Axel Springer Acquires Media Company Bisnow
German media giant Axel Springer has acquired Bisnow, a major commercial real estate media and events business. The deal, backed by private equity firm The Wicks Group, marks a significant consolidation in the B2B media landscape.
This acquisition places Bisnow within a newly formed Brew Media Group at Axel Springer, alongside the business newsletter Morning Brew. Robert Dippell, who previously served as Bisnow's Chief Revenue Officer and is the current CEO of Morning Brew Inc., will lead the new group. Bisnow's current CEO, Gregg Mayer, and its executive team will remain with the company. The deal represents a strategic push by Axel Springer to build a major digital news media powerhouse, particularly in the United States. This follows a significant corporate restructuring in which the German company, in partnership with private equity firm KKR, is separating its media assets—like *Politico* and *Business Insider*—from its more profitable digital classifieds business. The Wicks Group, a private equity firm focused on media and information companies, originally acquired Bisnow in May 2016. Since its founding in 2005, Bisnow has grown into a leading B2B platform in the commercial real estate sector, now reaching over 11 million readers and hosting more than 350 events annually across 47 markets in North America and Europe. The company's estimated annual revenue is $54.3 million. Axel Springer's CEO Mathias Döpfner has outlined a strategy focused on "digital first, digital only" acquisitions and the use of AI to transform content. The company aims to move away from a model dependent on clicks and advertising toward building direct, long-term relationships with users. The addition of Bisnow's extensive events business and niche B2B audience aligns with this goal of creating deeper user engagement.
