PRH Profits Fell 4.7% in 2025 as Bertelsmann Invests €246M in AI and Digital Tools

Penguin Random House reported a 4.7% decline in operating EBITDA to €704 million in 2025, despite a 1.3% increase in total sales to nearly €5 billion. Parent company Bertelsmann attributed the earnings dip to growth-related expenses in the US core business and negative exchange rate effects from a weaker dollar. The company invested €246 million in digital transformation and strategic acquisitions, including the €99 million purchase of personalised publisher Wonderbly, the expansion of its proprietary BookBoost marketing platform, and the deployment of machine-learning tools for demand forecasting and dynamic pricing. Digital audiobooks continued to grow, particularly in the UK, while print revenues saw slight declines in the US and Germany. The US remains PRH's largest market at 57.7% of global revenue. Top-performing titles included Mel Robbins' The Let Them Theory and Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets.