Debt Issuance Programme Prospectus dated 13 April 2016 This document constitutes the base prospectus for the purpose of Article 5.4 of Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended, (the "Prospectus Directive") of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA in respect of non-equity securities within the meaning of Art. 22 No. 6 (4) of the Commission Regulation (EC) No. 809/2004 of 29 April 2004 as amended ("Non-Equity Securities") (the "Debt Issuance Programme Prospectus" or the "Prospectus"). Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA (Gütersloh, Federal Republic of Germany) as Issuer EUR 4,000,000,000 Debt Issuance Programme (the "Programme") Application has been made to the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (the "Commission"), which is the Luxembourg competent authority for the purpose of the Prospectus Directive, for its approval of this Prospectus. Application has been made to list Notes to be issued under the Programme on the official list of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and to trade Notes on the regulated market "Bourse de Luxembourg". The Luxembourg Stock Exchange's regulated market is a regulated market for the purposes of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2004/39/EC, as amended, (the "Regulated Market"). Notes issued under the Programme may also not be listed at all. The Issuer has requested the Commission in its capacity as competent authority under the Luxembourg act relating to prospectuses for securities, as amended, (Loi relative aux prospectus pour valeurs mobilières) (the "Luxembourg Law") which implements the Prospectus Directive into Luxembourg law to provide the competent authorities in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Austria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands with a certificate of approval attesting that the Prospectus has been drawn up in accordance with the Luxembourg Law ("Notification"). The Issuer may request the Commission to provide competent authorities in additional Member States within the European Economic Area with a Notification. By approving a prospectus, the CSSF shall give no undertaking as to the economic and financial soundness of the operation or the quality or solvency of the issuer pursuant to Article 7(7) of the Luxembourg Law. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Arranger Deutsche Bank Dealers Barclays BNP PARIBAS BofA Merrill Lynch Citigroup Commerzbank Deutsche Bank Société Générale Corporate J.P. Morgan & Investment Banking The Royal Bank of Scotland This Prospectus will be published in electronic form on the website of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (www.bourse.lu) and on the website of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA (http://www.bertelsmann.com/investor- relations/bonds/debt-issuance-programme/). This Prospectus replaces the Prospectus dated 23 April 2015 and is valid for a period of twelve months after its approval. RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA ("Bertelsmann" or the "Issuer" together with its consolidated group companies, the "Bertelsmann Group") with its registered office in Gütersloh, Germany accepts responsibility for the information given in this Prospectus including the documents incorporated by reference herein and for the information which will be contained in the Final Terms (as defined herein). The Issuer hereby declares that, having taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case, the information contained in this Prospectus for which it is responsible is, to the best of its knowledge and belief, in accordance with the facts and contains no omission likely to affect its import. NOTICE This Prospectus should be read and understood in conjunction with any supplement hereto and with any other documents incorporated herein by reference. Full information on the Issuer and any tranche of Notes is only available on the basis of the combination of the Prospectus and the relevant final terms (the "Final Terms"). The Dealers (as defined herein) have not independently verified the information contained herein. Accordingly, no representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made and no responsibility or liability is accepted by the Dealers as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this Prospectus or any other information provided by the Issuer in connection with the Programme or the Notes or their distribution. No Dealer accepts any liability in relation to the information contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus or any information provided by the Issuer in connection with the Programme or the Notes. The Dealers expressly do not undertake to review the financial condition or affairs of the Issuer during the life of the Programme or to advise any investor in the Notes of any information coming to their attention. The Issuer has confirmed to the Dealers that this Prospectus contains all information which is necessary to enable investors to make an informed assessment of the assets and liabilities, financial position, profit and losses and prospects of the Issuer and the rights attaching to the Notes which is material in the context of the Programme; that the information contained herein with respect to the Issuer and the Notes is accurate and complete in all material respects and is not misleading; that any opinions and intentions expressed herein are honestly held and based on reasonable assumptions; that there are no other facts with respect to the Issuer or the Notes, the omission of which would make this Prospectus as a whole or any of such information or the expression of any such opinions or intentions misleading; that the Issuer has made all reasonable enquiries to ascertain all facts material for the purposes aforesaid. The Issuer has undertaken with the Dealers (i) to supplement this Prospectus or publish a new Prospectus in the event of any significant new factor, material mistake or inaccuracy relating to the information included in this Prospectus in respect of Notes issued on the basis of this Prospectus which is capable of affecting the assessment of the Notes and which arises or is noted between the time when this Prospectus has been approved and the final closing of any tranche of Notes offered to the public or, as the case may be, when trading of any tranche of Notes on a regulated market begins, and (ii) where approval of the Commission of any such document is required, to have such document approved by the Commission. Subject as provided in the applicable Final Terms, the only persons authorised to use this Prospectus in connection with an offer of Notes are the persons named in the applicable Final Terms as the relevant Dealer or the Manager(s), as the case may be. No person has been authorised to give any information which is not contained in or not consistent with this Prospectus or any other document entered into in relation to the Programme or any information supplied by the Issuer or any other information in the public domain and, if given or made, such information must not be relied upon as having been authorised by the Issuer, the Dealers or any of them. Neither the Arranger nor any Dealer nor any other person mentioned in this Prospectus, excluding the Issuer, is responsible for the information contained in this Prospectus or any supplement hereto, or any Final Terms or any document incorporated herein by reference, and accordingly, and to the extent permitted by the laws of any relevant jurisdiction, none of these persons accepts any responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in any of these documents. This Prospectus is valid for 12 months after its approval and this Prospectus and any supplement hereto as well as any Final Terms reflect the status as of their respective dates of issue. The delivery of this Prospectus or any Final Terms and the offering, sale or delivery of any Notes may not be taken as an implication that the information contained in such documents is accurate and complete subsequent to their respective dates of issue or that there has been no adverse change in the financial situation of the Issuer since such date or 2 that any other information supplied in connection with the Programme is accurate at any time subsequent to the date on which it is supplied or, if different, the date indicated in the document containing the same. The distribution of this Prospectus and any Final Terms and the offering, sale and delivery of Notes in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this Prospectus or any Final Terms come are required to inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. For a description of the restrictions applicable in the United States of America, the European Economic Area in general, the United Kingdom and Japan see "Selling Restrictions". In particular, the Notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and are subject to tax law requirements of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The language of the Prospectus is English. Any part of this Prospectus in the German language constitutes a translation. In respect of the issue of any Tranche of Notes under the Programme, the German text of the Terms and Conditions may be controlling and binding if so specified in the relevant Final Terms. This Prospectus may only be used for the purpose for which it has been published. Each Dealer and/or each further financial intermediary subsequently reselling or finally placing Notes issued under the Programme is entitled to use the Prospectus as set out in "Consent to the Use of the Prospectus" below.