Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung

What Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung does

Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung is a privately held regional newspaper group headquartered in Syke, Lower Saxony, Germany, operating four publishing subsidiaries (Kreiszeitung Verlagsgesellschaft, Rotenburger Rundschau, Karl Sasse, Ludwig Löschen) that produce nine daily newspapers, eight weekly/Sunday titles, and 13 local editions across seven counties in Lower Saxony, Bremen, and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia. The group traces its origins to newspapers first published between 1860 and 1897 and was consolidated in its current form in 1978; it is a partner within the Ippen.Media network, one of Germany's largest journalistic networks reaching 28+ million readers monthly. The core multi-platform publishing system combines print (55,000+ daily copies, 280,000+ weekly copies via a network of 1,050 deliverers), digital (kreiszeitung.de news portal with 3M+ annual visits, elona ePaper launched 2005 and rebranded 2019, mobile app launched April 2020), commercial printing at two Druckhaus facilities (Syke and Walsrode) using roll offset technology capable of 40,000 copies/hour, and a portfolio of sub-products including the localjob.de regional job portal, podcasts, a prospekt portal, private classifieds, and reader retail (travel, books, gifts).

The business model is multi-modal. Subscription revenue comes from print+digital bundles (with €75-€125 cash bonuses for 12-24 month commitments) and free ePaper access included with print subscriptions. Advertising revenue streams include print display ads, online banners and ePaper interstitials, job postings on localjob.de (€210-€1,230 per listing across multiple tiers), and Beilagen (inserted flyers) reaching households via the distribution network. Transactional revenue comes from private classifieds (€16-€18 per ad), obituaries and family announcements, and commercial printing services. Customer segments are concentrated in general consumers (subscribers), local SMB advertisers, and regional employers. The go-to-market combines field sales (trained Mediaberater for B2B advertising), self-serve digital channels (ePaper, job portal, classifieds), and channel partnerships (IPPEN-Gruppe network). Managed by three Geschäftsführer (Henning Schröder, Dr. Jan Eric Rempel, Daniel Schöningh), the group operates under the legal entity Kreiszeitung Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG with no public listing and no disclosed external funding.

Name

Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung

Legal name

Kreiszeitung Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG

Website

https://mediengruppe-kreiszeitung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung is a privately held regional German newspaper group operating nine daily and eight weekly titles across Lower Saxony, Bremen, and North Rhine-Westphalia, with print, ePaper, mobile, job portal, and commercial printing operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Local news media
• Digital newspaper subscriptions
• Commercial printing services
• Regional job portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Syke

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print newspapers (Monday-Saturday delivery) and ePaper digital editions. Subscribers receive included ePaper access at no additional cost.
2. Print and Online Advertising: Revenue from businesses placing advertisements in daily and weekly newspapers, on kreiszeitung.de, and in ePaper. Includes display ads, classifieds, and job market advertising.
3. localjob.de Job Portal: Online job board services for employers seeking regional personnel. Multiple product tiers from basic regional to premium nationwide coverage with social media boosting.
4. Private Classifieds: Revenue from private advertisements including Kleinanzeigen (small ads), family announcements, funeral notices, and automotive marketplace.
5. Retail (Travel, Books, Gifts): Travel packages through MK Leserreisen, books and gift items through partner shops, and event tickets through Nordwest Ticket.
6. Printing Services: Commercial printing services at Druckhaus Syke and Druckhaus Walsrode facilities, including newspapers, advertising leaflets, brochures, and various print products.
7. Prospect Distribution: Distribution of promotional prospectuses and flyers inserted into newspapers, reaching households directly through the distribution network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung is a regional German media group that publishes nine daily newspapers across 13 local editions and eight weekly/sunday newspaper titles, with over 55,000 daily and 280,000 weekly copies distributed through a network of 1,050 deliverers. The company operates the kreiszeitung.de news portal (3+ million visits/year), the elona ePaper digital newspaper, a mobile app, and the localjob.de regional job portal, complemented by MK Podcasts, a prospect/flyer portal, private classifieds, dating and obituary portals, travel and gift shops, and commercial printing services at Druckhaus Syke and Druckhaus Walsrode.

Product overview

Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung is a regional German media group operating a multi-platform newspaper and digital media portfolio. The core offering consists of nine daily newspapers (Tageszeitung) across 13 local editions and eight weekly/sunday newspaper titles distributed over 280,000 copies per week. Digital products include the kreiszeitung.de news portal (3M+ visits/month), the elona ePaper digital newspaper (launched 2005, rebranded 2019), a mobile app (launched 2020), and the localjob.de regional job portal. Supporting services include MK Podcasts (three formats), a prospekt/flyer portal, private classifieds, a dating platform (MoinHerz), a trauerportal for obituaries, travel and book/gift shops, and commercial printing services. Subscription products combine print, ePaper, and trial/premium tiers. The group belongs to the Ippen.Media network and serves the region between Hunte, Weser, and Wümme across Lower Saxony, Bremen, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kreiszeitung: Primary daily newspaper brand with nine local editions, covering the region between Hunte, Weser, and Wümme.
• elona
• localjob.de
• MoinHerz
• Kreiszeitung Verlagsgesellschaft

Products and services

• Tageszeitung (Daily Newspapers) Nine daily newspaper editions covering local and regional news across the districts of Rotenburg, Verden, Diepholz, Heidekreis, Nienburg, Oldenburg, and Minden-Lübbecke, distributed across 13 local editions with over 55,000 copies daily.
• Wochenzeitungen (Weekly Newspapers) Eight weekly and Sunday newspaper titles (Sonntags-Tipp, Wochenpost, Diepholzer Wochenblatt, Walsroder Markt, Schwarmstedter Rundschau, Wildeshauser Anzeiger, Rotenburger Rundschau, ALLERdings) with over 280,000 copies distributed weekly across six business locations.
• elona ePaper (Digital Daily Newspaper) Digital edition of the daily newspaper. Subscribers of the print edition receive free ePaper access. Features include Vorabend reading (prior evening access), adjustable font size, puzzle sections, text-to-speech, and weekly magazines from Mediengruppe RTL.
• kreiszeitung.de News Portal Regional news portal covering the MK distribution area, reaching over 3 million visits per month. Provides online news, video content, and social media coverage across multiple channels, part of the Ippen.Media digital network.
• kreiszeitung.de Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling access to the news portal and ePaper content on mobile devices.
• localjob.de Regional Job Portal Regional job portal of the IPPEN-Group offering online job advertisements. Reaches 400,000 visits/month and 800,000 page views/month across a network of over 21 daily and weekly newspaper publishers with 152 titles.
• MK Podcasts Podcast family with three formats: 'Auf Schritt und Tritt' (people and their stories at their actual locations), 'Retro Schnack' (historical newspaper stories from the archive), and 'Unsere Big Player' (CEO interviews about regional businesses). Hosted by Melanie Scharfe and Hagen Wolf.
• Prospekt-Portal (Prospectus Portal) Digital brochure/flyer portal allowing users to search local retail brochures by postal code and radius (5-50 km). Includes favorites/saved retailers and email notifications for new brochures.
• Private Kleinanzeigen (Private Classifieds) Classified ads service for private individuals including small ads, family announcements, funeral notices, and automobile marketplace. Ads published in Saturday print editions and subsequent weekly papers.
• MoinHerz.de Dating Platform Regional dating platform for singles in northern Germany (Niedersachsen) with verified profiles and flexible memberships.
• Trauerportal (Obituaries Portal) Online portal for funeral notices and obituaries at trauer.kreiszeitung.de, complementing print obituary placements.
• Automarkt (Auto Marketplace) Automobile classifieds platform at auto.kreiszeitung.de, with listings published both in print and online.
• MK Leserreisen (Reader Travel) Travel offers including weekend trips, river cruises, and coastal holidays, accessible at mk-leserreisen.de.
• Bücher & Geschenkartikel (Books & Gifts Shop) Reader shop offering books and gift items in categories including garden, décor, gastronomy, and jewelry.
• Print Advertising (Printanzeigen) Print advertising in daily and weekly newspapers, including display ads, classifieds, and job market listings. Media data available for daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, Rotenburger Rundschau, and ALLERdings.
• Online Advertising (Online-Werbung) Digital advertising on kreiszeitung.de including super banners, native teasers, and ePaper interstitials.
• Beilagen (Inserted Flyers) Flyer/prospectus insertion service distributed through newspapers to households in the region, including mechanical and hand insertion options.
• Druckhaus Syke & Walsrode (Commercial Printing Services) Commercial printing services at two facilities using roll offset printing (up to 40,000 copies/hour), printing newspapers in Berliner format. Services include insert insertion, brochure production, halfcover, and fragrance inks. Druckhaus Walsrode has been operational since 1994.
• Regional Newsletter Regional email newsletter delivering key topics from the local area and beyond, along with offers for books, travel, and events. Available for multiple regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 280,000+ weekly newspaper distribution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ippen.Media (Ippen-Gruppe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediengruppe Kreiszeitung is a partner of Ippen.Media, one of the largest journalistic networks in Germany. The partnership provides access to digital infrastructure, content sharing with partner publishers (including Münchner Merkur, Frankfurter Rundschau, Westfälischer Anzeiger, Hessisch/Niedersächsische Allgemeine), and the Ippen-Media digital network reaching over 28 million readers monthly.
• localjob.de (IPPEN-Gruppe)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorlocaljob.de is the regional job board of the IPPEN-Gruppe. Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung operates localjob.de for its region, with access to over 21 daily and weekly newspaper publishers and 152 titles across Germany, reaching 400,000 monthly visitors.
• MoinHerz.deminorOthersPartner dating platform for singles in northern Germany with verified profiles and flexible memberships, promoted through Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung channels.
• Nordwest TicketminorOthersEvent ticketing partnership for regional events and entertainment in the Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung coverage area.
• Trauer.kreiszeitung.deminorOthersDedicated funeral notice portal for announcing and managing funeral advertisements in the regional newspapers.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Axel Springer Regional Newspapers: Owner of Bild and Welt national titles plus a portfolio of regional newspapers (e.g., Morgenpost Sachsen, Kieler Nachrichten via Funke partnership). Comparable multi-platform regional publishing model but at much larger scale and with significant national digital assets.
• Funke Mediengruppe: Major German media group operating regional newspapers (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, Hamburger Abendblatt, Thüringer Allgemeine) plus national magazines. Comparable regional newspaper portfolio at greater scale, with broader diversification.
• DuMont Mediengruppe: Historical German media group with regional newspapers (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung) plus digital advertising technology and classifieds platforms. Comparable legacy regional publishing business transitioning to digital advertising.
• Südwestdeutsche Medienholding (SWMH): Holding group behind Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, and other regional titles in Baden-Württemberg with parallel digital subscription, advertising, and classifieds products. Comparable group structure and revenue mix.
• Ippen.Media (Ippen-Gruppe): Parent network of Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung and one of Germany's largest journalistic networks (Münchner Merkur, Frankfurter Rundschau, Hessisch/Niedersächsische Allgemeine). Functions as both partner and broader peer given shared digital infrastructure and overlapping product strategy.

Direct peers

• Main-Post GmbH: Privately held regional newspaper group in Franconia (Würzburg) with print dailies, digital portals, commercial printing, and reader services. Comparable privately-held, family-owned regional publishing business model.
• Verlag Dierk Drechsler / Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten: Independent regional newspaper publisher in Saxony with similar print + ePaper + classified + job portal monetization structure, including a strong local advertising and reader-revenue franchise.
• Bremer Tageszeitungen (Weser-Kurier): Publisher of Weser-Kurier and regional titles in the Bremen metropolitan area. Direct geographic competitor in the Bremen market that MK serves, with a similar print + digital subscription and regional advertising model.
• NOZ Medien (Nordwest-Zeitungsverlag): Northern German regional newspaper publisher operating dailies (Nordwest-Zeitung, Ostfriesischer Kurier, etc.) plus digital portals and ePaper. Highly comparable in footprint, product mix, and target market to MK's Lower Saxony / Bremen focus.
• Madsack Mediengruppe: One of Germany's largest regional newspaper groups (Hannoversche Allgemeine, Lübecker Nachrichten, Kieler Nachrichten, etc.), operating a comparable multi-platform model of regional dailies, ePaper, and digital portals. Most directly comparable peer for a regional German newspaper publisher at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KreiszeitungTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/mediengruppekreiszeitung
• Instagraminstagram.com/mediengruppekreiszeitung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mediengruppe-kreiszeitung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Mediengruppe Kreiszeitung