Tamedia acquires stake in Austrian commuter newspaper Heute
The Swiss media group Tamedia acquires a 25.5 percent stake in the Austrian commuter newspaper Heute and a 51 percent majority stake in the digital company Heute.at.
Tamedia acquires a minority stake in the Austrian commuter newspaper Heute and a majority stake in Heute.at. Tamedia is the leading private media company in Switzerland. In addition to numerous publications and successful companies in the digital sector, Tamedia publishes 20 Minuten, the largest commuter newspaper in Switzerland. With the extremely successful digital offering of 20 Minuten (3.1 million unique users and 6.4 million unique clients per month, NET-Metrix-Profile 2015-2, NET-Metrix-Audit May 2016) and the 20 Minuten app launched in 2015, Tamedia has set new standards in the German-language news sector.
Tonini: "We believe in the future of digital journalism"
Tamedia will primarily contribute technological know-how and content to the future collaboration. The digital offerings of heute.at are to be significantly expanded. With 4.1 million unique clients (ÖWA Basic April 2016), the umbrella offering of heute.at, together with Netdoktor.at, is already one of the online offerings with the widest reach in the country. The management of Heute Verlag will continue to be led by Eva Dichand and Wolfgang Jansky.
"Heute and Heute.at are an excellent fit with our commuter media in Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark," says Christoph Tonini, CEO of Tamedia. "We believe in the future of digital journalism and see further potential for the offerings in Austria. In addition to the readers of the newspaper, the users of Heute.at in particular will benefit from the partnership."
"Tamedia is an ideal partner to continue the success story of Heute," says publisher Eva Dichand. "Heute and Heute.at will thus become part of a wide-reaching network of free newspapers, with all the advantages of an exchange of content, know-how and technology."
Founded in 2004, the free newspaper Heute has an average print run of 644,713 copies (Austrian Circulation Control ÖAK) and reaches around 938,000 readers every day (MA 2015 Presse). The newspaper is distributed via around 3,500 distribution boxes in the federal states of Burgenland, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Vienna.
Tamedia acquires 25.5 percent of the shares in Ultimate Media GmbH (AHVV Verlags GmbH), which continues to publish the free newspaper Heute. The majority of Heute Verlag will remain with the Periodika and Pluto foundations, which together hold 74.5 percent. Eva Dichand and Wolfgang Jansky will continue to manage them jointly. At the same time, Tamedia is taking over 51 percent of the GmbH DJ Digitale Medien, which comprises all digital offerings of heute.at. Eva Dichand and Wolfgang Jansky will each hold 24.5 percent of the shares.
The transaction is expected to be completed towards the end of the third quarter of 2016, following approval by the Federal Competition Authority. The parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the transaction.
