In a joint venture with the London-based Pearson media group, G+J brings the FINANCIAL TIMES DEUTSCHLAND to newsstands. Three new titles make their debut internationally: the business magazine CAPITAL in Spain, the technology-focused consumer magazine JACK in Italy, and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC in the Netherlands. In Germany, LIVING AT HOME and its Internet portal make their debut.

The internationalization of popular magazine brands continues with GALA in Poland and Russia. Following the merger with the Kurier group and the launch of WOMAN magazine, the News publishing group in Austria has 14 magazines in its portfolio.

In October, the bi-weekly women’s magazine WOMAN is launched in Germany. In France, the children magazine GEO ADO makes its debut. The launch of the parenting magazine FUMU PARENTS represents the second step onto the Chinese magazine market.

GLAMOUR, launched under license, becomes Poland’s most successful launch of the year 2003. Meanwhile, NEON magazine provides new inspiration for young readers in Germany. Having successfully flown two pilot issues in 2003, NEON has been published monthly since February 2004. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WORLD launches in November 2003 as a bilingual popularscience magazine for children.

The launch of 23 magazine titles worldwide sets a new record for the publisher. In France, Prisma Presse launches TÉLÉ 2 SEMAINES and TV GRANDES CHAÎNES, the country’s first two bi-weekly TV guides. QUEST makes its debut in the Netherlands. In Germany, GEO KOMPAKT becomes the ninth title in the popular GEO family. ESSEN&TRINKEN FÜR JEDEN TAG, launched in 2003, begins its collaboration with VOX and TV cook Tim Mälzer. G+J takes over the majority of shares in Motor Presse Stuttgart. G+J, Arvato (Bertelsmann) and Axel Springer form the gravure company PRINOVIS.

The international innovation campaign continues. G+J launches 16 new magazines in eleven countries, including PARK AVENUE, VIEW and HEALTHY LIVING in Germany, GLAMOUR in the Netherlands, and an international GEO edition in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Turkey. In summer, G+J disposes of its U.S. magazine operations. The publisher enters one of Europe’s biggest growth markets by acquiring 50 percent in the Greek magazine publisher Daphne Communications. G+J and Sanoma International establish a joint venture in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia.

G+J introduces its "Expand your Brand" initiative, which makes the G+J brands and their multimedia expansion a focus of the company’s activities. In Germany, G+J launches the dog-owner’s lifestyle magazine DOGS and the women’s/psychology magazine EMOTION. The international GEO family gains two new member titles in Greece and Slovenia, and Prisma Presse buys the women’s title BIEN DANS MA VIE from Axel Springer. FOCUS/XINZHIKE is launched in China, and G+J becomes the country’s second-biggest magazine publisher by buying a stake in BODA/Ray Li.

As part of "Expand your Brand" G+J invests heavily in expanding the websites of major brands including STERN.de, BRIGITTE.de and FEMMEACTUELLE.fr, as well as in launching new websites such as ESSEN-ANDTRINKEN.de. In January, G+J Germany bought up Entertainment Media Verlag, Germany´s biggest special-interest publisher in the entertainment segment. Acquisitions such as CHEFKOCH.de, XXWELL.com and PROGRAMME-TV.net further enhance G+J´s position in food, nutrition and TV guides, some of the group´s core segments. GALA makes its newsstand debut in the Netherlands, Serbia and Croatia, while DOGS premieres in France. The News publishing group launches the up-scale magazine FIRST in Austria

The remainder of shares in FTD is acquired at the beginning of the year . G+J launches the monthly magazine FEMMES in France. In Germany, G+J Media Sales taps into another line of business by acquiring the performance-marketing company Ligatus. PARK AVENUE (D), GALA in the Netherlands and LIFE & STYLE in Russia are discontinued as part of a portfolio streamlining. G+J’s first international online project, the “Parenting Network,” goes live in seven countries. G+J Germany decides to have a central Business editorial office in Hamburg produce the four business publications CAPITAL, IMPULSE, BÖRSE ONLINE and FTD in future.

G+J resists the economic crisis, launching five new magazines in the German market: NIDO, GEOMINI, BEEF!, GALAMEN and BUSINESS PUNK. G+J Media Sales is given a new marketing structure for the advertising and sales markets, in order to generate more clients business. G+J’s corporate publishing unit unveils a new look, expanded portfolio of services and new name: G+J Corporate Editors. The new Corporate Media line of business gets off to a very successful start in France as well. The French publishing activities are integrated into the G+J International division. G+J withdraws from the Russian market. Reinhard Mohn dies on October 3, aged 88.