platform offering analogous to WESER-KURIER's WK+, but operating at national scale across politics, business, and culture.
• Die Welt / Axel Springer: National German newspaper group with a paywalled digital model, podcast portfolio, and classified verticals — overlapping with WESER-KURIER's product mix at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Rheinische Post: Regional newspaper publisher in North Rhine-Westphalia operating multiple local editions, digital subscriptions, and local classifieds — closely comparable to WESER-KURIER's multi-edition print-plus-digital strategy.
• Hamburger Abendblatt: Major regional newspaper serving the Hamburg metropolitan area with print, E-Paper, app, and regional editions — structurally very similar to WESER-KURIER but operating in a different German city market.
• Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger / KStA Digitale Medien: Regional newspaper group serving the Cologne/Bonn area with print subscription, paywalled digital offering, and classified portals — comparable operating model in a different German region.

Direct peers

• Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ): Leading regional newspaper serving the Hannover metropolitan area and broader Lower Saxony, directly overlapping with WESER-KURIER's geographic footprint and audience.
• Bremer Nachrichten: Direct competitor publishing a daily regional newspaper in Bremen, targeting the same geographic market and reader base as WESER-KURIER with comparable print and digital subscription offerings.
• Nordwest-Zeitung: Regional newspaper serving Oldenburg and the Weser-Ems region of Lower Saxony, with a comparable print-and-digital subscription model and similar multi-edition structure to WESER-KURIER.

Emerging players

• taz (die tageszeitung): Cooperatively-owned national German newspaper with a digital subscription model and pioneering paywall structure, comparable to WESER-KURIER's WK+ but with a national, politically progressive audience rather than regional.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WeserKurierTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/WESER.KURIER
• Instagraminstagram.com/weser.kurier
• Xx.com/weserkurier

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 WESER KURIER