Noerr advises ADAC on extending contract with Burda for ADAC Motorwelt magazine

A Noerr team led by Munich-based partner Thomas Thalhofer has advised Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobilclub (ADAC) on extending its contract for the production and distribution of ADAC’s club magazine Motorwelt with media company Hubert Burda Media.

Motorwelt is Germany’s most successful mobility magazine: in 2020, the magazine was redesigned on the basis of a strategic partnership with Burda, which Noerr also advised on at the time; this included a higher-quality look, a new distribution structure and redesigned content.

Since then, Burda’s subsidiary Brand Community Network has been responsible for producing, manufacturing and printing as well as the editing, marketing, and distribution of the magazine. ADAC e.V. continues to be the publisher of Motorwelt, with Martin Kunz as editor-in-chief.

In the reach ranking of Allensbach Market and Advertising Media Analysis 2022, Motorwelt is in third place. With 6.04 million readers per issue, the ADAC club magazine has managed to gain 180,000 readers compared to the previous year, unlike the majority of the top 50 magazines.

Noerr assisted ADAC in drafting the contract documents and provided comprehensive support during the contract negotiations.           

Advisors to Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.:

Noerr Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB: Thomas Thalhofer (partner, Digital Business, team lead), Jan Weismantel (senior associate), Florian Schmitt (counsel, both Digital Business, Munich)

Inhouse at ADAC e.V.: Frederik Karsten (General Counsel)

Advisors to Burda: Franz Erath, Stefan Söder