What Jetzt does

SZ Jetzt is the youth-oriented digital magazine of Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's most established quality newspapers, itself owned by Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding (SWMH). The publication is a digital-first vertical positioned as "das junge Magazin der Süddeutschen Zeitung," targeting younger German-speaking readers with long-form journalism across eleven topical sections: Politik und Gesellschaft, Liebe, Sexualität, Klima, Digital, Job, Geld, Wohnen, Familie, Freundschaft, and Gesundheit. Content formats include essays, interviews, protocols, commentaries, listicles, and recurring columns such as the WhatsApp-Kolumne, Job-Kolumne, and Mommy-Kolumne, all delivered via the sueddeutsche.de digital platform on web and mobile.

The underlying technology is a digital publishing platform integrated into the broader SZ.de ecosystem, with no proprietary technology stack, patents, or AI capabilities disclosed. Distribution is digital-only via sueddeutsche.de/jetzt, and the product surface is a single editorial brand with no standalone app. The publication operates as a sub-brand of Süddeutsche Zeitung rather than as a separate legal entity, with headquarters in Munich.

The business model is subscription-based and recurring, using a freemium approach. Select articles are available free of charge, while premium content is gated behind the SZ Plus subscription, which provides exclusive essays, interviews, protocols, and subscriber benefits such as exclusive vouchers and discounts. Go-to-market is driven entirely through the SZ.de parent site, topic-based navigation, newsletters, and organic social sharing. Specific pricing for SZ Jetzt is not publicly disclosed, and revenue is not reported on a standalone basis; the publication is monetized as part of the broader SZ Plus subscription bundle within the SWMH media group.

Name

Jetzt

Legal name

Süddeutsche Zeitung

Website

https://jetzt.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SZ Jetzt is the youth-focused digital magazine of Süddeutsche Zeitung, publishing long-form essays, interviews, and columns across lifestyle topics for young German-speaking readers via a freemium SZ Plus subscription model on sueddeutsche.de.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Premium subscription model (SZ Plus) offering exclusive content including essays, interviews, protocols, and commentaries. Free content includes select articles and previews. Subscribers receive exclusive vouchers and discounts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SZ Jetzt is a digital youth magazine published by Süddeutsche Zeitung, offering narrative-driven editorial content on politics, relationships, sexuality, climate, digital life, careers, finances, housing, family, friendships, and health. It operates on a freemium model, providing free access to selected articles and gating premium SZ Plus content (essays, interviews, protocols, commentaries) behind a recurring subscription. The publication also distributes recurring columns and newsletters, and offers exclusive vouchers and discounts to subscribers.

Product overview

SZ Jetzt is a single digital publication — the youth-focused magazine of Süddeutsche Zeitung. It publishes long-form essays, interviews, personal stories, and opinion pieces across eleven core topic areas (Politik und Gesellschaft, Liebe, Sexualität, Klima, Digital, Job, Geld, Wohnen, Familie, Freundschaft, Gesundheit). The publication also features recurring columns including the WhatsApp-Kolumne, Job-Kolumne, Mommy-Kolumne, Lebenswert, and Wir haben verstanden. Premium SZ Plus content is available via subscription.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SZ Jetzt (Süddeutsche Zeitung Jetzt) digital magazine SZ Jetzt is a digital youth magazine published by Süddeutsche Zeitung, aimed at younger German-speaking readers with narrative-driven content across eleven lifestyle topic areas. It combines free articles with a premium SZ Plus subscription tier and recurring columns such as the WhatsApp-Kolumne, Job-Kolumne, and Mommy-Kolumne.
• WhatsApp-Kolumne (WhatsApp column) Recurring SZ Jetzt column presenting fictional or anonymized WhatsApp-style conversations between two friends on personal, social, and relationship situations, distributed through the sueddeutsche.de/jetzt platform and newsletter.
• Job-Kolumne (Job column) Recurring SZ Jetzt column presenting anonymized protocols from young professionals describing their jobs, salaries, and daily working life, available through sueddeutsche.de/jetzt and newsletter.
• SZ Plus premium subscription Recurring digital subscription that unlocks premium SZ Plus content on SZ Jetzt, including essays, interviews, personal protocols, and commentaries, and offers subscribers exclusive vouchers and discounts.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Bento: Bento was Spiegel's young-adult digital magazine covering relationships, careers, and lifestyle topics for the 18-30 demographic. It is the most direct historical analogue to SZ Jetzt in terms of audience, format, and tone, though it was discontinued in 2021.
• BuzzFeed: BuzzFeed built a global digital media brand around shareable, narrative-driven content targeting younger adults. While now restructured, it remains a comparable peer in audience demographic and content format (listicles, personal essays, lifestyle verticals).
• The Atlantic: The Atlantic is a U.S. digital-first subscription magazine with a strong emphasis on long-form essays, cultural commentary, and personal narratives. Its subscriber-supported model and premium vertical experiences are a structural analogue to SZ Jetzt's SZ Plus approach.
• Focus Online: Focus Online is the digital presence of Focus magazine, a major German news and lifestyle publication. It competes with SZ Jetzt for German-speaking digital readers and overlaps with several lifestyle verticals (health, family, finances, career).
• ZEIT Online: ZEIT Online is the digital arm of Die ZEIT, Germany's leading weekly quality newspaper. It operates a similar freemium-plus subscription model (ZEIT Plus) targeting the same German-speaking digital audience with long-form journalism, making it the closest direct competitor.
• t-online: t-online is one of Germany's largest digital news portals, with lifestyle and personal-interest verticals alongside news. It serves the same German-speaking audience and competes for both attention and subscription share with SZ Jetzt, though with a broader news focus.
• Spiegel Online: Spiegel Online is Germany's largest digital news publication, with a Spiegel Plus subscription tier offering premium long-form content. The Spiegel group previously operated Bento, a young-adult-focused vertical with a near-identical positioning to SZ Jetzt.
• Vice Media: Vice operated a globally recognized digital youth magazine brand with narrative-driven content on politics, relationships, and culture. It is the global archetype of the young-adult digital magazine that SZ Jetzt emulates, sharing similar demographic targeting and editorial style.

Broad incumbents

• Business Insider: Business Insider is a global digital subscription business news brand with a premium Insider tier, deep career and money verticals, and a young professional audience. It overlaps with SZ Jetzt's Job and Geld verticals and shares the digital subscription business model.
• Wired: Wired is a globally recognized digital and print magazine focused on technology, culture, and lifestyle. It shares SZ Jetzt's digital-magazine format and premium subscription model but operates at a much broader scale and a different (tech) thematic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Jetzt