{
  "id": 3964511,
  "title": "Medien: „Wir stehen nicht auf der Bremse“ – Rabe stellte bei Bertelsmann weitere Zukäufe in Aussicht",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/medien-wir-stehen-nicht-auf-der-bremse-rabe-stellte-bei-bertelsmann",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-28T12:36:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/it-medien/medien-rabe-uebergibt-bertelsmann-mit-wachstum-und-plaenen-fuer-zukaeufe/100249224.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe anticipates further acquisitions ahead of stepping down at the end of the year, as the company continues to thrive. The Gütersloher media, education, and services group reported more than 5% organically driven revenue growth in the first half year, the highest expansion in two decades. Rabe will be succeeded by Thomas Coesfeld, who becomes the first family member to hold the executive position in over 40 years.\n\nThe acquisition of Sky Deutschland by RTL and the merger of music companies BMG and Concord collectively boost Bertelsmann's projected 2026 revenue to nearly 22 billion euros from 19 billion euros. Both deals have already received approval from regulatory authorities, reinforcing Bertelsmann's sales forecast. Upon the completion of the Sky acquisition in June, Bertelsmann anticipates strong revenue growth and a significant positive operational profit in 2026.\n\nIn terms of investments, Rabe outlines a plan to allocate around ten billion euros over the next five years, with nine point seven billion already spent. This includes funds for the Concord deal, which is not yet included in the figure. The Sky deal has significantly strengthened RTL's position in the German media market, as Rabe has consistently stated the importance of either expanding or selling in the television sector.\n\nLooking ahead to 2026, Bertelsmann expects robust revenue growth and a notable positive operational profit, with Rabe expressing confidence in the company's long-term success. Coesfeld will collaborate closely with Rabe as the new CEO, aiming to expand the company's footprint and improve competitiveness against global streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. The merger of BMG and Concord is expected to create synergies, with a potential workforce reduction of a mid-sized three-digit number of jobs.",
  "summary": "Mit Sky Deutschland und Concord setzt Bertelsmann auf Größe im Medien- und Musikgeschäft. Zugleich bereitet Thomas Rabe den Konzern auf den Führungswechsel 2027 vor.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}