Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 6, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAxel Springer has submitted a rival bid, backing a consortium led by Dovid Efune, for Telegraph Media Group in a proposed £500 million (approx. $667 million) deal, amid ongoing scrutiny over media plurality and regulatory review.
By Sam Tabahriti, Amy-Jo Crowley and Klaus Lauer
LONDON/BERLIN March 6 (Reuters) - German media group Axel Springer said on Friday it had agreed to buy Britain's Telegraph Media Group for 575 million pounds ($766.3 million) in cash, bringing to an end a prolonged period of uncertainty over the newspaper's ownership.
The deal gatecrashed Daily Mail owner DMGT's attempt to buy its broadsheet rival, which had been facing regulatory probes in Britain amid concerns about media plurality.
Axel Springer said it would preserve the Telegraph's legacy while providing a platform for expansion, including in the U.S., and reaffirmed its commitment to "high-quality, independent journalism" and media plurality in Britain.
After buying Politico in a deal valued at around $1 billion in 2021, the Telegraph purchase becomes Axel Springer's second-largest investment since its founding in 1946, following an earlier failed attempt to acquire the paper in 2004.
'SWIFT AND EFFICIENT' NEGOTIATIONS
Mathias Dopfner, Axel Springer's CEO, said owning the Telegraph was "a privilege and a duty".
He said the group aimed to grow the title while preserving its character and helping it become "the most read and intellectually inspiring centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world".
He acknowledged Telegraph staff had faced a prolonged period of uncertainty and said that the publisher intended to "bring that uncertainty to an end".
The company credited New York Sun publisher Dovid Efune for his support in the deal.
Efune led a consortium with Axel Springer to bid for the titles last month, but Axel Springer concluded the deal alone.
RedBird IMI said it was pleased to have reached agreement following "swift and efficient" negotiations.
"With the strength of their commercial offer and a straightforward regulatory path to ownership, we believe that Axel Springer is well placed to take the Telegraph forward into its next chapter," RedBird said in a statement.
The companies said they were now working with the British government to obtain the necessary approvals.
Culture minister Lisa Nandy's decision last month to issue a public-interest intervention notice sent DMGT's deal to regulators, which were examining the implications for media plurality and competition.
Nandy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LONG-RUNNING OWNERSHIP DISPUTE
The deal brings an end to a saga that began in June 2023, when Lloyds Banking Group effectively repossessed the Telegraph after longtime owners the Barclay family fell into arrears on about 1.2 billion pounds of debts secured against the newspaper group.
RedBird IMI took control after paying off a 600 million pound loan owed to Lloyds, but the titles remained in limbo as Britain moved to block foreign state involvement in national newspapers, forcing it to reverse course.
U.S. investment firm RedBird Capital Partners then tried to buy the group, with Abu Dhabi-backed IMI taking a minority position, but the deal collapsed in November 2025.
The bid had been restructured to comply with new rules capping foreign state ownership at 15%, but was withdrawn after a slower-than-expected regulatory process and internal opposition from senior Telegraph newsroom figures.
($1 = 0.7504 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti and Amy-Jo Crowley in London, Klaus Lauer in Berlin; additional reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru; writing by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, Paul Sandle and Jan Harvey)
Axel Springer is reportedly set to acquire Telegraph Media Group in a deal valued at $667 million, according to the Financial Times.
The deal is reportedly worth 500 million pounds, equivalent to approximately $667 million.
The Financial Times reported on the possible acquisition, citing people briefed on the matter.
Reuters stated that it could not immediately verify the Financial Times' report.
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