Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin

What Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin does

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin (SZ-Magazin) is the weekly lifestyle magazine supplement of Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany's most established national newspapers. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, the publication serves affluent German-speaking readers across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with long-form journalism, essays, in-depth interviews, and lifestyle editorial covering culture, health, relationships, food, travel, and society. The magazine operates under the Süddeutsche Zeitung media group alongside complementary products including SZ.de, the parent newspaper, SZ Jetzt, SZ Dossier, and the SZ Plus subscription tier, sharing distribution and subscriber infrastructure across the portfolio.

The publication runs on a digital publishing platform delivering content via the sueddeutsche.de/magazin website, dedicated iOS and Android mobile apps, e-paper editions, and weekly print issues distributed as a supplement to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Editorial structure includes dedicated sections for columns, themed issues, puzzles and games, recipes, newsletters, and curated reading lists. Distribution combines regional print bundling with global digital access, and content is amplified through regular email newsletters and podcast series extending reader engagement beyond the weekly print cycle.

Revenue is generated through a dual model combining recurring subscription revenue (digital via SZ Plus, mobile apps, and e-paper, plus bundled print subscriptions to the parent newspaper) with display and sponsored advertising across digital and print properties. Subscription pricing is not publicly disclosed, with users directed to the parent SZ product pages to subscribe. The editorial operation is lean at approximately 71 employees, and the publication continues to issue weekly editions as of July 2026.

Name

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin

Legal name

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin

Website

https://sz-magazin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin is a weekly German lifestyle magazine supplement of the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, serving affluent DACH-region readers with long-form journalism on culture, health, food, travel, and relationships via print, web, apps, and SZ Plus subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Weekly lifestyle magazine
• Newspaper supplement publishing
• German cultural journalism
• Digital news subscription
• Premium print media

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Digital and print magazine subscriptions providing exclusive SZ Plus content, including articles, newsletters, and special features.
2. Advertising: Display advertising and sponsored content within the digital and print magazine properties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin is the weekly magazine supplement of the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, publishing long-form journalism, interviews, essays, and lifestyle content covering topics such as culture, society, health, relationships, food and recipes, travel, and current affairs. It is distributed in print as a newspaper supplement and digitally via the sueddeutsche.de/magazin website, mobile apps, e-paper, and the SZ Plus premium subscription service.

Product overview

Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin is a weekly magazine published as a supplement to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. It operates as a single unified publication (SZ-Magazin) featuring long-form journalism, interviews, essays, recipes, health features, travel recommendations, and cultural commentary. The magazine also offers digital subscriptions through SZ Plus and publishes special themed collections and podcast series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• The New Yorker: US weekly magazine blending long-form journalism, culture, lifestyle features, and interviews. Comparable in weekly magazine format, culture/lifestyle content mix, and subscription-driven digital monetization, though operating in the English-speaking market.
• Monopol (Magazin): German independent magazine covering art, culture, and lifestyle. Comparable as a niche, design-forward German lifestyle/culture publication, though smaller and more arts-focused than SZ-Magazin.

Direct peers

• Die Zeit: National weekly German newspaper with strong lifestyle, culture, and opinion content. Comparable as a weekly subscription publication covering similar topic verticals (culture, health, lifestyle) and operating a paid digital tier (Zeit+).
• Geo (Magazin): Premium German lifestyle magazine focused on travel, nature, and culture, with a subscription business. Comparable as a long-established, brand-led German-language lifestyle magazine with print and digital presence.
• Der Spiegel: Germany's leading weekly news magazine with strong digital subscriptions and lifestyle/feature coverage. Closely comparable as a national weekly magazine with subscription-driven GTM and a digital paywall (Spiegel+), competing for the same German-speaking premium reader audience.
• Stern: Major German weekly magazine covering news, lifestyle, and human-interest stories. Comparable in weekly print + digital subscription model and broad lifestyle feature focus aimed at the German mass-market reader.
• FAZ Magazin: Weekly lifestyle/culture magazine supplement of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, structurally identical to SZ-Magazin as a newspaper-affiliated weekly magazine covering food, travel, design, and culture.
• Bunte: German celebrity, lifestyle, and society magazine with weekly print and digital subscription. Comparable as a weekly German-language lifestyle/society publication competing for the same DACH readership and advertising pool.
• Focus (Magazin): German news and lifestyle weekly magazine with strong digital subscription offering. Comparable in weekly print/digital hybrid model and lifestyle-leaning feature content targeting German-speaking readers.
• Brigitte: Leading German women's lifestyle magazine covering health, relationships, food, and culture. Directly comparable in target audience (affluent German-speaking women) and editorial verticals (lifestyle, wellness, relationships).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sz-magazin

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 Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin