Bauer shut its German digital arm — 160 jobs, and Grazia and Heat teams hit in the UK

On April 17, 2026, Bauer Media Group announced a restructuring of its digital publishing in Germany and the UK. Bauer Xcel Media Deutschland KG, its standalone digital unit, closes on September 30, 2026 — all 160 jobs. In the UK, where titles including Grazia, Heat and Empire are affected, a consultation began over cuts that Digiday reported could reach up to 30% of publishing staff.

Bauer blamed the mechanics of the open web: AI Overviews answer readers inside search results, so fewer clicks reach publisher sites, while ad markets stay soft and affiliate models fragment. Running digital publishing as a separate company stopped making sense; the surviving German sites — Lecker, TV Movie and Astrowoche — fold back into the print organisation.

Staff were blunt about what closing an entire company means beyond the headcount. The unit's audience-development lead said 160 people were affected and that the closure of a whole company hits differently; an SEO lead spoke of shock, sadness and anger. Bauer said its ambition in publishing was unchanged.