Busch Glatz

Busch Glatz, originally founded in 1980 as proVideo Verlag GmbH by Ulrich Scheele, was a German specialist publisher producing print and online publications for the entertainment industry. Its portfolio covered books, film, cinema & TV, media, music, and advertising. The company began as a consultancy for the video market and published its first trade magazine, VideoMarkt, in 1982, followed by VideoTipp, the world's first video rental customer magazine with a circulation of 250,000 copies. Over the years it expanded through launches and acquisitions of other trade journals. From 1 March 2008 to 30 June 2014, the publisher was a wholly owned subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr and operated as G+J Entertainment Media GmbH & Co. KG from January 2010. On 1 July 2014, Cologne-based publisher Timo Busch acquired all shares from Gruner + Jahr. As part of the Busch Group, the company was renamed Busch Entertainment Media GmbH in September 2014. Its managing directors were Timo Busch and Michael Bamberger, with Ulrich Höcherl as editor-in-chief and David Serjoscha Wolf as art director. The company was headquartered in Munich and employed nearly 100 people. In 2017, Busch Entertainment Media GmbH (later Busch KGaA) filed for insolvency under self-administration. In 2018, Busch & Glatz GmbH (now MG Medien Gruppe GmbH) took over the operational publishing activities, forming a holding for the trade magazines. After this takeover, online services and marketing became more prominent, while other publications were discontinued. As of 1 January 2023, all economically effective activities were to be consolidated under a common holding. Following the insolvency of MG Medien Gruppe GmbH (formerly Busch & Glatz GmbH), BG Germany GmbH, responsible for publishing the various trade media, also had to file for insolvency. Around the same time, publishing activities were sold to companies owned by Timo Busch. After purchase agreements were not fulfilled, the proceedings shifted from self-administration to regular administration, with administrator Daniel Zumhasch currently managing the publisher's operational activities. The remaining publications were planned to be sold in the first half of 2025. The company's publications included the trade magazines Blickpunkt:Film, MusikWoche, and GamesMarkt, as well as online services. The online trade information service mediabiz.de served as the umbrella brand for most of the house's trade offerings, encompassing blickpunktfilm.de, musikwoche.de, and gamesmarkt.de. Other offerings included kino.de, one of Germany's largest cinema portals with over 4 million monthly visitors until 2014, and video.de, which presented DVD and Blu-ray news from 2009 to 2014. Both consumer-facing offerings were acquired by Ströer Media Brands in 2014. Trade magazines and livepapers VideoMarkt, Treffpunkt Kino, and VideoTipp were discontinued after restructuring, as was the trade encyclopedia Kinohandbuch. Meedia was sold in 2024 and DigitalProduction in 2025.

Busch Glatz traces its origins to 1980, when Ulrich Scheele founded proVideo Verlag GmbH as a consultancy for the video market. In 1982, the company published its first trade magazine, VideoMarkt, and also launched VideoTipp, the world's first video rental customer magazine, with a circulation of 250,000 copies. Over the following years, it released additional trade journals and acquired others through publishing takeovers. From 1 March 2008 to 30 June 2014, the publisher was a wholly owned subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr, operating under the name G+J Entertainment Media GmbH & Co. KG from January 2010. During this period, it ran kino.de, one of Germany's largest cinema portals with over 4 million monthly visitors, and video.de, which presented DVD and Blu-ray news from 2009 to 2014. Both consumer-facing offerings were sold to Ströer Media Brands in 2014. On 1 July 2014, Cologne-based publisher Timo Busch acquired all shares from Gruner + Jahr. As part of the Busch Group, the company was renamed Busch Entertainment Media GmbH in September 2014. Its managing directors were Timo Busch and Michael Bamberger, with Ulrich Höcherl as editor-in-chief and David Serjoscha Wolf as art director. The company was headquartered in Munich and employed nearly 100 people. In 2017, Busch Entertainment Media GmbH (later Busch KGaA) filed for insolvency under self-administration. In 2018, Busch & Glatz GmbH (now MG Medien Gruppe GmbH) took over the operational publishing activities, forming a holding for the trade magazines. After this takeover, online services and marketing became more prominent, while other publications were discontinued. As of 1 January 2023, all economically effective activities were to be consolidated under a common holding. Following the insolvency of MG Medien Gruppe GmbH (formerly Busch & Glatz GmbH), BG Germany GmbH, responsible for publishing the various trade media, also had to file for insolvency. Around the same time, publishing activities were sold to companies owned by Timo Busch. After purchase agreements were not fulfilled, the proceedings shifted from self-administration to regular administration, with administrator Daniel Zumhasch currently managing the publisher's operational activities. The remaining publications were planned to be sold in the first half of 2025. The company's publications included the trade magazines Blickpunkt:Film, MusikWoche, and GamesMarkt, as well as online services. The online trade information service mediabiz.de served as the umbrella brand for most of the house's trade offerings, encompassing blickpunktfilm.de, musikwoche.de, and gamesmarkt.de. Other offerings included kino.de and video.de. Trade magazines and livepapers VideoMarkt, Treffpunkt Kino, and VideoTipp were discontinued after restructuring, as was the trade encyclopedia Kinohandbuch. Meedia was sold in 2024 and DigitalProduction in 2025.

• 2025

  DigitalProduction was sold; remaining publications planned for sale in the first half of 2025.

• 2024

  Meedia was sold.

• 2023

  Planned consolidation of all economically effective activities under a common holding; BG Germany GmbH filed for insolvency following MG Medien Gruppe GmbH's insolvency.

• 2018

  Busch & Glatz GmbH (now MG Medien Gruppe GmbH) took over operational publishing activities.

• 2017

  Busch Entertainment Media GmbH (later Busch KGaA) filed for insolvency under self-administration.

• 2014

  Timo Busch acquired all shares from Gruner + Jahr on 1 July; renamed Busch Entertainment Media GmbH in September; kino.de and video.de sold to Ströer Media Brands.

• 2010

  Renamed G+J Entertainment Media GmbH & Co. KG in January.

• 2008

  Became a wholly owned subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr on 1 March.

• 1982

  Published first trade magazine VideoMarkt and launched VideoTipp, the world's first video rental customer magazine.

• 1980

  Founded as proVideo Verlag GmbH by Ulrich Scheele.

Specialist publisher for the entertainment industry, providing trade media and online information services.

• Blickpunkt:Film

• MusikWoche

• GamesMarkt

• mediabiz.de

• kino.de

• video.de

• VideoMarkt

• VideoTipp

• Treffpunkt Kino

• Kinohandbuch

• Meedia

• DigitalProduction

1. 1Busch Glatz - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Busch Glatz - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org