Press Release | Gütersloh, 03/30/2021

First Purely Digital Annual Report Provides Outlook on ‘Bertelsmann_next’

• Interactive Annual Report 2020 now online
• Highlights from the divisions and digital bonus content illustrate strategic priorities

The Annual Report 2020 of Bertelsmann, the international media, services, and education company, is being published exclusively in digital form for the first time and is now available online. The focus is on the company’s strategic priorities, which have been further developed to ensure accelerated growth in the years ahead. Under the leitmotif “Bertelsmann_next,” the Annual Report provides an outlook on goals such as the establishment and expansion of national media champions and the expansion of Bertelsmann’s global content businesses and global services. Interested parties can expect a wide range of digital bonus content, from videos and podcasts to reading samples and links that provide an entertaining and informative insight into the successes and plans of Bertelsmann’s businesses.

Karin Schlautmann, Head of Bertelsmann Corporate Communications, emphasized: “Bertelsmann has achieved many ambitious goals in recent years; now the company is setting new accents to ensure its continued success in the future. Bertelsmann never stands still, and that is exactly what the dynamic design of our annual report clearly conveys. Publishing our report purely digitally for the first time also reflects the rapidly advancing transformation to digital at Bertelsmann, and the increasing shift of media consumption to the digital world.”

Animated “Fast Forward” icons form the key graphic element of the 2020 Annual Report. The double arrows move steadily forward on the screen, in a fresh look with a bright, modern color scheme. They symbolize movement and the future.

The Annual Report consists of two separate sections: While the financial section provides transparent and detailed information about the figures for the past fiscal year, the image section presents highlights from Bertelsmann’s eight divisions along the strategic priorities. The stories highlight, for example, the global success of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, the record ratings scored by many RTL channels during the Corona pandemic, the audio boom at Gruner + Jahr, and the chart successes of BMG’s artists and songwriters. They also discuss the high global demand for Arvato’s services, environmentally friendly innovations at BPG, the significantly increased demand for online training in the healthcare sector at Bertelsmann Education Group, and the participation of Bertelsmann’s various funds in “unicorns” – start-ups with a valuation in the nine-digit range.

The interactive Annual Report is available at https://ar2020.bertelsmann.com  . It includes a video trailer on Bertelsmann’s new strategic growth priorities, which can also be found on the Group’s website and social media channels.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has around 130,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.3 billion in the 2020 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. In 2021, Bertelsmann commemorates the 100th birthday of Reinhard Mohn, the Group's late post-war founder and longtime Chairman and CEO.