RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery Deutschland have appointed Stephan Karrer and Claudia Ziemer (pictured) as managing directors of their new joint advertising sales house, El Cartel Brothers, which officially launches on 1 November 2025.
Based in Munich, the venture will handle all television advertising slots and parts of the digital inventory of both partners. Its portfolio includes German free-to-air channels RTLzwei, DMAX, TLC, Tele 5, HGTV and Eurosport 1, as well as their addressable TV inventory. Pay-TV brands Warner TV Serie, Warner TV Film, Warner TV Comedy, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet are also part of the line-up. In addition, El Cartel Brothers will market AVOD, YouTube and social media inventories, along with streaming offers from Discovery+ and RTLzwei’s presence on RTL+.
Ziemer, who previously spent more than 15 years at Warner Bros. Discovery in senior advertising roles, said: “With this joint venture we are setting a real milestone and creating a strong, future-oriented competitor in the German advertising market. Together with a great team, which brings together the combined expertise of both companies, we want to fully exploit the opportunities of our extensive portfolio to develop new, effective advertising formats for our clients and partners. We want to bring creative and commercial ideas to life that not only work but inspire – and in doing so, help redefine Germany’s advertising landscape.”
Karrer, who has led El Cartel since 2019 and previously held senior sales roles at RTLzwei and Discovery Networks, added: “This alliance between a mid-sized player and a global company marks an historic moment in the consolidation of the moving-image market – a step that has been discussed and widely desired for years. With perfectly complementary portfolios and strong consulting expertise full of ‘can-do spirit’, we want to set new impulses. And we are open to additional clients: our goal is clear – we want to play right at the top of the advertising market. I am looking forward to inspiring our clients with El Cartel Brothers.”
The new sales house combines what the partners describe as the “start-up culture of a new player” with the experience of established teams. Most of the existing ad sales staff from both companies will move across to the venture, ensuring continuity for advertisers. Booking processes will remain unchanged at launch, while the teams are already coordinating closely with clients and agencies to guarantee planning security.
El Cartel Brothers also unveiled its new brand identity today. Its typographic logo merges the recently rebranded “El Cartel” name with a contrasting “Brothers”, reflecting the breadth of the company’s remit. The colour scheme combines two shades of blue, a bright yellow and a sand tone. The corporate identity was developed in-house.
The joint venture received clearance from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office earlier this month, following its initial announcement in July. At the time, both partners highlighted the need for stronger competition in the German advertising market, which has been dominated by ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Group’s Ad Alliance. By pooling their resources, RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery aim to create a third major force in the sector.
According to the companies, El Cartel Brothers is designed not only to compete with established players, but also to attract new clients. The venture signals a further step in the consolidation of the TV advertising landscape in Germany, where rising competition from global digital platforms has intensified pressure on broadcasters to innovate and scale up their sales operations.
