B.Z.
B.Z. is Berlin's highest-circulation local boulevard newspaper. Formerly titled "Berliner Zeitung," it is now distributed exclusively as B.Z. to distinguish itself from the former East German publication still bearing the "Berliner Zeitung" name. With a circulation of 70,600 sold copies, B.Z. reaches approximately 204,000 readers daily. The newspaper has experienced a circulation decline of approximately 43% compared to 2013, representing one of the largest circulation losses among German daily newspapers over this period.
B.Z. is published by B.Z. Ullstein GmbH, a subsidiary of Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH, which operates as the German subsidiary of Axel Springer SE. B.Z. has been fully owned by the Springer Group since the initial partial acquisition of Ullstein Verlag in the 1950s.
Since July 2013, the editorial operations of B.Z. and the Berlin edition of BILD, another Axel Springer boulevard publication, have been merged. B.Z. covers sports, celebrity news, and politics with a strong local focus on Berlin and Brandenburg. From the 1970s and 1980s onwards, the publication was transformed into a boulevard daily newspaper following Anglo-Saxon models. The newspaper reflects the editorial positioning of the Springer Group.
Key Facts
| Audience Share | 52.3% |
|---|---|
| Ownership Type | Private |
| Geographic Coverage | Local |
| Content Type | Paid |
| Data Publicly Available | ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc. |
Ownership
| Ownership Structure | B.Z. is published by B.Z. Ullstein GmbH, which developed from the historical Ullstein Verlag. In 2003, Ullstein Verlag was split into two operations: B.Z. Ullstein GmbH (newspaper) and Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH (book publishing). The book publishing business was sold to Bertelsmann/Random House and Bonnier Verlag. B.Z. Ullstein GmbH remains a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE. |
|---|---|
| Voting Rights | Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH is listed as the 100% owner of B.Z. Ullstein GmbH. Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH is itself a 100% subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, which thus maintains complete control over B.Z. Axel Springer SE is primarily led by Mathias Döpfner. Since 2020, Döpfner has been positioned as Friede Springer's successor. During the 2025 restructuring, conducted with involvement of US investment firm KKR, Döpfner purchased 4.1% of shares from the Friede Springer Foundation and received an additional 15% as a gift from Friede Springer. Friede Springer also transferred voting rights of her remaining share package to Döpfner. Consequently, Döpfner effectively controls approximately 95% of company shares and nearly complete voting rights within Axel Springer SE. Remaining voting rights are held by Axel Sven Springer and the Friede Springer Foundation, which is managed by Friede Springer. |
| Individual Owner |
Media Companies / Groups
Facts
| Revenue | Missing Data |
|---|---|
| Operating Profit | Missing Data |
| Advertising (in % of total funding) | Missing Data |
| Market Share | Missing Data |