Horizont

What Horizont does

Horizont is a German B2B media brand and digital news platform covering the marketing, advertising, media and agency industries across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Frankfurt am Main at Mainzer Landstraße 251, it is published by Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, the B2B publishing arm of the privately held dfv Mediengruppe. The platform operates across five core editorial channels — Marketing, Agenturen (Agencies), Medien (Media), Tech, and eCommerce — plus a dedicated Switzerland channel via the HORIZONT Swiss sub-brand, with a long-running weekly print edition complemented by HORIZONT Digital, E-Paper, and four specialized newsletter products (Newsline, vor neun, Kreation, The Next Step).

The product portfolio extends well beyond news: HORIZONT runs the annual HORIZONT Kongress & Award (a leading industry recognition event including categories such as Agenturfrau/Mann des Jahres, Medienmann des Jahres and Marketingmann des Jahres), publishes the "40 unter 40" ranking of young industry leaders, maintains a "Kreation des Monats" creative award, hosts the Love Brands podcast, and operates the HORIZONTjobs.de career marketplace. Sustainability coverage is delivered via the HORIZONT GREEN section, and a planung&analyse market-research brand was historically housed under the HORIZONT umbrella (now migrated to Smart News Fachverlag GmbH effective 1 January 2026 in conjunction with dfv Mediengruppe's stake acquisition).

HORIZONT's business model is a hybrid subscription-and-advertising B2B media play. Revenue is generated through digital and print subscriptions (digital tiers priced at €29 first month then €36.50/month; €329/12-month annual; €529/24-month multi-year), native/sponsored content and banner advertising on horizont.net, event sponsorships and ticket revenue from HORIZONT Kongress, and premium advertising from award-related brand exposure. The customer base is segmented horizontally across three primary personas: marketing professionals (CMOs, marketing directors, brand managers), advertising and media agencies, and media companies. Distribution is purely digital-direct via the company's own storefront (abo.horizont.net), E-Paper apps, and newsletter infrastructure, with no third-party reseller channel disclosed.

Name

Horizont

Legal name

Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH

Website

https://horizont.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HORIZONT is a German B2B digital media platform covering marketing, advertising, media, and agencies across the DACH region, operated by dfv Mediengruppe and offering subscriptions, newsletters, E-Paper, awards, and events to marketing professionals, agencies, and media companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: HORIZONT generates revenue primarily through digital subscription fees for online content access, E-Paper editions, and premium newsletters targeting marketing and advertising professionals.
2. Print Magazine Subscriptions: Print magazine subscriptions for HORIZONT weekly publication covering marketing, advertising, media and agency industries.
3. Advertising & Sponsorship: Native advertising and sponsored content placements on the HORIZONT website and newsletters, including branded content sections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Horizont is Germany's leading B2B trade media brand covering marketing, advertising, media, and agencies, delivering daily news, analysis, and industry intelligence through an integrated multi-channel platform. Its product portfolio includes the HORIZONT Online news portal, a weekly print magazine, the HORIZONT E-Paper, multiple targeted newsletters (Newsletterpaket, Kreation, The Next Step), the Talking Heads podcast, the planung&analyse research platform, the HORIZONT GREEN sustainability channel, and the HORIZONT Kongress & Award industry event, complemented by HORIZONT Swiss covering the Swiss market.

Product overview

HORIZONT is a B2B news platform under dfv Mediengruppe serving the German marketing, advertising, media, and agency industries. The core product is HORIZONT Online, a comprehensive news portal delivering daily coverage across five main channels: Marketing, Agenturen (Agencies), Medien (Media), Tech, and eCommerce. The platform operates on a freemium model with HORIZONT Digital subscriptions providing full access to online articles, E-Paper editions, and the print archive. HORIZONT's product portfolio includes multiple newsletter products (HORIZONT Newsletterpaket, HORIZONT Kreation, and HORIZONT The Next Step), the annual HORIZONT Kongress & Award event, the Talking Heads expert column platform, and a specialized HORIZONT GREEN sustainability section. HORIZONT Swiss provides coverage for the Swiss market. The platform also incorporates the acquired brand planung&analyse (market research publication, transitioning to Smart News Fachverlag as of January 2026). Revenue is generated through subscriptions, advertising, and event participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HORIZONT Swiss: Swiss edition of HORIZONT covering marketing, media, agencies, and tech news specific to the Swiss market
• HORIZONT Kreation
• HORIZONT The Next Step
• HORIZONT GREEN
• planung&analyse
• HORIZONT Kongress & Award
• HORIZONT 40 unter 40
• Talking Heads

Products and services

• HORIZONT Online Daily news portal delivering breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry intelligence on German marketing, advertising, media, and agencies for marketing professionals, agencies, and media companies.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• dfv MediengruppecoreOthersHORIZONT is published by Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH (dfv Mediengruppe), a major German B2B publishing house. HORIZONT operates as a brand within the dfv Mediengruppe portfolio, benefiting from corporate resources, distribution infrastructure, and cross-selling opportunities within the group.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Werben & Verkaufen (W&V): Germany's other leading B2B trade publication covering marketing, advertising, and media. Direct competitor to HORIZONT in the German-speaking market with overlapping editorial scope, events, and awards, serving the same CMO and agency audience.
• WARC: B2B marketing intelligence service providing research, case studies, and benchmarks for the advertising industry. Comparable to HORIZONT's premium data/research content (planung&analyse integration, exclusive rankings) and subscription-driven B2B model, though focused on effectiveness research.
• Absatzwirtschaft: German B2B marketing trade magazine and digital platform covering marketing strategy, sales, and advertising. Closely comparable to HORIZONT in audience (German marketing professionals), format (magazine + digital + events), and monetization (subscriptions, advertising).
• Campaign Magazine: Haymarket's flagship B2B title covering the global advertising, media, and agency industries with editorial, events, and awards. Directly comparable to HORIZONT in editorial focus (agencies and advertisers) and operating model; serves international markets rather than DACH.
• The Drum: Global B2B media brand covering marketing, advertising, media, and the creative industries with daily news, awards (The Drum Awards), and events. Highly comparable business model to HORIZONT but operating at global scale rather than DACH-only.
• brand eins: German B2B magazine and digital platform covering business, branding, and marketing with long-form journalism and awards (brand eins Wissen). Comparable to HORIZONT as a German-language B2B editorial brand serving business and marketing decision-makers.
• AdAge: Crain's B2B publication covering advertising, marketing, and media with daily news, research, and the Ad Age Awards. Directly comparable to HORIZONT in editorial scope and audience (advertising/marketing professionals), operating primarily in the US market.

Regional players

• Medianet: Austrian B2B media brand covering media, marketing, and communications with a daily newspaper, magazines, and events. Comparable to HORIZONT in editorial scope and operating model; serves Austria as a regional peer within the same DACH market HORIZONT targets.
• Werbewoche: Leading Swiss trade publication covering advertising, marketing, and communications. Comparable to HORIZONT in editorial focus and audience, but serves Switzerland as its primary market — relevant as a regional peer given HORIZONT's expansion via HORIZONT Swiss.

Broad incumbents

• Manager Magazin: Major German business magazine that regularly covers marketing, media, and advertising topics alongside broader business coverage. Comparable as a German-language business publication with subscription model, but broader in scope than HORIZONT's marketing/media specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Horizont
• Facebookfacebook.com/Horizont

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Horizont