Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG

What Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG does

Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG is a German sports photo agency ranked among the TOP 3 in Germany, operating from Altshausen, Baden-Württemberg under a parent holding (Picstar UG). Founded in 2005, the company employs 9 permanent staff supported by a nationwide network of 200+ freelance sports photographers. It supplies authentic editorial sports photography — anchored in German professional leagues (Bundesliga football, basketball, handball, ice hockey) and extending to 30+ sports and international marquee events (Olympics, World/European Championships, FIFA Club World Cup) — to newspapers, broadcasters and regional editorial offices. In 2024, it documented 4,892 editorial assignments across 100+ cities and published over 100,000 images through clients and partners.

The core technology is a web-based image database platform (powered by third-party 'fotostorage Bilddatenbank-Software') that provides keyword search with boolean operators and automatic spelling correction, lightbox collection and ZIP/email download functionality, and registration-gated access for media professionals. The company holds an archive of over 4 million images covering sports, politics, culture, glamour and historical events. There is no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities embedded in the platform.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) usage-based single-image licensing for non-exclusive publication rights with surcharges for extended uses (reprints, other media, commercial use, modifications, AI processing); (2) subscription and flat-rate packages covering multiple publications over monthly to multi-year contract terms; and (3) a 50/50 revenue share with contributing photographers, calculated from net fees collected after operational costs. Customers include enterprise publishers (Südwestpresse, Axel Springer Verlag), public broadcasters (ZDF), professional sports clubs (MHP RIESEN, EHC Red Bull München) and a long tail of more than 210 regional and local editorial offices served daily. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG

Legal name

Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG

Website

https://eibner-pressefoto.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eibner-Pressefoto is a German sports photo agency operating a digital image database of 4M+ photos, delivering daily editorial sports photography to 210+ media customers via a network of 200+ freelance photographers across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Photography Services

NAICS

Commercial Photography (541922), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Highlights, Clip Licensing & Archive Rights (MPABAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Archive & Library Footage Licensing (News, Sports, Entertainment) (MPABANAC)

Keywords

• Sports photography services
• Editorial image licensing
• Stock photography archive
• Sports media distribution
• Photographer content syndication

Headquarters

HQ city

Altshausen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Image Licensing: Fees charged for image usage rights. Customers acquire simple, non-exclusive usage rights for single publication. Exclusive rights, media-specific, geographic or temporal restrictions require separate agreements and may include surcharges on base fees.
2. Subscription/Flat-Rate Packages: Monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual subscription models with fixed flat rates. Covers multiple print and online publications as specified in customer agreements. Online publications included in packages without individual listing.
3. Photographer Revenue Share: 50/50 revenue split between photographer and Eibner-Pressefoto from net fees collected. Fees to photographers based on customer agreements, actual revenues and operational costs rather than per-image usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Eibner-Pressefoto operates as a sports photo agency providing editorial sports photography coverage and image licensing services to German media customers. Its core offerings include a searchable digital image database (Bilddatenbank) holding more than 4 million photographs covering sports, politics, culture, glamour and historical events, plus daily editorial photography services across 30+ sports and 100+ cities through a nationwide network of 200+ freelance photographers. Customers access images via a registered web portal, with licensing available as single-image usage fees or as monthly/quarterly/annual subscription flat-rate packages.

Product overview

Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG operates as a sports image agency offering a unified platform combining a digital image database (Bilddatenbank) with integrated stock photography and editorial photography services. The core offering centers on the Eibner-Pressefoto Bilddatenbank, a searchable web portal for accessing their archive of over 4 million images. This platform is complemented by redaktionelle Sportfotografie services (editorial sports photography covering German professional sports and international events) and a Stockfoto-Archiv for non-sport imagery. The Lightroom/Lightbox feature provides a lightbox organization tool within the platform for gathering and downloading selected images. The company distributes over 100,000 images annually through clients including major publishers and broadcasters, ranking among Germany's top 3 sports image agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eibner-Pressefoto Bilddatenbank (Image Database) Web-based searchable image database giving registered media customers access to over 4 million photographs across sports, politics, culture, glamour, everyday life and historical events. Supports keyword search, advanced boolean operators (AND/NOT/OR), exact-phrase searching with quoted strings, automatic spelling correction, category browsing and image download after login.
• Editorial Sports Photography (Sportfotografie / Redaktionelle Berichterstattung) On-assignment editorial sports photography coverage and image syndication for German media customers, supported by a nationwide network of 200+ freelance sports photographers. Over 4,892 editorial assignments were documented in 2024, generating 100,000+ images published through clients and partners.
• Image Licensing and Subscription Packages Commercial licensing framework selling image usage rights to media customers, including single-image licensing (Honorar due upon actual use or publication) and recurring subscription/flat-rate packages covering multiple publications and online platforms. 50/50 net-revenue share with contributing photographers.
• Stockfoto-Archiv (Stock Photography Archive) Stock photography service providing access to the non-current-event portion of the 4 million+ image archive, covering politics, culture, glamour, everyday life, animals and historical sports imagery for editorial, marketing and commercial use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 images published through clients in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shutterstock Editorial: Subscription-based stock photography platform with an editorial sports division. Competes with Eibner on subscription/flat-rate pricing for online and print publication usage, though at much larger scale and broader editorial scope.
• Reuters Images: Global news and sports photo wire serving editorial customers worldwide. Larger, broader, more international than Eibner but competes for the same Bundesliga and Champions League sports image licensing contracts.
• Getty Images (Sports): Global stock and editorial photo agency with the largest archive in the category and dedicated sports stringer operations (Getty Images Sport). Competes with Eibner for Bundesliga and international event coverage but operates at much greater scale and pan-European reach.
• AFP (Image Distribution): Global newswire with a sports image distribution product supplying publishers and broadcasters internationally. Operates as a broad incumbent rather than a sports-specialist, but directly overlaps with Eibner's editorial coverage.
• Press Association Images (PA Images): National UK news and sports photo wire with same editorial sports distribution model as Eibner. Sells into UK and European regional and national publishers via subscription and per-image licensing.

Direct peers

• Action Plus: UK sports photo agency with a freelancer-heavy model covering motorsport, football, rugby and other sports for editorial and commercial licensing. Comparable in operating model and customer type to Eibner.
• imago images: Berlin-based sports and editorial photo agency, one of Eibner's explicitly named "TOP 3" German peers. Operates a comparable digital image database, freelance photographer network, and licensing model targeting the same German media customer base (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Funke, etc.).
• CameraSport: UK-based specialist sports photo agency covering Premier League, Champions League and global events with a freelance photographer network and licensing model structurally identical to Eibner's. Comparable mid-sized sports specialist peer.

Regional players

• LatinContent: Latin American sports and entertainment photo agency with a GettyImages distribution partnership and freelance network model structurally similar to Eibner's, operating in a different geography.
• AAP Image: Australian national photo wire with a sports image catalog covering cricket, rugby, Australian football and the Olympics. Operates a near-identical freelance-network-and-database model but in a different geography, comparable primarily through category, not direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eibner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Eibner-Pressefoto UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG