With the relaunch of the stern.de website and the Stern+ app, the visual power that has always characterised the print magazine can now be seen in the digital version of Stern. As announced earlier in October 2024, the digital expansion of Stern aims to reposition the brand as a successful paid content business model.

The relaunched stern.de and Stern+ boast a more expansive and visually powerful design, a modified structure and more focus on moving images and multimedia. In addition to content from Stern and Stern Crime, the Stern+ app also includes content from educational magazine Geo and business magazine Capital.

Individual formats and topics are now visually highlighted on the homepage of the website and app, as well as in the articles themselves. The relaunched digital Stern has improved structure and clarity, offering a better reading flow. The new structure, for example, alternates small and large elements – creating a new rhythm that makes the user experience more intuitive and more relaxed. Video and audio content is placed more prominently and is clearly marked with corresponding icons, guiding users towards the multimedia elements.

Stephan Schmitter, CEO of RTL Deutschland, says: “With the relaunch of stern.de and our Stern+ app, we are ringing in a new, important chapter in the unique history of the Stern, Geo and Capital brands. This major investment once again emphasises how important independent quality journalism is to us at RTL Deutschland – especially in times when the uncertainty in society is evident. I would like to thank all the teams in Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne who have been working on this relaunch around the clock for months and who will continue to expand Stern+ with many additional new features in the coming weeks. Our goal is to provide readers with a unique multimedia user experience across three strong brands.”

Gregor Peter Schmitz, Chairman of the Editorial Board of Stern, says: “Stern+ is a completely new digital product that combines content from three strong brands: Stern, Geo and Capital. In addition to investigative and political journalism, readers can also expect lighter topics and good entertainment – a mix of knowledge, emotions and advice. And all this in a very special look and feel – thanks to our network at RTL News, there will also be a lot of video and audio content.”

Johannes Vogel, Chief Product & Revenue Officer for RTL News brands Stern, Geo, Capital and Stern+, says: “We are putting users and their product experience at the centre of our concept. Our goal is to provide a paid offering for those who are looking for well-structured, up-to-date news, but also want in-depth background stories, interviews and reports.”

Pricing information

Stern+ Basis, which includes content from Stern and Stern Crime, is already available for €2.99 per week. Stern+ Extra, available for €3.99 per week, offers additional selected content from Geo and Capital, alongside the Stern and Stern Crime e-papers. As a special launch offer, Stern+ Extra is available for 12 months at the price of Stern+ Basis. Existing subscriptions will continue to be ad-free, while new subscribers will be able to use the product with significantly less advertising – or completely ad- and tracking-free with the 'Pure model'.