Axel Springer SE

Axel Springer SE (German pronunciation: [ˈaksl̩ ˈʃpʁɪŋɐ ɛsˈeː]) is a German multinational mass media company that specializes in both electronic publishing and print media. The company is organized as a societas Europaea (SE) publishing house and is one of the largest mass media publishers in the European Union, with numerous multimedia news brands, such as Bild, Die Welt, and Fakt.

The company generated total revenues of about €3.3 billion and an EBITDA of €559 million in the financial year 2015. Digital-media activities contribute more than 60% to its revenues and nearly 70% to its EBITDA. Axel Springer SE's activities are divided into three segments: paid models, marketing models, and classified ad models. Since 2020, it has been majority-owned by the US private-equity firm KKR. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, the company (including subsidiaries, joint ventures, and licensing) operates in more than 40 countries.

The company was started in 1946/1947 by journalist Axel Springer. Mathias Döpfner became its CEO in 2002. The Axel Springer company, the largest publishing house in Europe, controls the largest share of the German market for daily newspapers; 23.6%, largely because its flagship tabloid Bild is the highest-circulation newspaper in Europe with a daily readership exceeding 12 million. Upon its acquisition of Politico in 2021 and of Business Insider in 2015, Axel Springer SE extended a policy that all employees must support a free-market economy, a united Europe, and supporting Israel is a "duty".