Sport Bild is a German weekly sports magazine published in Hamburg, Germany. It was established in 1988 and is published every Wednesday by Axel Springer AG. The magazine covers news about all types of sport, but its major focus is on football.
The Origins of Sport Bild: From Concept to Cornerstone
Sport Bild was established in 1988. It is published weekly every Wednesday. The magazine has its headquarters in Hamburg and is published by Axel Springer AG. The magazine covers news about all types of sport, but its major focus is on football.
In 2001, Sport Bild had a circulation of 512,000 copies. The circulation of the magazine was 437,516 copies in 2010. Its average circulation was 421,200 copies in 2012 in Germany.
In May 2007, the magazine was published for the first time with an accompanying DVD, on which 90 minutes of highlights from the previous Bundesliga soccer season were shown.
Editorial Style and Content Strategy
Sport Bild is a German weekly sports magazine published in Hamburg, Germany. It was established in 1988 and is published every Wednesday by Axel Springer AG. The magazine covers news about all types of sport, but its major focus is on football.
In May 2007, the magazine was published for the first time with an accompanying DVD, on which 90 minutes of highlights from the previous Bundesliga soccer season were shown.
Sport Bild has been recognized for its excellence in sports journalism, receiving awards such as the Herbert-Award for Best Sports Magazine in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011, and the Deutscher Sportjournalistenpreis for Best Sports Magazine in 2015.
Technological Innovation: The InterRed Editorial System
Germany’s leading sports magazine SPORT BILD relies on the InterRed editorial system. With a reach of 6.1 million readers (ma 2020 Pressemedien II), the editorial team produces content on everything to do with sport, from football to motorsport to handball, tennis, or basketball. Thanks to InterRed, the employees of SPORT BILD can now access many new functions of magazine production and use them for the weekly issues.
SPORT BILD is produced with the InterRed editorial system, which Axel Springer Verlag has been using for many years. The SPORT BILD editors moved to the same system on which BILD, Europe’s largest daily newspaper, but also Germany’s largest Sunday newspaper BILD am SONNTAG and Berlin’s largest newspaper B.Z. and the B.Z. be produced on SONNTAG. The editorial offices at Springer are now in a position to serve several newspapers and magazines in-house with one and the same browser-based editorial system. A direct exchange of content between the individual newspapers and magazines is also potentially made possible.
The existing page planning from different third-party systems flow together in the central InterRed editorial system – InterRed’s own page planning is also used for special projects. The editors experience additional added value through the InterRed LiveCopy function. The LiveCopy function enables line-precise writing and the display in the editor with precise breaks and thus directly in the browser-based editing system. As the editorial text entry and processing can take place in the browser and thus without additional third-party software, the work of the different editorial offices – including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich – is also part of everyday practice. Not least in the age of home offices, this means a high level of added value; magazine production can be carried out in a decentralized, simple, and high-performance manner outside of the office.
Circulation and Reach: A Pan-German Phenomenon
This statistic shows the results of a survey on the reach of the weekly sports magazine Sport Bild in Germany from 2004 to 2023. In 2023, the magazine reached roughly 2.85 million readers per issue, according to ma Pressemedien.
Sport Bild has its headquarters in Hamburg and is published by Axel Springer AG. The magazine covers news about all types of sport, but its major focus is on football.
Special Editions and Supplements
Sport Bild publishes regular special editions. These are overseen by Christian Tuchtfeldt. The special editions cover various sports events and leagues, including the Football Bundesliga season (since 1998), Football Champions League/Europa League (since 2005), Football European Championship (since 2004), Football World Cup (since 2006), Motorsport (since 2004), Handball Bundesliga (since 2010), Basketball Bundesliga (2011–2013), and US sports (1994–1995).
In July 2010, Sport Bild introduced the “Cool Sport” supplement, targeting children and adolescents aged 10 to 17. This special publication provides reports, portraits, and tips related to football and trend sports.
The SPORT BILD Award: Celebrating Excellence in Sports
Since 2003, Sport Bild has been awarding the “Sport Bild-Award” to honor outstanding personalities, achievements, and special ideas in the field of sports. The editorial team presents awards in various categories, and a reader vote via the internet, telephone, and SMS determines four additional winners. The editorial team visits the awardees to present the honors.
In 2024, the SPORT BILD Award honored Germany’s Olympic stars, including swimmer Lukas Märtens, who received the “Editors’ Special Award” for his gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics. Track and field athlete Owen Ansah was named “Surprise of the Year” for breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. Bayer Leverkusen was recognized as “Team of the Year” for their undefeated Bundesliga season and DFB-Pokal victory.
In 2023, the SPORT BILD Award celebrated various sports figures, including Ilkay Gündogan as “Star of the Year,” Niclas Füllkrug as “Newcomer of the Year,” and the German national ice hockey team as “Surprise of the Year.” The event also introduced an “Inclusion Award,” which was awarded to “Die Hockies,” a mixed hockey team of players with and without disabilities.
Conclusion: Sport Bild’s Enduring Legacy
Sport Bild has established itself as a leading sports magazine in Germany, offering comprehensive coverage of various sports, with a particular focus on football. Its commitment to quality journalism, technological innovation, and engagement with readers through special editions and awards has solidified its position in the German media landscape. As it continues to evolve, Sport Bild remains a vital source of sports news and analysis for millions of readers.
