What Respekt does

Respekt is an independent Czech weekly news magazine and digital journalism platform, founded in 1993 and published by Respekt Media a.s., a private joint-stock company headquartered at Vodičkova 704/36, Prague. The publication serves educated Czech-speaking readers seeking in-depth political analysis, foreign affairs coverage, investigative journalism, and cultural commentary beyond breaking news. Its core product is a weekly print magazine supported by a digital subscription platform (respekt.cz), iOS and Android mobile applications offering audio article versions, a portfolio of six podcast series, and an e-commerce store (obchod.respekt.cz) for merchandise and special editions. The editorial infrastructure is multi-channel, including a content-rich website organized by section (Czech politics, foreign affairs, society, culture, science, technology), a newsletter portfolio, and active podcast brands covering news, culture, and political affairs.

The business model is a hybrid consumer subscription operation. Respekt generates revenue from four primary streams: print magazine subscriptions (weekly delivery on monthly/quarterly/semi-annual/annual terms with auto-renewal), digital subscriptions (online and mobile access with audio versions, starting at 160 Kč/month), e-commerce sales of merchandise and special editions, and advertising including banner ads and sponsored content. Pricing is tiered with discounts for students, retirees, and longer-term commitments. The company republishes selected content from international partners including The New York Times, Die Zeit, and The Washington Post, extending its editorial value proposition to Czech readers. Respekt has 54 employees, an ISSN (1801-1446), and no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding rounds, indicating an independently owned media operation dependent on operating cash flow.

Name

Respekt

Legal name

Respekt Media a.s.

Website

https://respekt.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Respekt is an independent Czech weekly news magazine and digital platform serving educated Czech readers with in-depth political analysis, foreign affairs, and cultural commentary via print, web, mobile, podcasts, and newsletters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News and Media Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA), Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI)

Keywords

• Weekly news magazine
• Investigative journalism
• Digital news subscription
• Podcast news media
• Czech current affairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Subscriptions: Respekt publishes a weekly print magazine delivered to subscribers' addresses. Subscriptions are available in various durations (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual) with automatic renewal options. Pricing varies for different customer segments including students, retirees, and regular subscribers.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Online access to all articles, archives, and digital-only content. Includes audio versions of articles and mobile app access. Offered as standalone digital subscription or bundled with print.
3. E-commerce Sales: Respekt operates an online store (obchod.respekt.cz) selling merchandise, special issues, books, and other media products. Sales include both physical goods and digital products.
4. Advertising: The platform displays advertising including banner ads, sponsored content sections, and promotional partnerships. Commercial advertisements appear throughout the website and digital properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Respekt publishes an independent Czech weekly news magazine in print and digital form, offering in-depth journalism on Czech politics, foreign affairs, society, culture, science, and technology. The offering is monetized through recurring print and digital subscriptions (starting from 160 Kč/month), banner and sponsored advertising, a merchandise e-shop, branded podcast series, themed email newsletters, and republishing partnerships with international outlets such as The New York Times and Die Zeit.

Product overview

Respekt is a Czech independent weekly magazine and digital news platform offering journalism across politics, foreign affairs, society, culture, and technology. The portfolio consists of the core Respekt.cz website providing online article access, a subscription service with digital and print options (from 160 Kč/month), a mobile application with audio article versions, multiple podcast series (Výtah Respektu, Dělníci kultury, Vládneme nerušit, Tekutá společnost, Ženy XYZ), an e-commerce store for merchandise and special editions, and an extensive newsletter portfolio. The publication is published by Respekt Media a.s. and includes content from international sources like The New York Times and Die Zeit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Výtah Respektu: Daily podcast summarizing the most important news, hosted by Zuzana Machálková with Respekt editors.
• Dělníci kultury
• Vládneme, nerušit
• Tekutá společnost
• Ženy XYZ
• Zeitgeist
• Respekt Sezona

Products and services

• Respekt Weekly Print Magazine Subscription Weekly printed news magazine delivered by postal service to subscriber addresses across the Czech Republic, covering Czech politics, foreign affairs, society, culture, science, and technology. Available in monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual subscription terms with automatic renewal, student and retiree discounts, and option to bundle with digital access.
• Respekt Digital Subscription Online subscription providing full access to Respekt articles, archive, audio versions of articles, and mobile app access. Available as a standalone digital subscription starting from 160 Kč/month or bundled with the print magazine.
• Respekt Podcast Portfolio (Výtah Respektu, Dělníci kultury, Vládneme nerušit, Tekutá společnost, Ženy XYZ, Zeitgeist) Branded audio podcast series distributed across major podcast platforms, including the daily news summary Výtah Respektu (476+ episodes), Dělníci kultury (cultural topics), Vládneme nerušit (political affairs), Tekutá společnost, Ženy XYZ, and Zeitgeist. Available to subscribers and the broader podcast audience as a content channel.
• Respekt E-shop Online store (obchod.respekt.cz) selling books, special editions, branded merchandise, and other media products related to Respekt's journalism. Offers both physical and digital products with multiple payment options.
• Respekt Newsletter Portfolio Themed email newsletters including Plamínková, Sečteno podtrženo, Čevapi times (Balkans-focused), Jednotka intenzivní péče, and Garrigue, covering political, cultural, and topical themes for subscriber engagement.
• Respekt Mobile Application iOS and Android mobile applications providing subscribers with article reading access and audio versions of articles for offline and mobile consumption of Respekt's digital content.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The New York TimesminorOthersInternational content partnership where Respekt publishes selected articles from The New York Times, including work by Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman, Neil MacFarquhar, and Ed Augustin. Articles are translated and published on the Respekt platform for Czech readers.
• Die ZeitminorOthersInternational journalism partnership with German publication Die Zeit. Respekt publishes selected content from Die Zeit correspondents, including articles by Max Hägler and Zacharias Zacharakis on European affairs.
• The Washington PostminorOthersContent partnership with The Washington Post for selected international coverage. Includes commentary by Fareed Zakaria published on the Respekt platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Reflex: Long-running Czech weekly magazine covering politics, culture, and society. A direct format peer to Respekt as a Czech-language weekly magazine with both print and digital editions, although stylistically more tabloid.
• Lidové noviny: Major Czech national daily with editorial opinion and political commentary similar to Respekt's editorial positioning. Operates as a print + digital subscription product targeting the same educated, politically engaged Czech audience.
• Deník N: Slovak-founded independent Czech news outlet offering digital-first investigative journalism and opinion. Closely comparable to Respekt in target audience (educated, urban Czech readers seeking independent journalism), subscription-based model, and political positioning. Deník N content is even republished on Respekt, signalling direct overlap.
• Aktuálně.cz: Major Czech online news outlet owned by Economia. Comparable to Respekt as a digital-first news platform monetised through advertising and subscriptions, competing for the same Czech news reader with a broader news mix.
• Hospodářské noviny: One of the Czech Republic's leading daily newspapers with a strong analytical and opinion focus, owned by Economia (DNES group). Competes with Respekt for the same high-quality-journalism Czech reader, monetised through print + digital subscriptions and advertising.
• iDNES (Mladá fronta DNES): Czech Republic's largest news website, operated by Mafra. While broader in scope (general news rather than opinion/analysis), it represents the dominant Czech digital news platform competing for advertising revenue and reader attention against Respekt.
• Týdeník Echo: Czech political weekly with strong opinion and analytical content, very comparable in format to Respekt. Echo24 is a direct competitor in the Czech opinion-weekly category and targets a similar politically engaged reader.

Broad incumbents

• The Economist: Global weekly newsmagazine combining analysis, opinion, and current affairs. Comparable to Respekt in product format (weekly current-affairs magazine with strong opinion sections) and revenue model (subscription-led), but at vastly greater scale and international reach.
• Die Zeit: Major German weekly newspaper with strong analytical and opinion journalism. A content partner of Respekt (translation/republication), and structurally analogous as an established European newsweekly with print + digital + podcast operations.

Emerging players

• Le Monde diplomatique: International opinion magazine with a French edition and many licensed local editions. Comparable to Respekt in its editorial focus on political analysis, foreign affairs, and opinion journalism, and useful as a comparator for the editorial-adjacent print+digital product concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/respektcz

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 Respekt