Private company

Bertelsmann

German media conglomerate

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Bertelsmann (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁtl̩sˌman] ), is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.2 From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 16, 2026.

Overview

Jul 1, 1835Founded1
  • Industryeducational system, media industry, service1
  • HeadquartersGütersloh1
  • Founded inGütersloh1
  • Websitewww.bertelsmann.com
  • Legal formKommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Aktiengesellschaft1

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The story

Founded by Carl Bertelsmann on Jul 1, 1835, in Gütersloh.1

Leadership

Who has led Bertelsmann, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. Thomas Rabe2012–now

Chief financial officer

  1. Thomas Rabe2006–2012
197019801990200020102020

Products and brands

  • publishing

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

  • Bertelsmann Stiftung

Subsidiaries

  • 2 Entertain
  • Alliant University
  • Archivio Storico Ricordi
  • Arvato
  • BMG Ariola S.p.A.
  • BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Limited
  • BMG Music Taiwan Inc.
  • BMG Music, Inc.
  • BMG Records (UK) Limited
  • BMG Records, GmbH
  • BMG Ricordi S.p.A.
  • BMG Rights Management
  • BMG UK & Ireland Limited
  • Barrie & Jenkins
  • Bertelsmann Music Group
  • Bertelsmann Music Group Limited
  • Direct Group
  • Eurodisc Music Group Limited
  • Hutchinson
  • McClelland & Stewart
  • Penguin Random House
  • RTL Group
  • Titan Publishing Group
  • Gruner + Jahr since 1976

Divisions

  • Arvato since 2016
  • BMG Rights Management since 2016
  • Gruner + Jahr since 2016
  • Penguin Random House since 2016
  • RTL Group since 2016

Also owns

  • Majorel 50%
  • BMG Music Publishing
  • Boundless productions
  • Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft
  • Elefanten-Press-Verlag
  • Fremantle
  • Haus des Berliner Verlages
  • KSD
  • Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe
  • Random House
  • Stern
  • Talkback
  • Talkback Thames
  • Thames

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Jul 1, 2013Acquired Penguin Random House1
  2. Oct 2008Acquired BMG Rights Management1
  3. Apr 8, 2002BMG UK & Ireland Limited became a subsidiary1
  4. Aug 6, 1996BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Limited became a subsidiary1
  5. Apr 1, 1987BMG Records (UK) Limited became a subsidiary1
  6. Dec 31, 1980Eurodisc Music Group Limited became a subsidiary1
  7. Jan 4, 1980Bertelsmann Music Group Limited became a subsidiary1
  8. 1979Acquired Arista Records, Inc.1
  9. 1976Acquired Gruner + Jahr1

Employees over time

Bertelsmann employees by year1164.7K in 2022+47% since 2013
050.0K100.0K150.0K200.0K2013: 111.8K111.8K20132014: 111.8K111.8K2014+0%2015: 117.2K117.2K2015+5%2016: 116.4K116.4K2016−1%2017: 119.1K119.1K2017+2%2018: 117.2K117.2K2018−2%2019: 126.4K126.4K2019+8%2020: 132.8K132.8K2020+5%2021: 145.0K145.0K2021+9%2022: 164.7K164.7K2022+14%
  • 2022164,6911
  • 2021145,0271
  • 2020132,8421
  • 2019126,4471
  • 2018117,2201
  • 2017119,0891
  • 2016116,4341
  • 2015117,2491

Revenue over time

As stated on Wikidata, in the currency reported.

Revenue

Bertelsmann revenue by year120.2B EUR in 2022+25% since 2013
010.0B EUR20.0B EUR30.0B EUR2013: 16.2B EUR16.2B EUR20132014: 16.7B EUR16.7B EUR2014+3%2015: 17.1B EUR17.1B EUR2015+3%2016: 16.9B EUR16.9B EUR2016−1%2017: 17.2B EUR17.2B EUR2017+1%2018: 17.7B EUR17.7B EUR2018+3%2019: 18.0B EUR18.0B EUR2019+2%2020: 17.3B EUR17.3B EUR2020−4%2021: 18.7B EUR18.7B EUR2021+8%2022: 20.2B EUR20.2B EUR2022+8%
  • 202220.2B EUR1
  • 202118.7B EUR1
  • 202017.3B EUR1
  • 201918.0B EUR1
  • 201817.7B EUR1
  • 201717.2B EUR1

Timeline

  1. 2012New chief executive Thomas Rabe becomes CEO1
  2. Jul 1, 1835Founded Founded in Gütersloh1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2