Whip’m

26 March 2013 By Olaf Storbeck

The success of the “50 Shades” erotic trilogy boosted Bertelsmann’s 2012 profit. Yet the media giant’s successful book publisher hides structural weaknesses. Many of the company’s markets are shrinking, and repeated attempts to adjust to the digital age haven’t been convincing.

This content is for Subscribers only

Context News

Bertelsmann, Europe’s largest media company, said it expected sales to continue to grow in 2013 but warned that its operating profit would remain flat or even decline slightly.
The company increased revenue by 4.5 percent to 16.1 billion euros in 2012. Earnings before interest and taxes decreased by 1.1 percent to 1.735 billion euros.
Revenue at Random House, Bertelsmann’s book publisher, rose by 22.5 percent to 2.1 billion euros while operating EBIT increased 76 percent to 325 million euros. The main driver was the global bestseller “50 Shades of Grey”. Bertelsmann sold more than 70 million copies of the erotic trilogy in 2012.
The group reported a slight increase in net profit to 619 million euros in 2012, from 612 million euros the previous year.

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.

Required fields *