Heise (company): Difference between revisions

| logo = Heise Gruppe Marke 2022Heise_Gruppe_Marke_2023.svg

'''Heise''' (officially ''Heise Gruppe'') is a [[Germany|German]] [[media conglomerate]] headquartered in [[Hanover]]. It was founded in 1949 by Heinz Heise and is still [[Family business|family-owned]]. Its core business is directory media as well as general-interest and specialist media from the fields of computer technology, information technology and network culture. Another focus of its business activities is portals for price and product comparisons.

In 1949, {{Interlanguage link|Heinz Heise (publisher)|lt=Heinz Heise|de|Heinz Heise (Verleger)|WD=Q1294779}} founded the publishing house named after him in [[Hanover]]-Badenstedt.<ref>{{Citation |first=Selmar |last=Bühling |title=Ein Wort zum Mitbegründer des Erfurter Heimatbriefs (Heinz Heise). |langlanguage=de |work=Erfurter Heimatbrief |issue=24 |date=1972-06-08 |pagepages=17–19}}</ref> The company's first product was an address book for the town of [[Bünde]], later joined by the telephone directory for [[Einbeck]]. Gradually, other cities and regions were added to the product range. In addition, Heise expanded the program to include non-fiction topics, such as manuals on law. By 1960, sales had risen to over one million marks.

In 1972, Heinz Heise handed over the management of the company to his son {{Interlanguage link|Christian Heise (publisher)|lt=Christian|de|Christian Heise|WD=Q1080246}}. Under his leadership, a magazine for electronics and technology topics, was created. The first issue of the computer magazine [[c't]] appeared in 1983,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Digital ganz analog: Alles, was Sie über Computerzeitschriften wissen sollten. |langlanguage=de |newspaper=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] |date=1998-12-11 |page=67}}</ref> followed by the professional magazine [[IX (magazine)|iX]] in 1988.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Kampf um iX: Ein Mittelständler stellt sich gegen die Börse. |langlanguage=de |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Neue Presse]] |date=2000-08-26 |page=2}}</ref> Both publications are still around today. Later, the IT sector was further expanded with the acquisition of the Heidelberg-based Dpunkt Verlag.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.horizont.net/medien/nachrichten/-Heise-uebernimmt-Mehrheit-von-Dpunkt-Verlag-35957 |title=Heise übernimmt Mehrheit von Dpunkt-Verlag. |langlanguage=de |website=[[Horizont (newspaper)|Horizont]] |date=2022-02-28 |access-date=2022-04-14}}</ref>

After the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], Heise expanded into the states of the former [[Eastern Bloc]]. In 1992, the company took over the long-established {{Interlanguage link|Hinstorff (publisher)|lt=Hinstorff|de|Hinstorff Verlag|WD=Q1619570}} publishing house in Rostock.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Stefanie |last=Büssing |title=190 Jahre Hinstorff-Verlag |langlanguage=de |newspaper=Ostsee-Zeitung |date=2021-09-02 |page=19}}</ref> Having previously invested in regional radio stations, Heise participated in the founding of {{Interlanguage link|Radio 21 (Germany)|lt=Radio 21|de|Radio 21 (Deutschland)|WD=Q1762269}}, a private radio station in Lower Saxony, in year 2000. Additionally, Heise invested in digital business models with partner publishers: {{Interlanguage link|Das Örtliche|WD=Q1171772}} and {{Interlanguage link|Das Telefonbuch|WD=Q17538967}} appeared online for the first time. The news portal ''heise.de'' was created and supplemented by [[Telepolis]] and other channels. The MIT magazine [[MIT Technology Review|Technology Review]], whose German-language version has been published by Heise since 2003, was widely recognized.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.horizont.net/medien/nachrichten/-Deutsche-Technology-Review-kommt-41852 |title=Deutsche Technology Review kommt. |website=Horizont |langlanguage=de |date=2003-01-10 |access-date=2022-04-14}}</ref>

In recent years, price comparison portals have taken on greater importance at Heise. The company has stakes in ''billiger.de'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deutsche-startups.de/2009/02/26/prosiebensat1-verkauft-billigerde/ |title=ProSiebenSat.1 verkauft billiger.de. |langlanguage=de |website=deutsche-startups |date=2009-02-26 |access-date=2023-01-10 |first=Alexander |last=Hüsing}}</ref> ''guenstiger.de'' and ''[[Geizhals|geizhals.at]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/wirtschaft/international/628363_IT-Verlag-Heise-uebernimmt-51-Prozent-von-geizhals.at.html |title=IT-Verlag Heise übernimmt geizhals.at. |langlanguage=de |website=[[Wiener Zeitung]] |date=2014-05-07 |access-date=2022-04-12}}</ref>

Heise publishes ''Das Örtliche'' and ''Das Telefonbuch'' as well as the [[Yellow pages|Gelbe Seiten]] in joint editorial and publishing partnership with Deutsche Tele Medien. The media are published in printed form, as a web application and for mobile devices. In addition to a simple entry, Heise offers small and medium-sized companies a wide range of [[online marketing]] services.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Peter |last=Strahlendorf |url=https://www.new-business.de/medien/detail.php?nr=774328 |title=Heise Gruppe baut Agentur-Business aus. |website=new-business |langlanguage=de |date=2021-09-06 |access-date=2022-02-01}}</ref>

The IT news portal ''heise.de'' is leading in German-speaking countries.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Brian |last=Rotter |url=https://t3n.de/news/deutschen-top-25-tech-medien-netz-666374/ |title=Die deutschen Top 25 der Tech-Medien im Netz. |langlanguage=de |website=t3n |date=2015-12-18 |access-date=2022-04-10}}</ref> It also includes the media brands c't, iX, Make, Mac & i,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.horizont.net/medien/nachrichten/-Heise-startet-Ct-Ableger-rund-um-Apple-98328 |title=Heise startet c’tc't-Ableger rund um Apple. |langlanguage=de |website=Horizont |date=2011-02-22 |access-date=2022-04-10}}</ref> Technology Review, heise Autos, TechStage and Telepolis.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jörg |last=Wirtgen |url=https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/In-eigener-Sache-Gadget-Blog-TechStage-startet-1871584.html |title=In eigener Sache: Heise startet Gadget-Blog TechStage. |langlanguage=de |website=heise online |date=2013-05-28 |access-date=2022-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Tilman |last=Baumgärtel |url=https://taz.de/Netzphilosophie/!1430209/ |title=Netzphilosophie |newspaper=[[Die Tageszeitung]] |date=1996-11-04 |access-date=2022-11-03 |page=16}}</ref> The company uses the brands both online and for magazines, as well as for events, especially congresses, conferences, seminars and workshops, including ''Heise Adacemy''.