To unlock potential in digital while continuing to leverage its successful global print business, the Bauer Media group today (16 February) announces a repositioning of its digital businesses under one global umbrella: Bauer Xcel Media.

Bauer Xcel Media will have a focused digital vision serving 130m monthly unique users* worldwide. An accelerated growth plan will leverage the scale of its unique brands spanning connected TV, radio, digital and print and will be backed by a substantial global drive to acquire digital talent.

Bauer Xcel Media will focus solely on digital development and growth. Bauer’s ambition is to take advantage of local opportunities and scale them globally, leverage learnings, best practice and build original and innovative data-driven products centred on audience needs.

Andreas Schoo said, “The creation of this division marks Bauer’s acceleration as we invest with global ambition in this digital space with a single customer view across Bauer Xcel Media. We believe that having separate focus behind our print and digital businesses will allow us to achieve significant growth in digital while continuing to drive our successful print business forward.”

In the UK Bauer Xcel Media will focus on the digital monetisation of its scaled ad-funded business combined with rapid acceleration in developing its commerce, branded content and native digital advertising networks. The company will also develop its scale around targeted audio advertising product InStream and will hire a number of digital specialists.

Paul Keenan, CEO Bauer Media UK commented, “This is a transformational moment for Bauer in the UK as we seek to drive a new level of digital performance alongside our successful print and broadcast businesses. We will launch innovative new products across our ad funded, audio and commerce businesses and develop our unified view and relationships across our significant premium entertainment audience of 23m users. We will also seek opportunities to acquire assets to grow our digital business."

Led by Andreas Schoo, member of the executive board of the Bauer Media Group/Bauer Xcel Media , Markus Huessmann and Sven-Olof Reimers the Bauer Xcel Media COOs, this new global umbrella brand for Bauer’s digital business is one of the world’s fastest growing digital media companies with offices in New York, Hamburg, London, Sydney/Melbourne and Warsaw. Digital assets include GraziaDaily, Kiss FMUK, Closer Online, MCN online, Parkers online and recent digital-first launch The Debrief in the UK, InTouch, Life and Style in the USA, Wunderweib, one of the largest web portals for women in Germany, Interia in Poland, Australian Women’s Weekly online and Autotrader in New Zealand.

*Source: Google Analytics, November 2014