Axel Springer increases profit strongly and raises revenue forecast

Between July and September, the operating result rose by almost a third to 129 million euros within a year. Net income adjusted for special effects rose by 30 percent to 62 million euros. The publisher of Bild and Welt confirmed its profit growth forecast for the year as a whole and slightly increased its sales target. "Our priority this year is growth," said Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner. He sees great potential in the classified ads on the Internet, such as car, job and real estate portals. The journalistic brands in Europe and increasingly also in the English-speaking world also have potential, said Döpfner.

Axel Springer is increasingly targeting the Anglo-American market and recently acquired the US business and news portal Business Insider. In a presentation on the quarterly figures, it was stated that the Group has sufficient financial leeway for further investments in the digital business. The media group is increasingly shifting its business to the internet and abroad. In the first nine months, the digital business contributed more than 60 percent to sales and a good 70 percent to profits. The share of sales generated on international markets rose to just under 48% of total revenue.

Bild.de: Adblock blocker successful

Since mid-October, Bild.de has blocked its website for users of adblockers (Werbewoche.ch reported). As Döpfner says New-Business.com explained at the press conference on Wednesday, the initiative has already proven to be a success after just two weeks: Two million unique users had switched off their adblocker since the start of the anti-adblocker campaign. Although the absolute reach of Bild.de has fallen slightly as a result of the anti-adblocker campaign, the marketable reach has increased by three million visits per month, according to Döpfner. However, only a few users had chosen the new subscription offer "Bild Smart" for 2.99 euros per month as an alternative. (hae/SDA)