Bertelsmann Reports Organic Growth of 14 percent In First Nine Months of 2021

Bertelsmann reports positive business performance and strong growth after the first nine months of FY 2021.

The international media, services, and education company increased its revenues by 9.2 percent year-on-year to €13.1 billion (previous year: €12.0 billion). The Group also improved its operating margin. Organic growth amounted to 14.2 percent year-on-year and 8.4 percent compared to the pre-Corona year 2019, with RTL Group, Penguin Random House, and Arvato’s services businesses, each making a particularly strong contribution.

Thomas Rabe, Chairman & CEO of Bertelsmann, said: “The months from January to September 2021 went very well for us. Besides achieving strong organic growth; we made important strategic progress. For example, the number of paying subscribers to RTL Group’s streaming services grew rapidly to 3.4 million. BMG acquired an extensive portfolio of rights from Tina Turner. Our services subsidiary Majorel managed a successful IPO, and Bertelsmann strengthened its position in the Brazilian education market by acquiring shares in the education company Afya.“

Highlights from the divisions:
RTL Group recorded 3.4 million paying subscribers for its streaming services (the paid offerings of RTL+ in Germany and Videoland in the Netherlands), an increase of 91 percent compared to the end of September 2020. Streaming revenues of RTL+ and Videoland increased by 31 percent compared to the same period last year.

Penguin Random House placed numerous new titles on the New York Times bestseller lists in the first nine months of 2021, including “The Hill We Climb” and “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman, “The President’s Daughter” by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, “Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead, and “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster” by Bill Gates.

Gruner + Jahr and RTL Deutschland announced in August that they will be merging to form a new national cross-media champion. The new company launches at the beginning of next year.

BMG continued with its successful repertoire strategy, signing global superstars including Bryan Adams, Santana, Soft Cell and Johnny Marr. In October, BMG announced the acquisition of an extensive portfolio of rights from Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Arvato again saw a very dynamic development, particularly in the e-commerce, IT/tech and healthcare sectors. Beyond this, the private placement of shares in the global customer experience company Majorel on Euronext Amsterdam was a success.
details at: https://www.bertelsmann.com/news-and-media/news/bertelsmann-reports-organic-growth-of-14-percent-in-first-nine-months-of-2021.jsp?atn=2862170&abp=2862170,2862222,

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