About Focus Online

Focus Online

Focus Online is one of Germany's most-visited online news portals, headquartered in Munich. As the digital arm of the Focus news magazine brand, it serves tens of millions of monthly readers with general-interest news, published by the Hubert Burda Media group and available at focus.de.

Overview

Focus Online (focus.de) ranks among Germany's highest-reach news websites, competing with Bild.de, Spiegel Online and t-online for the country's digital news audience. The portal publishes breaking news, politics, business, sports, health and consumer journalism around the clock, free of charge and financed by advertising.

The portal extends the Focus brand, the news magazine founded in 1993 as the rival to Der Spiegel, into the digital age. The Munich newsroom's journalism combines the magazine's explanatory tradition with the portal's digital speed. Focus Online's editorial profile is that of a bourgeois-conservative mass portal: clear, service-oriented and close to readers' everyday concerns.

The portal's health journalism is its signature: Focus Online's medical explainers, the doctor interviews and the wellness guides attract millions of health-interested readers. For the middle-aged audience, where health is the growing concern, this medical journalism is the portal's crown jewel.

The newsroom's money journalism serves readers' finances: Focus Online covers the pensions, the investments and the tax tips with the practicality of a portal whose readers plan their economic futures. For the bourgeois households, this financial service is essential.

The portal's travel journalism feeds the wanderlust: Focus Online's destination guides, the travel deals and the holiday advice serve readers' leisure planning. For the travel-loving middle class, this coverage is the vacation's first step.

The Focus Online car journalism follows the German passion: the portal covers the auto tests, the electric transition and the mobility debates. For the car nation, where the automobile is identity, this coverage speaks the readers' language.

The portal's history journalism satisfies the curiosity: Focus Online's historical explainers and the anniversary coverage serve readers' interest in the past. For the educated mainstream, this knowledge journalism is both entertainment and enrichment.

The portal's garden journalism cultivates the green passion: Focus Online's gardening tips, the plant guides and the seasonal advice serve readers' green thumbs. For the gardening nation, where the allotment is sanctuary, this service is the harvest's helper.

The newsroom's pet journalism serves the animal lovers: Focus Online covers the pet care, the animal health and the companions with the affection of a portal whose readers love their animals. For the pet households, this coverage is the companion's guide.

The portal's real-estate journalism navigates the property market: Focus Online's housing guides, the mortgage advice and the market analyses serve readers' biggest decisions. For the property-seeking middle class, this service is the key.

The Focus Online digital journalism explains the tech: the portal's gadget tests, the app guides and the internet advice serve readers' digital lives. For the mainstream's digitalization, this service is the translator.

The portal's nutrition journalism feeds the health: Focus Online's diet advice, the food guides and the wellness. For the health-conscious middle class, where nutrition is medicine, this service is the kitchen's counselor.

The Focus Online family journalism serves the generations: the parenting advice, the family travel and the generational topics. For the family households, where the generations meet, this coverage is the home's companion.

The portal's puzzle journalism entertains the mind: Focus Online's quizzes, the riddles and the brain training. For the curious readers, where play is pleasure, this fun is the day's delight.

The portal's expert networks answer the questions: Focus Online's doctor Q&As, the expert columns and the advice. For the seeking readers, where the expert is trusted, this counsel is the wisdom's source.

The Focus Online anniversary journalism marks the time: the historical retrospectives, the jubilees and the memory. For the historically minded, where the past illuminates, this remembrance is the time's mirror.

The portal's service promise endures: Focus Online's commitment to the useful, the clear and the reliable. For the mainstream readers, this reliability is the brand's bond.

The portal's Munich newsroom carries the Focus tradition: the explanatory journalism adapted for the digital age. For the readers, this heritage is the quality's promise.

The portal's reach extends across all demographics, with particular strength among the middle-aged mainstream audience that values the Focus brand's reliability.

History

Focus Online was launched as the digital extension of the Focus news magazine, which Hubert Burda Media had founded in 1993 as Germany's second newsweekly. The portal grew with the internet's expansion, becoming one of the country's default news destinations.

Through the 2000s and 2010s Focus Online documented Germany's digital news transformation: the portal covered the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, the pandemic and the political upheavals with the speed of a digital native. The newsroom developed the health journalism that became a portal specialty.

The portal's growth reflected the Focus brand's digital adaptation: the magazine's explanatory journalism translated into the portal's service formats, explainers and the consumer advice. The Munich newsroom built one of Germany's largest digital editorial teams.

Content

Focus Online's journalism covers the full spectrum of general news: politics, business, sports, health, travel and consumer topics. The politics desk follows the federal government and the parties with correspondents in Berlin.

Health journalism is a specialty: the portal's medical explainers, health advice and the wellness coverage attract large audiences. Consumer journalism follows the personal finance, the shopping and the everyday decisions.

Sports coverage follows the Bundesliga and the national team, while the travel and lifestyle sections serve readers' leisure. The newsroom's explainers decode complex topics for the mainstream audience.

Coverage & Audience

Focus Online serves Germany's mass digital news audience, tens of millions of monthly unique users across all regions and demographics. Its readership is the bourgeois mainstream: the portal's clear, service-oriented journalism serves readers who want reliable news without sensationalism.

The portal's audience expects the Focus brand's explanatory quality: the health journalism, the consumer advice and the political explainers serve readers who value understanding. The sports and travel coverage attracts the leisure interests.

The free, advertising-financed model maximizes reach. The Munich newsroom's journalism serves the national audience while the portal's regional pages address local interests.

Ownership

Focus Online is owned by the Hubert Burda Media group, the Offenburg-based media conglomerate that is one of Germany's largest publishers. The Burda group, family-owned by the Burda family, publishes the Focus magazine, Bunte, and numerous other titles.

The Burda ownership provides the portal with the corporate backing of a major media house. The group's digital strategy centers on Focus Online as the news flagship alongside the magazine brands.

The ownership reflects the traditional publisher's digital transformation: Burda's investment in Focus Online built one of Germany's leading news portals from the magazine brand's foundation.

Digital Presence

focus.de is the brand's digital platform, a high-traffic news portal optimized for mobile, desktop and app. The portal publishes breaking news continuously, with push alerts, videos and the interactive formats.

The Focus Online app delivers personalized news to millions of phones. Social media channels distribute the portal's stories, while newsletters on health, finance and selected topics build direct relationships.

The digital strategy builds on the Focus brand's explanatory tradition: the portal's service journalism and the health expertise give it distinctive content. The Munich newsroom's digital formats serve the mainstream audience's habits.