History
Blic Beginnings
1996 - 2003
1996
The company was founded by a group of enthusiastic journalists on April 2, 1996, under the name BLIC Press d.o.o., based in the “Beograđanka” building. The first issue of the daily newspaper Blic, conceptualised by journalist and editor Manojlo Manjo Vukotić, was released on September 16, with an initial circulation of 300,000 copies. Blic was the only independent medium (newspaper) at the time. From the first issue of Blic, which was handed out for free on the streets of Belgrade and later sold for just one dinar, the company has grown to include a large number of online portals, and the Blic website has been the most visited and respected site not just in Serbia for decades.
1997
Veselin Simonović, one of the most famous Serbian journalists, and an editor at Borba and Vreme weekly, replaces deputy editor-in-chief of Blic, Manojlo Manjo Vukotić.
1998
After part of the editorial board, led by Manojlo Manjo Vukotić, splits off to establish Glas javnosti, Veselin Simonović becomes the editor-in-chief of Blic, redesigning the paper while maintaining its high circulation numbers.
1999
During the bombing, the company operates under difficult circumstances. The company changes its business headquarters, while print is carried out in three different printing companies. The company EURO BLIC PRESS in Banja Luka founded the publication Euro Blic, which was mostly sold in the entity of Republika Srpska, but was also available in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1999, the Blic online website was launched
2000
Blic kept up with the changes which occurred after the regime was toppled on October 5, despite difficult circumstances of production and acquisition of paper. On November 28, 2000, there was a change in the founders, with Gruner & Jahr AG&CO becoming one of the co-founders, holding a 49% stake in the company.
2003
The APM Print printing house begins operations, and the entire print run of Blic is produced there.
Entry of Ringier media company into the market
2004 - 2009
2004
Swiss company Ringier enters the market and expands its product portfolio by launching the weekly magazine Blic žena, which quickly becomes the most popular and widely read weekly in the region. Regional editions of Blic are also introduced in Vojvodina, Serbia, and Belgrade, with an increased number of pages.
2005
In 2005, the print edition of Blic becomes the most widely read newspaper in our country.
2006
In March, the celebrity magazine Puls is launched, and in September, the first free daily newspaper 24 sata is introduced.
2007
The newspaper ALO launches in September, and Blic online gets redesigned.
2009
In March, the Ringier d.o.o. company becomes the owner of the oldest social-political magazine in the Balkans, NIN (Weekly Informational Newspaper)
Ringier Axel Springer Decade
2010 - 2019
2010
The German publishing group Axel Springer joins the Swiss media company Ringier, and on November 1, 2010, our company changes its name to Ringier Axel Springer d.o.o. Ringier and Axel Springer operate together in Eastern and Southeast Europe for the next 10 years. That same year, the entertainment portal Pulsonline.rs was launched.
2012
Official Gemius survey on the traffic of Serbian internet portals begins in Serbia. Since then, Blic has consistently held the top position on the Gemius list. Ringier d.o.o. expands its portfolio by acquiring the classified ad portals Nekretnine.rs and Mojauto.rs.
2013
The Blic Foundation is founded. The first campaign, “Heart for Children,” launched on January 30, aimed to collect monetary and material donations to assist socially disadvantaged children in Serbia. At the start of September, Ringier Axel Springer officially inaugurated its printing house in New Belgrade, which was expanded to 4,800 m2 and equipped with a high-capacity modern newspaper printing press.
2014
Ringier Axel Springer is one of the founders of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
2015
Ringier Axel Springer Serbia initiates Media Impact Serbia – the integrated sector for advertising and sales
2016
Predrag Mihailović is appointed the new editor-in-chief of the print edition of Blic. The Ringier Axel Springer Media AG company launches the Digital Media Campus, which enabled young journalists in the group to develop professionally. In addition, the NOIZZ portal, intended for millennials, was introduced. That same year, we start producing the specialised Elevate inflight magazine for the national airline Air Serbia, which is distributed on its flights.
2017
Ringier Axel Springer Serbia establishes the Digital Serbia Initiative, with the aim of making Serbia the centre of digital innovations in the region.
2019
Since August 2019, the Ringier Axel Springer Beograd d.o.o. office in Belgrade has been located at 10 Kosovska St.
100% Swiss: Ringier AG
2021 - 2023
2021
As recipients of the European certificate – Great Place to Work – we entered a new business era. The Ringier AG media company announced in 2021 and completed in 2022 the acquisition of Axel Springer SE shares in Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, becoming a leader in the media and digital markets of nine countries in Eastern and Central Europe.
2022
On October 3, the Blic TV cable television was launched. It is a modern Serbian television channel which focuses on exact, verified and reliable information from the world of politics, society, business, sport, culture and showbusiness.
The sport portal Sportal.rs was launched on May 11, 2022, with the goal of delivering exclusive information and news from the world of sports, as well as interviews with the most relevant interlocutors, in a swift and timely way.
2023
Ringier Serbia joined the international initiative EqualVoice, which was initiated by Ringier AG with the goal of increasing the visibility and the expert presence of women in the media.