To those in “mature” markets such as Australia, Germany appears a print publisher’s protected paradise.
But the country’s post-print era is closer than many think, Sarah Cool-Fergus says in an analysis of the 2026 BDZV/Highberg Trends Survey.
The largest newspaper market in Europe and the fifth-largest in the world – with an audience of more than 44 million people daily across print and digital – is set for change, according to 94 publishing executives who responded to the survey.
“Around 60 per cent of publishers now expect the printed newspaper to disappear within the next 15 years,” she says.
And the idea of the digitally-funded newsroom is no longer theoretical: “Publishers NOZ/mh:n and Lensing Media already covered their full editorial costs through digital revenues in 2025.”
Some 68 per cent of publishers expect to reach this milestone within five years. In Germany, the digitally self-sustaining newsroom is moving from aspiration to benchmark.
Cool-Fergus – who is communication and events lead at Twipe, and may have therefore have a vested interest – says artificial intelligence is central to how publishers expect to achieve this. “While AI investments are currently increasing costs – for example in technology and editorial – they are viewed as the main efficiency lever for scaling operations without expanding overhead.
In the coming year, publishers estimate AI could reduce editorial costs by around 8.9 per cent, and administrative costs by about 9.3 per cent.
The survey also outlines how publishers expect subscription models to evolve. Currently, the mix is roughly 59 per cent print subscriptions, 22 per cent e-paper, and 19 per cent paid digital content. By 2030, e-paper subscriptions are projected to double to around 40 per cent while print falls to 35 per cent
“That shift would mark the first time digital subscriptions outnumber print,” she says.
The report positions the e-paper as the central bridge product, combining readers’ established willingness to pay for the newspaper with the scalability of digital distribution.
Despite the fact that the subscription crossover point with print may only be four years away, many still believe that print is set for a “soft landing” with about 59 per cent of publishers expecting to deliver their last printed newspaper within 15 years, and more than a third of those anticipating that point within the next decade.
Among opportunities identified for the coming year, 77 per cent of publishers identified growth in digital e-paper subscription revenues, putting it ahead of AI-driven cost optimisation (52 per cent) and growth in premium paid-content subscriptions (51 per cent).
Says Cool-Fergus, “The strategy is simple: keep print profitable for as long as possible while accelerating digital expansion.
“The subscription crossover point with print is now four years away. The digitally-funded newsroom already exists. The question for executives in other markets is not whether their readers would support something similar. It is whether their organisations have yet decided to find out.”
Pictured: Die Rheinpfalz plans to quadruple its digital subscriptions by 2030.