What DRIVE does

dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH) is Germany's largest news agency, founded in 1949 and headquartered at Mittelweg 38 in Hamburg. The group operates as a cooperative-inspired marketplace for media and communications, with customers frequently serving as both buyers and partners. In FY2025 it reported €159.8 million in revenue and 1,320 employees worldwide. dpa delivers news, multimedia content, and data products to media companies, newsrooms, financial institutions, and communication professionals across text, video, audio, image, and data formats.

The group's architecture is a holding structure around dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH with wholly-owned operating subsidiaries covering specialized verticals: dpa-infocom (data products, graphics, election data, fact-checking, Liveticker), dpa-IT Services (technical infrastructure, software development, security), news aktuell (PR and story distribution tools), dpa Picture-Alliance (130M+ images from 300+ partner agencies), dpa-Rufa (audio/video production for broadcast and online portals), and #UseTheNews (nonprofit news literacy initiative). Additional participations include dpa-AFX (German real-time financial news), AWP (Swiss financial news), mecom (operator of Germany's MoWaS emergency warning system), and an 11% stake in London-based Alliance News.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring subscriptions and professional services contracts: news/content services, visual content licensing, IT services, PR distribution tools, audio/video production, and financial news feeds. Distribution spans direct B2B sales to German media houses, financial platforms (Bloomberg, Teletrader), government emergency systems, the Picture Alliance visual content marketplace, and self-serve tools via news aktuell. Geographic reach spans the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Benelux (Netherlands), UK, Italy, and South Africa.

Name

DRIVE

Legal name

dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Website

https://dpa-info.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur is Germany's largest news agency, providing text, video, audio, image, and data content plus financial news, PR distribution tools, and the national MoWaS emergency warning system to media companies, newsrooms, financial institutions, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News Agency Services

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Publishing Industries (513), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Public Relations Agencies (54182), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI), Event Streaming & Pub/Sub Platforms (HDAEAIAD), Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

Keywords

• News wire services
• Media content syndication
• Financial news distribution
• Emergency warning systems
• Fact-checking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. News and Content Services: Providing news content, multimedia services, and data products to media companies, newsrooms, financial institutions, and communication professionals. Core business of the dpa group.
2. Visual Content (Picture Alliance): Image library with 130+ million images, graphics, and illustrations from 300+ partner agencies. Includes commissioned photography, research, and image editing services.
3. IT Services: Technical solutions for news agencies including project management, software development, infrastructure, operations, desktop support, helpdesk, and security services.
4. PR and Communications Tools (news aktuell): Tools and solutions helping organizations distribute stories to media professionals, social media, news sites, and Google.
5. Audio/Video Production (dpa-Rufa): Supplying broadcast and TV stations as well as online portals with flexibly tailored journalistic audio and video content.
6. Financial News (dpa-AFX): Real-time financial and business news in German and English, distributed via platforms like Teletrader, Bloomberg, and other financial portals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

dpa is Germany's largest news agency, providing a comprehensive portfolio of multimedia information services for digital markets. Through wholly-owned subsidiaries and participations (dpa-infocom, dpa-IT, news aktuell, dpa Picture-Alliance, dpa-Rufa, dpa-AFX, AWP, mecom, Alliance News), it delivers text, video, audio, data, and image content, plus specialized services such as election data, fact-checking, real-time financial news, image rights, and the national MoWaS emergency warning system.

Product overview

The dpa group operates as a diversified media and communications company with multiple subsidiaries offering a comprehensive portfolio of news, data, and technology services. The core offerings include: dpa-infocom (multimedia information services, data products, and graphics including election data and fact-checking), dpa-IT (technical infrastructure and software solutions), news aktuell (PR and story distribution tools), dpa Picture-Alliance (image library with 130+ million images), dpa-Rufa (audio and video production), and financial news subsidiaries dpa-AFX, AWP, and Alliance News. Additional services include emergency warning systems (mecom/MoWaS) and news literacy initiatives (#UseTheNews).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liveticker / Liveblogs / Livedaten Real-time ticker, live blogs, and live data services that deliver continuous event-driven news updates to digital newsrooms.
• Wahldaten (Election Data) Comprehensive data products covering German and international elections, used by digital newsrooms for election coverage and analysis.
• dpa-Faktencheck Independent fact-checking service that verifies public claims and combats misinformation.
• dpa-Themenwelten Editorial themed content packages that group dpa stories into topic-specific worlds for digital publishers.
• dpa-Themendienst Consumer-oriented news service providing editorial content for digital publishers' consumer-facing coverage.
• Nachrichtliche Infografiken News infographics that visualize stories for digital newsrooms and online publishers.
• Grafiken für den Unterricht Graphics and illustrations designed for classroom and educational use, distributed through dpa-infocom.
• Individuelle Auftragsgrafiken Custom, commissioned infographics produced by dpa-infocom to meet specific customer requirements.
• dpa Picture-Alliance Image Library Marketplace offering more than 130 million images, graphics and illustrations from over 300 partner agencies, covering news, politics, sports, entertainment, art, history, nature, travel, lifestyle, and stock. Includes commissioned photography, research, and image-editing services.
• dpa-Rufa Audio/Video Production Production of journalistic audio and video formats for broadcast, TV stations, and online portals, leveraging the Berlin Newsroom's video and podcast studios and a correspondent network.
• news aktuell PR & Story Distribution
• dpa-AFX Real-time Financial News Real-time financial and business news in German and English, distributed to banks, financial service providers, and media companies via internet, intranets, and terminal solutions through partners including Bloomberg and Teletrader.
• AWP Financial & Economic News (Switzerland/Liechtenstein) Leading financial and economic news agency for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, serving the financial industry, media, and companies with news about global economic developments and the Swiss financial market.
• Modulares Warnsystem (MoWaS) Secure communication technology developed and operated by mecom for the Federal Republic of Germany that enables Bund, Länder, districts, and municipalities to send official warning messages via media, warning apps, and many other channels during disasters and critical events.
• Alliance News International Financial News International news agency based in London delivering real-time financial news, comprehensive company reports, and market analyses in English to banks, asset managers, and stock portals, with a focus on UK, Italian, and South African markets.
• dpa-IT Technical Solutions & Services Technical solutions for content acquisition, processing, and distribution, including project management, software development, infrastructure deployment, operations, desktop support, helpdesk, and security, delivered to the dpa group and external clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leading position in German-language financial and media portals on the internet through dpa-AFX

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alliance NewscoreOthersdpa holds an 11% stake in Alliance News, an internationally oriented news agency focused on financial and business topics. Based in London, Alliance News supplies banks, asset managers, and financial portals with current news, comprehensive company reports, and market analyses. This investment provides international networking in economic and corporate reporting.
• BloombergcoreTechnology or IntegrationBloomberg Terminal and platforms distribute dpa-AFX real-time financial and business news in German and English, reaching global financial professionals.
• TeletradercoreTechnology or IntegrationTeletrader platform distributes dpa-AFX financial news content to banks, financial service providers, and financial media customers.
• 300+ Partner Agencies (Picture Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 300 partner agencies supply content to dpa Picture-Alliance, making it one of Germany's leading image agencies with access to 130+ million images, graphics, and illustrations covering news, politics, sports, entertainment, art, history, nature, travel, lifestyle, and stock photography.
• Hamburg Authority for Culture and MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner#UseTheNews was initiated by dpa and the Hamburg Authority for Culture and Media. The nonprofit organization (UseTheNews gGmbH) researches and promotes news literacy among young people, supported by a board of prominent personalities from media and politics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Reuters (Thomson Reuters): Global news wire service and financial data provider serving media, financial, and corporate customers with text, video, and data feeds. Directly comparable to dpa's wire, financial news, and multimedia operations, though at materially larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Associated Press (AP): U.S.-headquartered cooperative news agency serving global media, broadcasting, and financial customers with text, photo, video, and data. AP's cooperative ownership model and member-publisher structure closely mirror dpa's operating approach.
• Agence France-Presse (AFP): Paris-based global news wire serving media and government customers across text, photo, video, and fact-checking services. AFP's fact-checking network and multinational cooperative structure make it the closest international analogue to dpa's business mix.
• Press Association (PA Media): UK national news agency providing wire services, data, and multimedia content to British and international media. Comparable in scale and product mix to dpa, with similar dependence on regional media-house customers.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg News: Global financial news and data provider that also distributes dpa-AFX content. While broader in scope, Bloomberg's newswire, data terminal, and multimedia operations overlap significantly with dpa-AFX and dpa-Rufa's financial and business reporting.
• Getty Images: Global commercial image library and visual content marketplace serving media and advertising customers. Directly comparable to dpa Picture-Alliance on stock photography, editorial imagery, and partner-agency aggregation.
• Shutterstock: Large-scale stock image and video marketplace with global distribution. Comparable to Picture Alliance on stock and editorial visual content licensing, though more consumer/creative-customer oriented.
• PR Newswire (Cision): Global press release distribution and earned-media intelligence platform serving PR professionals. Direct overlap with news aktuell on PR distribution, media targeting, and corporate communications workflows.

Emerging players

• Storyful (News Corp): Social media newsgathering and verification agency focused on user-generated content curation and fact-checking. Comparable to dpa-Faktencheck and dpa-infocom on verification services for newsrooms.

Regional players

• European Broadcasting Union (EBU / Eurovision): European public-service broadcaster alliance exchanging news, sports, and multimedia content across member organizations. Operates as a cooperative content and services marketplace similar in spirit to dpa's news aktuell and Picture Alliance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dpa-infocom-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries10 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 DRIVE