Medien Union

Medien Union, based in Ludwigshafen, is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the country. It publishes several regional newspapers, specialised media and holds stakes in radio stations and digital companies. These include Rheinpfalz, Freie Presse and stakes in Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Stuttgarter Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Medien Union was founded in 1947 under the name "Rheinpfalz" Verlag und Druckerei-Gesellschaft mbH as the publisher of the Rheinpfalz newspaper. Five founders, above all Josef Schaub, built up the publishing house in the post-war period and the third generation still holds shares in it today. The managing director and majority shareholder is Thomas Schaub, Josef Schaub's grandson.
Im Sommer 2025 wurde die Südwestdeutsche Medienholding (SWMH) aufgespalten: Die Neue Pressegesellschaft Ulm (NPG) übernimmt die Medienholding Süd mit bedeutenden Regionalzeitungen wie der „Stuttgarter Zeitung“, während die Medien Union Ludwigshafen die Fachinformationssparte des Süddeutschen Verlags erhält. Das Bundeskartellamt genehmigte den Deal trotz wettbewerblicher Bedenken, wodurch sich die Konzentration in der baden-württembergischen Medienlandschaft deutlich verschärft. Die SWMH selbst schrumpft dadurch erheblich und behält überwiegend nur die „Süddeutsche Zeitung“ und wenige Regionaltitel in Bayern und Thüringen.
Key Facts
| Business Form | Commercial / For-profit |
|---|---|
| Legal Form | Limited liability company (GmbH) |
| Business Sectors | e-commerce; recruiting services; SaaS services; |
Ownership
| Individual Owner | |
|---|---|
| Group / Individual Owner |
|
Media Outlets
Other Media Outlets
| Other TV Outlets |
|
|---|---|
| Other Radio Outlets |
|
| Other Online Outlets |
|
| Other Print Outlets |
|
Facts
| Other Media Businesses | Specialist Publishing & E-Commerce
|
|---|---|
| Other Domestic Businesses | Job Exchange
|
| Other International Businesses | Information portal
|
| Founding Year | 1947 |
|---|---|
| Founder |
|
| Employees | 3,550 |
| Contact | Amtsstraße 5-11 67059 Ludwigshafen am Rhein Germany info@medien-union.de 0621 5902 461 https://www.medien-union.de/ |
| Tax / ID Number | Missing Data |
| Revenue | € 661 Million / USD 694 Million (2022) |
|---|---|
| Operating Profit | € 36.3 Million / USD 54.5 Million (2022) |
| Advertising (in % of total funding) | € 105 Million / USD 110 Million (2022) |
| Executive Board |
|
|---|
| Headlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| Data Publicly Available | ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc. | |
| Meta Data | Dollar exchange rate 2022 of 1.05 $ for 1 € (2022) used for conversion The advertising revenues are stated in the consolidated financial statements as ‘printing and advertising revenues’. It remains unclear which revenues are summarised in this item. Despite a legal obligation, no VAT registration number is given on the Medien Union website. | |
| Sources |
| |
| Documents (PDF) |



