Politico agrees to be acquired by the German publisher Axel Springer.

Politico, the Washington news site that has prospered for years as Beltway professionals gobbled up its scoops and inside-baseball style reporting, will have a new owner.

The German publishing giant Axel Springer agreed to buy Politico in a deal announced Thursday that could shake up the Washington media scene.

Springer will take control of Politico, its sister site Politico Europe and Politico’s tech news site Protocol, a relatively new venture, the companies said. The New York Times earlier reported that Politico’s owner, Robert Albritton, was seeking $1 billion for the deal. The companies did not disclose financial terms.

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