<\/p>\n
Axel Springer is aiming to double its value within five years, with a bold plan built around artificial intelligence, platform independence and clearly stated political values.<\/p>\n
The ambition was laid out by CEO Mathias D\u00f6pfner at the company\u2019s first major strategy meeting since its transformation back into a private media business. More than 100 top executives gathered in Berlin to hear how Springer plans to position itself as the leading provider of AI-powered journalism in what D\u00f6pfner called \u201cthe free world\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cJournalism remains our core, but it\u2019s evolving,\u201d said D\u00f6pfner. \u201cThe business model of maximising clicks and advertising is over. We must focus on deep and long-term relationships with our users.\u201d That means prioritising direct access to audiences over reliance on third-party platforms such as Google and Facebook. \u201cDependence on search and social is a weakness. Owning the audience is a strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Springer, whose media assets include Bild, Welt, Business Insider and Politico, wants to use AI to transform how content is created and consumed\u2014seamlessly moving between text, audio and video. But D\u00f6pfner was clear that AI would not replace human journalists. \u201cIt\u2019s not either or. It\u2019s both. Who combines the best of both intelligences in the most complementary way will win,\u201d he said. \u201cDigital is the new print. AI is the new digital.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second pillar of the company\u2019s strategy focuses on its fast-growing e-commerce and media marketing businesses, Bonial, Idealo and Awin. D\u00f6pfner called these operations Springer\u2019s \u201ceconomic backbone\u201d and said they offered major growth opportunities. \u201cThe best for these e-commerce-driven media companies is yet to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also set out plans to establish a third strategic pillar, what he called a \u201chigh-margin, hyper-growth business\u201d outside journalism and marketing. It will be based on the company\u2019s core strengths \u2013\u00a0content, subscription, advertising, mass reach and technology \u2013\u00a0and echo its earlier investment in digital classifieds. \u201cWe have to find new gold,\u201d said D\u00f6pfner.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that trust in journalism had been damaged and said rebuilding it was an essential part of Springer\u2019s future. \u201cWe live in an age of permanent uncertainty. Where doubt is the default. And the deepest human need \u2013 more than speed, more than convenience, more than anything else \u2013\u00a0is trust,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To that end, Springer has reaffirmed its commitment to its core values, now sharpened with a more international outlook. These include support for democracy, free speech, a free market economy, the rule of law, the transatlantic alliance and the right of Israel to exist. The company also explicitly opposes antisemitism, extremism and all forms of discrimination.<\/p>\n
D\u00f6pfner said that stating these beliefs did not compromise journalistic independence. \u201cIt\u2019s transparent and honest and it creates trust if you disclose your fundamental core values,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Axel Springer is aiming to double its value within five years, with a bold plan built around artificial intelligence, platform independence and clearly stated political values. The ambition was laid out by CEO Mathias D\u00f6pfner at the company\u2019s first major strategy meeting since its transformation back into a private media business. More than 100 top<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-publishing-news"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4573"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4575,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions\/4575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.hbmadvisory.com\/amplify\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}