Axel Springer

One of Europe's largest digital media companies and a major premium publisher in global programmatic and direct advertising markets

Axel Springer SE is one of Europe's largest and most influential digital publishing and media companies, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1946 by Axel Springer, the company has undergone a significant digital transformation over the past two decades, divesting traditional print assets and aggressively acquiring digital media brands. Its portfolio includes globally recognized properties such as Business Insider, Politico, Morning Brew, and major European outlets including BILD, Die Welt, and Fakt, collectively reaching hundreds of millions of users monthly and generating substantial programmatic and direct-sold advertising revenue. In the AdTech ecosystem, Axel Springer operates as both a major publisher and a strategic investor. The company runs its own advertising technology infrastructure and has invested in or acquired numerous AdTech and MarTech companies through its venture and M&A arms, including stakes in companies across data, programmatic, and audience monetization. Its digital properties represent premium inventory for brand advertisers, and the company has developed first-party data capabilities to navigate the post-cookie landscape, leveraging logged-in user bases across its subscription and registration-walled content. Axel Springer went private in 2020 following a takeover bid by KKR, which acquired a majority stake, though the Springer family and CEO Mathias Döpfner retained significant ownership. The company's scale across both U.S. and European markets makes it a unique cross-Atlantic media and advertising platform, with particular strength in news, business, and political content verticals that attract premium CPMs from advertisers seeking brand-safe, high-intent audiences.