Ströer launches watson.de in Germany

Ströer is expanding its digital news portfolio to include the new online portal and the watson.de app as of March 22. The new news portal addresses the mobile generation with news, stories and opinions on business, politics, entertainment, sport, digital and lifestyle.

The 25 heads strong editorial team around editor-in-chief Gesa Mayr and deputy editor-in-chief Anne-Kathrin Gerstlauer focuses on the three pillars of news, entertainment and debate, which are adapted to the habits of the digital-affine target group: Address, narration, presentation and, above all, the distribution channel via app and social are geared towards the mobile generation. The editorial staff is divided into the areas of news, features and debate, social and video. The editorial office is located in the Berlin Publishing Hub of Ströer. The team is also building its own network of columnists and influencers. In the beginning, watson cooperates with influencers from the management of 2nd Wave, who look after PietSmiet and LeFloid, for example. The formats created by the influencers are played on watson.de and the channels of the influencers.

Ströer has signed an agreement with the Swiss FixxPunkt AG, the operator of watson.ch, on the exclusive use of the trademark rights for Germany, the technology and the conceptual approach for the launch of watson.de in Germany.

"With watson.de we create a complete and independent news offer for the young target group in Germany. Watson.de is 100 percent mobile and social. The focus is on the app and the mobile website. watson.de is represented where our target group is on the road: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter will be at the start. We will gradually develop further channels", says Marc Schmitz, CEO Ströer Content Group.

"This is a huge opportunity, but also a whole piece of work. We'll try a lot of new things. We would like to do this together with our users, who have different needs at different times," says editor-in-chief Gesa Mayr at the start of her new editorial office.

With a three-stage launch campaign with the slogan "News without Bla Bla", Ströer draws attention to the new news offers in the area of public transport, which is increasingly frequented by the young target group, on posters and via public video. The company has also launched a major campaign on Facebook through its subsidiary Ströer Social Publishing, one of Germany's leading online social publishers. The native, target-group-oriented advertising media used have a high entertainment value and contribute to the publicity of watson.de. The aim is to transform social traffic into loyal users in the long term.

In addition to editorial operations, Ströer is also responsible for the marketing of watson.de and offers attractive and innovative forms of advertising from native ads via video ads and display ads, prepared for all devices - mobile, desktop and tablet.

www.watson.de

Disclaimer

This press release contains “forward looking statements” regarding Ströer SE & Co. KGaA (“Ströer”) or the Ströer Group, including opinions, estimates and projections regarding Ströer’s or the Ströer Group’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management and future operations. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ströer or the Ströer Group to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on numerous assumptions which may or may not prove to be correct. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Ströer with respect to the fairness, completeness, correctness, reasonableness or accuracy of any information and opinions contained herein. The information in this press release is subject to change without notice, it may be incomplete or condensed, and it may not contain all material information concerning Ströer or the Ströer Group. Ströer undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements or other information stated herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.