Frank Gotthard

Frank Gotthardt is a German software entrepreneur who has amassed a fortune of several hundred million euros through the development and successful marketing of medical software by his company Compugroup. His fortune is estimated at at least 500 million euros (2024). In 2020, it was still 1.4 billion euros. He stepped down from Compugroup's operational business in 2020, but still holds the majority of shares in the group.
He is the financier and main shareholder of the new news portal nius.de, which is operated by VIUS SE & Co. KGaA and controlled by VIUS Management SE. Gotthardt is the main shareholder. Achtung, Reichelt! is part of VIUS SE & Co. KGaA and thus under Gotthardt's control. Gotthardt supported Reichelt very early on in setting up his alternative media outlet and rented office space to Rome Medien GmbH, which initially operated Achtung, Reichelt! As financier, supporter, and majority shareholder of VIUS, Gotthardt plays a central role in the development of the alternative, right-wing populist media portal, which also includes Achtung, Reichelt! He describes his efforts as “civic responsibility” and a necessary corrective to the socially left-wing canon of opinion.
Politically aligned with the conservative camp, Gotthardt's investment in Reichelt as a person, his format Achtung, Reichelt!, VIUS, and Nius is seen as an attempt to build a German version of a right-wing news channel modeled on Fox News. In 2023, VIUS was still operating at a loss of 13.8 million euros.
Gotthardt is no newcomer to the media business with VIUS: he operates the regional stations DRF 1, TV Mittelrhein, and Westerwald-Wied-TV. As a result of his investments in Nius and VIUS SE & Co. KGaA, Gotthardt's financial and personal involvement in these local stations has declined significantly, according to media reports.
In addition, Frank Gotthardt has become the main shareholder in exxpress.at with 77.33% through VIUS SE & Co. KGaA, a new right-wing Austrian news platform on which Julian Reichelt also publishes articles. Through his shares in VIUS SE & Co. KGaA, Frank Gotthardt holds a 67.3% stake in web eXXpress Medien Holding GmbH, which is behind the new right-wing portal exxpress.at.
Among other things, Gotthardt is honorary chairman of the Economic Council of the CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate and has also donated large sums to the CDU and the FDP. He is also the main shareholder of the Kölner Haie ice hockey team.