Axel Springer vs NOZ/mh:n MEDIEN

POLITICO und WELT starten gemeinsamen Politik-Podcast „Inside links“

POLITICO Deutschland and WELT have announced the launch of a joint political podcast titled 'Inside links', premiering on November 5, 2026. Hosted alternately by political reporters Philippa Vögeding and Gerrit Seebald, the approximately 45-minute show focuses on the red-green-red coalition talks in Berlin and broader left-wing political alliances in Germany. The format will be available in both audio and video formats across major podcast platforms, welt.de, politico.eu, and YouTube as part of Axel Springer's PREMIUM-GRUPPE cross-brand reporting expansion.

• The podcast 'Inside links' officially launches on November 5, 2026, across welt.de, politico.eu, YouTube, and major podcast platforms.
• Episodes run for approximately 45 minutes and are hosted alternately by political reporters Philippa Vögeding and Gerrit Seebald.
• The editorial team includes party and investigative reporters from both outlets, including Lars Petersen, head of the investigative team.

Robin Capital Raises €15M Second Fund

Berlin-based solo GP venture capital firm Robin Capital, founded by Robin Haak, has raised a second €15 million fund (Fund II). Following its first €15 million fund, Fund II will continue to back European pre-seed and seed-stage startups in enterprise AI, proprietary data, robotics, and space technology. Robin Capital typically invests between €100,000 and €600,000, focusing on companies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The firm emphasizes founder support, leveraging Haak's experience as a founder and operator. Fund II's portfolio includes Ground A, Marble Imaging, and Helicity Space. Robin Capital plans to expand its platform, potentially adding growth-stage capital in the future.

• Robin Capital raised a second fund of €15 million.
• Fund II's portfolio includes Ground A, Marble Imaging, and Helicity Space.
• Robin Capital focuses on European pre-seed and seed-stage startups in enterprise AI, robotics, and space tech.

DWDL Publishes Overview of 173 German Publisher TikTok Accounts

DWDL.de has published a comprehensive overview of 173 German publisher accounts on TikTok with a journalistic news focus. The list, updated monthly by author Simon Pycha, includes accounts from major media houses such as Axel Springer, Funke Mediengruppe, RTL Deutschland, and public broadcasters like ARD and ZDF. Each entry provides the account name, the operating company, category, status, and the date the account was added to the analysis. The overview serves as a reference for tracking the presence and performance of German news media on the short-form video platform, reflecting the growing importance of TikTok as a distribution channel for journalistic content. The article itself does not contain rankings or performance metrics but is a static directory of the tracked accounts.

• DWDL.de published an overview of 173 TikTok accounts with journalistic news focus from German publishers.
• The list includes accounts from Axel Springer, Funke Mediengruppe, RTL Deutschland, and public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.
• The overview is updated monthly by author Simon Pycha.

Generationswechsel und neue Doppelspitze bei den Verlagen der NOZ/mh:n-Gruppe im nördlichen Niedersachsen

NOZ/mh:n-Gruppe has announced a leadership transition across its publishing locations in northern Lower Saxony effective November 1, 2026. Helmut Loerts-Sabin retired at age 70 from operational business at BruneMettcker in Wilhelmshaven, with Thorsten Schulze and Falk Lindemann stepping in as co-managing directors. The duo will bundle management responsibilities across sites in Norden, Weener, and Wilhelmshaven to leverage group-wide synergies and technological modernization.

• Helmut Loerts-Sabin retired from operational management at publisher BruneMettcker at age 70.
• Effective November 1, 2026, Thorsten Schulze and Falk Lindemann took over as co-managing directors at Medienhaus Brune Mettcker GmbH.
• Thorsten Schulze additionally joined management at H. Risius Verlag GmbH & Co. KG in Weener alongside Falk Lindemann.

NOZ/mh:n Cleared to Acquire Zeitungsgruppe Ostfriesland

The German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has approved the planned acquisition of the regional newspaper group Zeitungsgruppe Ostfriesland (ZGO) by the media group NOZ/mh:n from Osnabrück. This is part of NOZ/mh:n's strategy to strengthen its position in the German media market. The article is largely paywalled, with only the headline and lead paragraph available. The approval marks a significant consolidation in the regional newspaper sector, potentially affecting advertising markets in the Ostfriesland region.

NOZ/mh:n-Gruppe verdoppelt wöchentliche Digital-Abo-Bestellungen

By optimizing user guidance on its dynamic paywall, German regional publishing group NOZ/mh:n-Gruppe doubled its weekly digital subscription orders to around 600 within eight weeks. The growth was driven by doubling the click-through rate while maintaining a constant conversion rate through reduced paywall complexity and ad suppression. For the coming year, the publisher aims to increase Plus growth from 12% to 19% and nearly double paid content revenue over the next five years.

• Weekly digital subscription orders doubled to approximately 600 within an eight-week optimization period.
• Around 90% of all new subscriptions are generated via local editorial content, with 2,500 sales across 1,400 distinct articles in August alone.
• Paywall optimizations included shifting focus to an annual subscription, adjusting the first-month entry price to one euro, and suppressing all ads when the paywall is active.