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Facts and figures

  • Germany’s leading media and communications hub
  • around 27,000 companies, 487,000 employees and more than 143 billion euros turnover
  • internationally operating media and telecommunications groups
  • Bertelsmann, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone
  • strong publishing sector for newspapers and books
  • Cologne: Germany’s No. 1 TV capital
  • market-leading TV channels WDR, RTL, VOX, SUPER RTL, ntv, phoenix, QVC
  • streaming offers: RTL+, MagentaTV, GigaTV Net
  • a third of the minutes produced in Germany for TV schedules
  • Germany’s leading TV producers
  • highly professional service providers and studios
  • vibrant and creative film scene
  • one of Germany’s financially strongest regional film funds
  • leading games cluster, strong web video and XR scene
  • ideal conditions for founders and start-ups
  • Düsseldorf: advertising hub with the largest turnover, “mobile capital”
  • excellent universities and training companies
  • diverse arts and cultural scene

More information:

The Media Region NRW 

Thomas Rabe
Chairman and CEO Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann employs 140,000 people around the globe. The largest operations are located in NRW, including the headquarters of RTL Deutschland in Cologne and the group headquarters in Gütersloh. In East Westphalia alone, 12,000 employees are working for Bertelsmann. Our federal state offers all the conditions needed to continue developing our business activities - in the region, in Germany and around the world.
Tom Buhrow
Director General WDR
NRW is a strong media region. And it will stay that way in the future. Therefore, it is important that we master the challenge of digitisation together with our partners. For WDR, this means that we will be strengthening our digital content and expanding our non-linear offerings. We need creative minds at our side to achieve this – so that we can still provide high-quality, independent and innovative programming for everyone in the future.
Timotheus Höttges
CEO Deutsche Telekom
Telekom's mission is to ensure access to and participation in media. Meanwhile, MagentaTV is a television offering that bundles various content providers on one platform. We have strong partners for this right on our doorstep in NRW.
Nathanael Liminski
Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs and the Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Head of the State Chancellery
Media diversity and freedom of speech are central elements of a democratic society. As the State Government, we are therefore creating an ideal framework for the industry and, as a result, strengthening the vibrant media landscape in the media-digital region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Dr. Tobias Schmid
Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia and European Representative of the Media Authorities
We are committed to the protection of our democratic principles in the media – by enforcing applicable law, standing up for innovation and diversity in the media region of North Rhine-Westphalia and offering people orientation in day-to-day use of media.
Ina Brandes
Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
It's particularly in challenging times that we need social cohesion provided by the arts, culture and media. The media hub of North Rhine-Westphalia is a guarantee for sophisticated entertainment and relevant information.
Mona Neubaur
Minister for Economics, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
A strong and diverse media landscape becomes even more important in an age of permanent crises and complex social tasks. Creativity and knowledge are indispensable as part of our economy and society’s transformation for a life within the planetary boundaries. Media professionals play a role here by delivering new perspectives.
Stephan Schmitter
CEO RTL Deutschland
NRW is full of creative minds and enthusiastic media professionals - the best conditions for producing good media content that finds its audience on all channels. With many projects that we produce locally for our linear channels and RTL+, we are happy to contribute to strengthening NRW's film and TV industry.
Dr. Mark Speich
State Secretary for Federal, European and International Affairs and the Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Plenipotentiary to the Federal Government
The federal state government is committed in both Düsseldorf and Berlin to promoting North Rhine-Westphalia as a media hub. We host and showcase the industry at the "Embassy of the West" for the traditional Berlinale reception of the Berlin Representation as well as for numerous discussions, conferences and receptions.