NEWS.AT

What NEWS.AT does

NEWS.AT is an Austrian online news portal operated by VGN Medien Holding GmbH, a private limited company headquartered in Vienna (Erdberger Lände 40–48, 1030 Wien). The site has been online since 1999 and functions as the digital flagship of the NEWS weekly news magazine, covering politics, business, culture, lifestyle, sport, and health for a general Austrian consumer audience. The platform is positioned editorially as independent of political parties, institutions, and interest groups, and is one of Austria's leading weekly news titles.

The product surface is a multi-channel content ecosystem: the core news website, E-Paper digital magazine, Readers Lounge subscriber platform, email newsletters (Brevo, customer.io), regional podcasts (e.g., Oberösterreich ungefiltert, Kärnten ungefiltert) and a NEWScast video product, plus engagement features such as online games and a horoscope. Technology is built on commodity European infrastructure — cloud hosting via Exoscale (Vienna/Munich) and Hetzner (Frankfurt), analytics via Google Analytics and the Austrian ÖWA/SZM standard, GDPR compliance via OneTrust, e-commerce on Shopify with Stripe payments, and Microsoft 365 for internal operations. Customer service is outsourced to Concentrix (Webhelp), and print is produced by Leykam Druck in Neudörfl and distributed via Österreichische Post AG.

NEWS.AT generates revenue from six streams: (1) digital advertising via programmatic partners (Adition, Yieldlab, Criteo) and direct sales; (2) print and E-Paper subscriptions, including the ad-free PUR-Abo tier; (3) B2B advertising and content marketing (native advertising, crossmediale Werbepakete, AR ad formats) sold through media agencies such as Dentsu, GroupM, and Publicis; (4) e-commerce via the Shopify Aboshop; (5) licensed address data for direct marketing under §151 GewO; and (6) event sponsorship (e.g., Trend Editors Dinner, Trend Chrono Award, Autorevue Autokino). Ultimate ownership rests with DDr. Horst Pirker via I-MAG Beteiligungen GmbH; the Geschäftsführung comprises Horst Pirker, Claudia Gradwohl, Helmut Schoba, Susanne Herczeg, and Ralf Six. The company is private, Austrian-only, and operates with no disclosed funding, M&A, or headcount figures.

Name

NEWS.AT

Legal name

VGN Medien Holding GmbH

Website

https://news.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

NEWS.AT is an Austrian online news portal operated by VGN Medien Holding since 1999, delivering independent journalism across politics, business, culture, and lifestyle to Austrian consumers via web, E-Paper, newsletters, and podcasts, monetized through advertising, subscriptions, B2B content marketing, e-commerce, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News and Digital Media Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ), Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Online news portal
• Digital journalism
• News magazine publishing
• Digital advertising sales
• News subscription services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital advertising: Primary revenue stream from display advertising, programmatic advertising via Adition and partner networks, and targeted advertising based on user profiling and tracking
2. Subscription/Abo (Print and E-Paper): Magazine subscriptions for NEWS print edition and digital E-Paper versions, including PUR-Abo for ad-free content access
3. B2B advertising and content marketing: Corporate advertising packages, Native Advertising, Content-Marketing-Kampagnen, crossmediale Werbepakete, and Augmented-Reality-Werbeformate for business clients
4. E-commerce (Webshop): Online sales of magazines, merchandise, and products via Shopify platform with Stripe payment processing
5. Third-party advertising data (Address publishing): Licensed address data for direct marketing purposes under §151 GewO (Adressverlag und Direktmarketingunternehmen)
6. Events and sponsorship: Corporate events such as Trend Editors Dinner, Trend Chrono Award, and Autorevue Autokino generate sponsorship and participation revenue

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NEWS.AT is an Austrian online news portal that publishes daily journalism across politics, business, culture, lifestyle, sport, and entertainment, distributed through its website, mobile apps, E-Paper, email newsletters, and podcasts. The platform monetizes content through digital advertising, paid print and digital subscriptions (including the ad-free PUR-Abo), and B2B advertising/content marketing services such as Native Advertising, crossmediale Werbepakete, and Augmented-Reality ad formats. It also operates an integrated Aboshop (Shopify/Stripe) for selling subscriptions and merchandise, plus an exclusive Readers Lounge for subscribers.

Product overview

NEWS.AT is a comprehensive Austrian online news portal operated by VGN Medien Holding GmbH. The platform offers a multi-channel content ecosystem consisting of the core news website providing current affairs coverage across politics, business, culture, and lifestyle, supplemented by digital magazine (E-Paper), email newsletters, exclusive subscriber platform (Readers Lounge), multimedia content (podcasts and video news), and interactive services including online games and horoscopes. Premium PUR-Abo subscription enables ad-free access. The platform also operates e-commerce functionality through integrated webshop services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEWS: Weekly news magazine covering Austrian and international news, politics, business, culture, and lifestyle
• NEWS Archiv
• NEWSletter
• NEWScast
• NEWS Event

Products and services

• NEWS.AT Online News Portal Austrian online news portal providing daily news, headlines, and background coverage across Politik, Wirtschaft, Menschen, Leben, Kunst & Kultur, Fokus, Galerie, Service, and Specials categories. Targeted at general Austrian consumers seeking independent journalism, with free access and optional registration.
• NEWS E-Paper (Digital Magazine)
• Readers Lounge (Subscriber Platform) Exclusive subscriber platform at readerslounge.at providing access to the NEWS E-Paper, podcasts, and the complete archive of all NEWS magazine issues dating back to 1999. For paying subscribers of the print and digital magazine.
• PUR-Abo (Ad-Free Subscription) Premium subscription product enabling ad-free access to NEWS.AT digital platforms without personalized advertising and tracking. Sold via the Aboshop (Shopify/Stripe) for individual Austrian consumers who prefer a clean reading experience.
• Online Games (Solitär, Sudoku, Mahjong, Snake) Collection of browser-based casual games including Solitär, Sudoku, Mahjong, Snake, and others, integrated into the NEWS.AT platform to drive engagement and returning visits from Austrian news consumers.
• Horoscope Service
• NEWS Newsletter Service Email-based news digest delivering curated daily news content to subscribers, with multiple editions including regional variants (e.g., Oberösterreich, Kärnten). Delivered via the Brevo CRM platform.
• NEWS Aboshop (Webshop) Self-service e-commerce storefront for purchasing NEWS magazine subscriptions, merchandise, and related products. Powered by Shopify with Stripe payment processing.
• NEWScast Podcast

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adition Technologies AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdserver platform for delivery and optimization of digital advertising on NEWS.AT and VGN media properties.
• Virtual Minds GmbH (Yieldlab)coreTechnology or IntegrationSupply Side Platform (SSP) for programmatic advertising inventory management and optimization.
• Google Ireland Limited / Google LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, YouTube video player, and DoubleClick programmatic advertising integration.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Facebook/Instagram)coreTechnology or IntegrationMeta Pixel tracking, Facebook/Instagram fanpages for social presence, and social sharing functionality.
• OneTrust LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationCookie consent management platform (CMP/Cookie-Banner) ensuring GDPR compliance for all VGN digital platforms.
• Akenes SA (Exoscale)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud server hosting for NEWS.AT and VGN digital platforms. Server locations in Vienna (Austria) and Munich (Germany).
• Hetzner Online GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationServer hosting provider for VGN digital infrastructure. Server location in Frankfurt (Germany).
• Compax Software Development GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCustomer database management system and technical support for VGN media properties.
• Shopify International LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering NEWS.AT Aboshop and webstore for subscriptions and merchandise.
• Stripe Payments Europe Ltd.coreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing service for e-commerce transactions on NEWS.AT webstore and subscriptions.
• Microsoft Ireland Operations LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft 365 (Exchange Online, Outlook, Teams) for internal business communications and collaboration.
• Österreichische Webanalyse (ÖWA)coreTechnology or IntegrationAustrian web analytics organization providing standardized audience measurement and reach statistics (Skalierbares Zentrales Messverfahren/SZM).
• Österreichische Post AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPostal delivery partner for print magazine distribution to subscribers and postal billing/rechnung delivery.
• Brevo (Sendinblue GmbH)coreTechnology or IntegrationCRM and email marketing platform for newsletter delivery, marketing automation, and customer communication.
• Peaberry Software Inc. (customer.io)coreTechnology or IntegrationCRM platform for customer communication, transaction notifications, and marketing automation.
• Leykam Druck GmbH & Co KGcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrint production facility for NEWS magazine located in Neudörfl, Austria.
• Concentrix Austria GmbH (Webhelp)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCustomer service provider handling NEWS.AT and VGN customer support operations.
• Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia agency partner for advertising planning and buying across VGN media properties.
• GroupM OG (MediaCom, Mindshare, Wavemaker)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia agency network partner for programmatic and traditional advertising campaigns.
• Publicis Media Austria GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia agency for advertising planning and campaign execution.
• APA (Austria Press Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationNews content sourcing from Austrian Press Agency for news coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kronen Zeitung: Austria's highest-circulation daily, with a dominant online news portal that captures the largest share of Austrian digital news advertising. Sets the competitive floor and ceiling on Austrian news-site reach that NEWS.AT must operate within.
• Der Standard: Austria's leading quality daily newspaper with a major digital news portal covering politics, business, culture and lifestyle. Direct competitor to NEWS.AT in the Austrian independent news category, monetising via subscription and digital advertising.
• ORF.at: Online presence of Austria's national public broadcaster, offering free news, politics, culture and lifestyle coverage funded through the ORF broadcasting fee. Primary substitute for Austrian consumers seeking independent news, competing head-on with NEWS.AT for audience and attention.
• Die Presse: Historic Austrian daily newspaper with a strong digital edition covering politics, business, culture, sport and lifestyle. Comparable business model (subscription + advertising) and editorial positioning, making it one of the closest direct peers to NEWS.AT.
• Kurier: Austrian tabloid-style daily with a large digital audience, producing independent news and lifestyle coverage. Targets a similar Austrian mass-market reader as NEWS.AT while competing for the same advertising budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Spiegel Online: Germany's leading digital news brand covering politics, business, culture and lifestyle, monetising through a mix of paid subscription (Spiegel+) and advertising. Useful benchmark for digital news subscription economics and editorial scaling that an Austrian leader like NEWS.AT aspires to.
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ.net): Prestigious German broadsheet with a paywalled digital edition spanning politics, business, culture and lifestyle. Comparable paywall/subscription architecture and advertiser relationships in the German-speaking news market.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ.de): Major German quality daily with a flagship digital subscription product and broad political, business and cultural coverage. Comparable as a premium European digital news subscription peer informing reader-pay strategy.

Emerging players

• Trend.at (Verlagsgruppe News / VGN): Austrian business magazine from VGN Medien Holding, sister title to NEWS.AT under common ownership. Directly comparable in technology stack, subscriptions, and B2B advertising proposition, and a natural cross-sell partner within the VGN ecosystem.
• Profil Online: Austrian investigative news weekly known for political exposé, with a strong digital subscription product. Comparable in editorial niche (independent, in-depth Austrian news) and subscription/reader-revenue model, though smaller in scale than NEWS.AT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/news.at
• Instagraminstagram.com/news.at

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 NEWS.AT