Bauer Media Group Acquires Eisbach Media

Bauer Media Group has agreed to acquire Eisbach Media from Goldbach Group, according to invidis. The deal is subject to regulatory approval, and neither party has disclosed details or how Eisbach Media will be integrated into Bauer. Until closing, both companies will continue to operate independently. The announcement said the acquisition brings a new player with a strong European presence into the German DooH market.

Eisbach Media is the former DooH division of Goldbach Germany. Claudia Zayer, managing director of Eisbach Media, said the company had established itself in Germany over the past year and a half and built strong relationships with clients and agencies. She called the acquisition “a great recognition of our team’s achievements” that creates “a strong foundation for the further development of our business.”

Christoph Marty, chief executive of the Goldbach Group, said Bauer Media is “a long-term-oriented owner who can further develop Eisbach Media’s business.” He said he was convinced Zayer and her team would continue on a successful path and thanked her for groundwork laid over the past few years.

With the acquisition, Bauer gains extensive German DooH expertise and the marketing mandate for approximately 1,500 DooH screens in Germany, including premium inventory in shopping centers, the Uber Platz in Berlin, and DCLPs at charging stations. According to invidis, Bauer has not been in the digital-out-of-home business for very long but has a significant European presence thanks to its acquisition of Clear Channel’s UK and Northern European operations, which includes more than 15,000 displays; Bauer has also covered the infrastructure side with its acquisition of Amscreen.

For Goldbach, the sale is another step in its overall strategy. Its parent, TX Group, intends to focus entirely on the Swiss market, and the earlier split of Goldbach Germany into Goldvertise and Eisbach Media signaled an intention to sell, according to the announcement. The announcement cited recent publisher interest in out-of-home advertising, including NZZ’s stake in Swiss APG|SGA and Framen’s integration into the Springer Group. In the UK, Bauer has already tested integrating its publishing and radio businesses with its DooH division; the company has now gained a foothold in Germany, which the announcement described as the key market in Europe.