Bonnier Books acquires Nextory

Bonnier Books has entered into an agreement to acquire Nextory, one of Europe’s leading book streaming services. The transaction covers Nextory’s operations in Sweden and internationally, and reflects Bonnier Books’ long-term commitment to the book market as well as its belief in the continued development of digital reading and listening.

“We have built Nextory into a significant and profitable business, and I am very proud of what we have achieved. We have had interest from other parties before, but now both the buyer and the timing are right. Bonnier and Nextory share the same view of the value of books and the ambition to increase people’s reading and listening. Together, we are creating a highly competitive combination with strong conditions for successfully continuing to grow in a market where scale is becoming increasingly important,” says Shadi Bitar, CEO and founder of Nextory.

For many years, Nextory has developed its offering in audiobooks and e-books, with operations in ten countries. The transaction creates strong opportunities for continued development in a changing and globally competitive market.

“It is more important than ever to have audiobook services that are fully focused on authors, readers and listeners — particularly at a time characterised by AI-generated content and international players entering our various markets. This acquisition is fully in line with that conviction and gives us even better conditions to continue developing digital book sales together with the publishers and authors with whom we and Nextory collaborate across Europe,” says Håkan Rudels, CEO of Bonnier Books.

Bonnier Books is acquiring all shares in Nextory. The transaction is subject to approval by the Swedish Competition Authority, which means that it will not be formally completed until regulatory approval has been obtained. The acquisition is a cash transaction and the parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.