Axel Springer Pitched To Buy TikTok's European Arm, ByteDance Says No Formal Talks

Axel Springer, the media group that owns Politico and The Telegraph, proposed acquiring a stake in TikTok's European operations. The pitch came from chief executive Mathias Dopfner, who has pushed for a change in the platform's ownership.

The pitch

FT reports that Dopfner floated the idea during a January lunch with Charles Kushner, the US ambassador to France and father of Jared Kushner. The proposal was later passed to European Commission officials but failed to gain traction. Axel Springer confirmed its interest in finding a European solution for TikTok.

ByteDance's response

TikTok's parent, ByteDance, dismissed the idea and said no formal acquisition discussions had taken place.

Dopfner's Position

Dopfner has previously argued for moving TikTok to democratic shareholders, saying the platform could serve as a vehicle for propaganda. A European stake would aim to change who owns it, the FT's account suggests, rather than just limiting its access to European users.

The US precedent

The proposal resembles the restructuring of TikTok's US operations, under a deal designed to address national security concerns over its Chinese ownership, Investing.com's summary noted. The involvement of a US ambassador in the early conversation will draw attention, though the reports don't say whether Washington backed the idea.

What is Axel Springer?

Besides Politico, Axel Springer owns Germany's Bild and Die Welt. It agreed in March to buy The Telegraph in a £575 million cash deal, Axios reported at the time, and said it planned to expand the paper in the US. A TikTok bid would be a very different kind of acquisition, but the pitch matches Springer's wider push to reach audiences on large digital platforms.