A big takeover in the media world. Axel Springer buys “The Telegraph”

The German company Axel Spinger announced on Friday that it has agreed to take over the British publishing house Telegraph Media Group (TMG) – publisher of “The Daily Telegraph” and its Sunday version “The Sunday Telegraph” – for GBP 575 million.

Axel Springer outbid the owners of the Daily Mail daily, The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which amounted to £500 million and until recently seemed to be close to finalization.

The president of the German publishing house, Mathias Doepfner, assured that the company intends to “preserve the special character and heritage” of the newspaper. “Over 20 years ago we tried to take over The Telegraph, but we failed. Now our dream is coming true. Being the owner of this institution of quality British journalism is a privilege and a duty,” he said.

The TMG Group was put up for sale in 2023 due to the debts of the previous owners, the Barclay family. Since then, there have been several proposals to purchase TMG, which ultimately did not materialize. In November 2025, the takeover of TMG by DMGT was agreed, but in February this year, the Minister of Culture, Lisa Nandy, asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate whether the transaction would have a negative impact on pluralism of views in the media.

Existing since 1855, “The Daily Telegraph” is the most important newspaper in Great Britain with a clearly conservative profile. Its Sunday version, The Sunday Telegraph, has been published since 1961.

Axel Springer is one of the largest media groups in Europe. He is the owner of, among others, German dailies “Die Welt” and “Bild”, portals Business Insider and Politico. He is also a co-owner of Ringier Axel Springer Poland, which owns the “Fakt” daily, the Polish edition of the “Newsweek” weekly and the Onet portal. (PAP)

bjn/ap/