What Basler Zeitung does

Basler Zeitung is a Swiss German-language daily newspaper headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, operating under the brand name BaZ and the domain bazonline.ch. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tamedia AG, one of Switzerland's largest media groups, and serves primarily residents of the Basel region with local, Swiss national, and international news across politics, economy, sports, culture, and lifestyle. The publication is deeply associated with coverage of FC Basel football and regional Basel events, and it offers differentiated coverage of the Basler Fasnacht carnival and local municipal affairs.

The company operates a multi-channel digital publishing platform built on a content management system with a website, an iOS mobile application, an E-Paper digital edition, push notification alerting, and an audio podcast portfolio spanning daily news, sports, politics, and investigative series. Additional product surfaces include a Rätsel & Games casual gaming platform, a digital newspaper archive, email newsletters, and the weekly 'Das Magazin' supplement. Underlying technology is standard digital media infrastructure with no disclosed proprietary AI models or platform customizations beyond consumer-facing features.

Monetization combines digital and print subscriptions on a freemium model, display and branded-content advertising (with sales outsourced to Goldbach), E-Paper purchases, and the carte blanche customer loyalty card program that extends into regional merchant benefits. The company serves a horizontally segmented audience of Basel consumers, sports enthusiasts, and local business professionals, distributing through its owned digital channels, a print edition, and the broader Tamedia network.

Name

Basler Zeitung

Legal name

Basler Zeitung

Website

https://bazonline.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Basler Zeitung is a Tamedia-owned Swiss daily newspaper serving German-speaking readers in Basel with local, national, and international news across digital, print, E-Paper, podcast, and gaming channels, monetized via subscriptions, advertising, and a regional loyalty card.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper
• Daily news
• Digital publishing
• News subscription
• Local journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Revenue from digital subscriptions providing access to premium content on the website and mobile app. Includes various subscription tiers and the Abo shop.
2. Print Subscriptions: Revenue from physical newspaper delivery subscriptions
3. Advertising: Display advertising and branded content, including Mediadaten and advertising services through Goldbach
4. E-Paper Sales: Revenue from digital newspaper edition app and standalone E-paper purchases
5. Customer Loyalty Programs: Revenue from the carte blanche customer loyalty card program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Basler Zeitung is a Basel-based regional German-language daily newspaper that produces and distributes local, Swiss, and international news coverage across politics, economy, sport (notably FC Basel), and culture. It monetizes its journalism through digital and print subscriptions, E-Paper editions, mobile app access, podcasts, advertising, and a customer loyalty card (carte blanche). Content is delivered via the bazonline.ch website, iOS mobile app, E-Paper app, weekly Das Magazin supplement, and online Rätsel & Games puzzles.

Product overview

Basler Zeitung operates as a single unified digital news platform offering online news coverage, complemented by multiple add-on products and modules. The core product is the bazonline.ch news portal providing regional Basel news, Swiss national coverage, international news, sports, economy, culture, and lifestyle content. Additional offerings include the E-Paper digital newspaper edition, a mobile iOS app with audio features, thematic podcasts (Apropos, Dritte Halbzeit, Politbüro), an online puzzle/games platform (Rätsel & Games), email newsletter services including the 'Santé!' health newsletter, a digital newspaper archive, subscription management through the Aboshop, the weekly 'Das Magazin' supplement, and the 'carte blanche' loyalty card program for reader benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basler Zeitung Online

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TamediacoreOthersTamedia is the parent company and owner of Basler Zeitung. Tamedia is one of Switzerland's largest media companies, operating multiple newspapers, digital platforms, and publishing assets across the country.
• GoldbachminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoldbach handles advertising sales for Basler Zeitung, managing adbox services and market listings.
• LENA Partner Network (Welt, El Pais, Gazeta Wyborcza, La Repubblica, Le Figaro, Le Soir)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational news content partnerships with major European newspapers for content sharing and cross-promotion.
• carte blanche Customer CardminorOthersLoyalty program partnership offering benefits and discounts to subscribers and readers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Blick: Switzerland's largest tabloid daily by readership. Competes aggressively for the same German-speaking Swiss audience and advertising spend, with a heavier entertainment/sports orientation but overlapping digital subscription and click-driven advertising model.
• Tribune de Genève: French-language Geneva daily under Tamedia/TX Group. Sister publication with identical operating model; comparable on business model, Tamedia digital platform, and Swiss regional newspaper economics, though serving the French-speaking Romandie market.
• Berner Zeitung: Bern-based regional daily under Tamedia/TX Group. Sister regional title with identical operating model, subscription tiers, and Tamedia shared newsroom and digital platform infrastructure — directly comparable in product, audience profile, and economics.
• 24heures: French-language Vaud regional daily owned by Tamedia/TX Group. Closely comparable sister regional title offering the same product mix and business model, with the comparison particularly useful on regional subscription economics across language markets.
• St. Galler Tagblatt: Eastern Switzerland regional daily with comparable print+digital subscription model. Direct regional-newspaper peer along the dimension of regional coverage, local newsroom, and mid-sized German-speaking Swiss subscriber base.
• Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ): Switzerland's leading quality German-language daily. Same language market and premium-subscription positioning, with broader national/international reach; overlaps with BZ on Basel business/economy readership and competes for German-speaking Swiss digital subscribers.
• Tages-Anzeiger: Zurich-based German-language Swiss daily also owned by Tamedia/TX Group. Most direct peer: same parent, similar subscription/print+digital model and Swiss regional/national coverage mix, directly competing for German-speaking Swiss readers and advertising budgets.
• Le Temps: French-language Swiss quality daily based in Geneva. Comparable in subscription-driven premium positioning and Swiss regional quality-news category; competes for the same advertiser and Swiss-affluent reader wallet though language-separated.
• Aargauer Zeitung: German-language regional Swiss daily covering the Aargau canton. Closely comparable regional newspaper competitor with the same print+digital+subscription model and similar target demographic of German-speaking regional Swiss readers.

Broad incumbents

• Süddeutsche Zeitung: Major German regional quality daily with strong digital subscription business. Comparable on regional-newspaper franchise, freemium-to-paid digital conversion strategy, and diversified monetization (podcasts, newsletters, games), but with broader geographic footprint and global news brand reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bazonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/BaslerZeitung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basler-zeitung-tamedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Basler Zeitung