Prisma-Verlag

What Prisma-Verlag does

Prisma-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German publishing company headquartered in Düsseldorf that has operated since 1977. The company publishes the weekly TV and entertainment magazine prisma, issued in four regional editions (West, Ost, Nord, Süd) and distributed as a bundled supplement (Trägertitel) with regional German daily newspapers. In 2026 the magazine reaches approximately 8.6 million copies weekly, comprising roughly 6.9 million print and 1.75 million E-Paper copies, and commands 5.93 million weekly readers — making it the most-read weekly consumer magazine in Germany. Beyond print, prisma operates a crossmedia portfolio spanning prisma.de (an online streaming and programme guide), a mobile app, an email newsletter (15,000 new sign-ups in 2025), a podcast, and a WhatsApp channel; editorial output includes 36 daily programme overviews and more than 70 TV recommendations per week.

The company serves two customer groups. Consumers use prisma as a curated guide through the German TV and streaming landscape. Brand advertisers and media buyers form the B2B client base, purchasing display advertising, sponsored content, and crossmedia campaign packages across all prisma channels. The proprietary prisma-Trend research panel conducts annual reader surveys on contact qualities, travel interests, and advertising affinity, producing media data documents used by advertisers in campaign planning. Strategic partnerships include co-presenting the Blauer Panther – TV & Streaming Award alongside Netflix, Prime Video, RTL, Sky, ZDF and 3sat, and founding-partner status in the cross-industry 'Projekt Zuversicht' initiative.

Revenue is generated primarily through advertising sales across print, E-Paper, website, app, newsletter, and podcast channels, supplemented by subscription revenue from the E-Paper and from bundled newspaper distribution partnerships. In 2025 prisma recorded 211.9 million euros in gross advertising spendings (+4.4% year-on-year), ranking #1 among all freely sold German consumer magazines (Publikumszeitschriften) ahead of Die Zeit and Stern. Advertising pricing is governed by a standard rate card (Anzeigenpreisliste), with new advertisers typically paying in advance and standard terms of 30 days net from issue date. The company operates with 11–50 employees; Christina Esser is CEO (Geschäftsführerin), Sven Retz heads Media Sales, and Stephan Braun is Editor-in-Chief.

Name

Prisma-Verlag

Legal name

PRISMA-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://prisma-verlag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prisma-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, founded 1977 in Düsseldorf, publishes the weekly German TV and entertainment magazine prisma — distributed via bundled newspaper supplements and digital channels — and sells crossmedia advertising to brand advertisers reaching 5.93 million weekly readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA)

Keywords

• Weekly TV magazine
• Consumer magazine publishing
• Crossmedia advertising
• Print media advertising
• Entertainment media

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising sales (Print, E-Paper, Digital): prisma generates the majority of its revenue by selling advertising space across its print magazine, E-Paper editions, website (prisma.de), app, newsletter, and podcast. The company offers display advertising, sponsored content, and crossmedia campaign packages to advertisers seeking reach among German TV/streaming audiences. Brutto advertising spendings in 2025 reached approximately 211.9 million euros.
2. Trägertitel / Newspaper distribution partnerships: prisma is distributed as a weekly supplement bundled with regional German daily newspapers (Trägertitel). The company enters into distribution agreements with newspaper publishers, adding new carrier titles to expand reach. This model ensures wide physical distribution without requiring independent newsstand sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Prisma-Verlag publishes the weekly TV magazine "prisma" and distributes it as a supplement with regional daily newspapers, reaching 5.93 million readers. The publisher also offers a digital ecosystem including prisma.de, an E-Paper edition, a mobile app, a newsletter, and a podcast, monetized primarily through advertising sales to brand marketers and media agencies.

Product overview

Prisma-Verlag operates a crossmedia product portfolio centered on the prisma TV and streaming magazine brand. The core offering consists of the weekly print prisma magazine distributed via regional daily newspapers (with four regional editions: West, Ost, Nord, Süd), supplemented by digital products including the prisma.de streaming guide, E-Paper, mobile app, newsletter, podcast, and WhatsApp channel. Supporting services include prisma-Trend (proprietary market research tool for reader insights) and prisma Media Solutions (advertising sales and campaign services). The products share a common audience of TV- and streaming-interested consumers, with the magazine serving as the anchor brand that drives readers to digital touchpoints. The company emphasizes its unique reach through Germany's regional newspaper network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• prisma.de: Entertainment portal and streaming guide website offering TV and streaming recommendations
• prisma-App
• prisma-Trend
• prisma Podcast
• Blauer Panther – TV & Streaming Award

Products and services

• prisma Magazin Weekly print TV and entertainment magazine distributed as a supplement with regional daily newspapers in Germany, reaching 5.93 million readers (MA 1/2026).
• prisma.de Official website of the prisma brand, providing digital access to TV and entertainment editorial content for German consumers.
• prisma E-Paper Digital replica edition of the weekly prisma magazine available to readers electronically.
• prisma App Mobile application providing access to prisma's editorial content for entertainment and TV coverage on smartphones and tablets.
• prisma Newsletter Email newsletter distributing prisma's TV and entertainment editorial content to subscribers.
• prisma Podcast Audio podcast product extending the prisma brand into on-demand entertainment content.
• prisma-Trend Proprietary market research and audience insight tool supporting media planning decisions for advertisers.
• prisma Media Solutions (Advertising) Crossmedia advertising offering that sells print and digital ad placements to brand marketers and media agencies, supporting 211.9 million euros in gross advertising spendings in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.93 million readers (MA 1/2026), making prisma the most-read weekly German consumer magazine
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• trendtours Touristik GmbHminorGTM or Marketing Partnertrendtours Touristik GmbH partnered with prisma on the 'prisma-Reisesommer' reader competition campaign in summer 2024, providing travel prizes including trips along the historic Silk Road. The partnership enabled co-marketing of travel content and reader engagement through the magazine.
• Medien.Bayern GmbH / BLM, BR, Netflix, Prime Video, RTL Deutschland, Seven.One Entertainment Group, Sky Deutschland, ZDF/3satcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerprisma co-presents the 'Best Actress' and 'Best Actor' awards at the Blauer Panther – TV & Streaming Award, Germany's premier TV/streaming industry award. The event is organised by Medien.Bayern GmbH and supported by leading broadcasters and streaming platforms as co-trustees.
• BMW Welt MünchenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBMW Welt München served as the venue host for the Blauer Panther – TV & Streaming Award 2024 ceremony. The partnership provides a prestigious setting for the award show.
• ARD Media, Funke Medien Gruppe, Hubert Burda Media, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, RMS Radio Marketing Service, RTL Deutschland, Weischer MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPRISMA-Verlag participated as a founding media partner in 'Projekt Zuversicht,' an initiative by Initiative 18, #UseTheNews, and rheingold salon to research and address societal optimism in Germany. The initiative combined media, associations, and advertising industry participants including Dr. Oetker and REWE, generating a representative study on community and self-efficacy.
• S3 AdvertisingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerS3 Advertising (Düsseldorf) handled the conception and realisation of the prisma website, as noted in the imprint (Impressum).

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hubert Burda Media: Hubert Burda Media is a major German publishing house with consumer magazines (e.g., Bunte, Focus, Chip) plus digital properties. It is a partner of prisma in Projekt Zuversicht and competes for similar advertising categories and readership demographics.
• Axel Springer SE: Axel Springer is Germany's largest digital publisher (Bild, Welt) with growing media-tech and classifieds operations. It competes for advertising budgets, particularly in news and entertainment verticals where prisma also operates, and shares the crossmedia platform strategy.
• Bauer Media Group: Bauer Media is one of Europe's largest privately held magazine publishers, operating a broad portfolio of consumer magazines across multiple genres and geographies. It competes with prisma for advertising budgets in the German consumer magazine market and operates a similar multi-channel print/digital model.
• Gruner + Jahr (RTL Group): Gruner + Jahr publishes flagship German magazines (Stern, Brigitte, Geo) under RTL Group ownership. It competes directly for advertising spend in the German consumer magazine market and operates a similar print-plus-digital crossmedia model.
• ProSiebenSat.1 Media: ProSiebenSat.1 operates major German TV channels (ProSieben, Sat.1, Kabel Eins) and the streaming platform Joyn. It is a co-trustee of the Blauer Panther Award alongside prisma and competes for TV/streaming advertising spend in the same German market.
• RTL Deutschland (RTL Group): RTL Deutschland is Germany's largest private broadcaster and a major partner of prisma at the Blauer Panther Award. It operates streaming platform RTL+ and competes for TV/streaming advertising budgets while serving as both partner and adjacent media player in the German TV ecosystem.

Direct peers

• TV Spielfilm (Burda): TV Spielfilm is Hubert Burda Media's flagship weekly TV listings magazine and digital streaming guide. It is prisma's closest direct competitor in the German TV listings and entertainment recommendations category, with a comparable print-plus-digital product structure.
• Funke Mediengruppe: Funke is one of Germany's largest regional newspaper publishers and also operates magazine titles and digital portals. As both a Trägertitel-style partner and an adjacent publisher, it is highly comparable to prisma's integrated regional press and consumer magazine business.
• Die Zeit (Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius): Die Zeit is Germany's leading weekly newspaper, ranking #2 in gross advertising spendings among consumer titles (per Nielsen 2025). It competes directly with prisma for weekly print reach and advertising budgets among affluent, educated German audiences.
• Stern (Gruner + Jahr / RTL): Stern is one of Germany's most established weekly news magazines and ranks #3 in gross advertising spendings among German consumer titles. It competes with prisma for the same category of national brand advertisers and weekly reader engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeprisma.de/youtube
• Facebookfacebook.com/prismamagazin
• Instagraminstagram.com/prismamagazin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prisma-verlag-gmbh-co-kg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Prisma-Verlag