Brandtree

Bertelsmann: brands it owns and its ownership tree

Bertelsmann is a family-owned company headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany that owns 4 consumer brands.[1]

Bertelsmann began as a religious publisher in Westphalia in 1835 and is now among the largest media companies in Europe, controlled by a foundation and the founding Mohn family. It owns the largest English-language book publisher in the world and Europe's biggest commercial broadcaster.

Company facts

Legal name
Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
Type
family-owned company · see all family-owned company owners
Headquarters
🇩🇪 Gütersloh, Germany
Founded
1835
Wikidata
Q152051
Website
www.bertelsmann.com
Last verified
· 1 sources

Bertelsmann in numbers

Everything Bertelsmann owns

Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.

Everything Bertelsmann owns Tree of 4 brands under Bertelsmann. Bertelsmann BMG Penguin Books Penguin Random House RTL

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Brand portfolio by category

Full portfolio, 4 brands, with sources →

Latest news about Bertelsmann

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Frequently asked questions

What brands does Bertelsmann own?

Bertelsmann owns 4 consumer brands tracked here, including Penguin Books, RTL, BMG and Penguin Random House.

Is Bertelsmann a German company?

Yes. Bertelsmann is headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany and was founded in 1835.

Who owns Bertelsmann?

Bertelsmann is privately held. Bertelsmann began as a religious publisher in Westphalia in 1835 and is now among the largest media companies in Europe, controlled by a foundation and the founding Mohn family.

Sources (1) & corrections

Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

  1. [1] Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Annual Report 2025 — Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Annual report, published 31 March 2026; retrieved 8 September 2026.

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