Ringier acquires Axel Springer shares in Eastern Europe
Ringier completed the acquisition of Axel Springer shares in Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and the Baltic States, which was communicated on July 28, 2021, following approval by the national antitrust authorities.
With this transaction, Ringier is further advancing its international growth and investment strategy in the area of digital marketplaces and media brands. This makes the Ringier Group a leader in media and digital marketplaces in nine Central and Eastern European countries.
The umbrella companies in Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia will now operate under the Ringier brand. The around 90 local media titles (print and online) and the 20 or so digital marketplaces, each of which are among the market leaders in their segments, will retain their existing brand presences.
The Media business unit is broadly positioned in Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, with newspapers, magazines, and news platforms. The Hungarian newspaper Blikk further extended its leading position in the tabloid segment. In December 2021, the online version Blikk.hu Number one in terms of reach among Hungarian news sites. In Serbia Blic In January, Blic.rs had 3 million users - according to Gemius - and an Internet reach of 77.4 %. In Slovakia, on the other hand, the news platform Aktuality.sk leading with over 3 million users.
With profession.hu in Hungary and CV Keskus in the Baltic States, Ringier operates the leading digital job platforms in the respective countries. In Slovakia, the digital marketplaces Nehnutelnosti.sk for real estate and Autobazar.EU for cars, which operate under the umbrella of United Classifieds, are market leaders in their categories. In Serbia, Nekretnine.rs, a well-established platform for real estate, is now also part of Ringier's expanded digital marketplace portfolio. In addition, there are other high-growth platforms whose products and services will be expanded and scaled in the coming years.
In the Polish market, Axel Springer and Ringier will remain active together as joint venture partners and will continue to drive forward the strong revenue and EBITDA portfolio with media brands and digital marketplaces.
