RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery Deutschland have announced the launch of their joint advertising sales house, El Cartel Brothers, with Stephan Karrer and Claudia Ziemer appointed as managing directors. Officially launching on November 1, 2025, the Munich-based venture will manage television advertising for both partners, including digital inventory.
El Cartel Brothers’ portfolio includes free-to-air channels RTLzwei, DMAX, TLC, Tele 5, HGTV, and Eurosport 1, along with their addressable TV inventory. Pay-TV brands Warner TV Serie, Warner TV Film, Warner TV Comedy, Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet are also included. The sales house will also market AVOD, YouTube, and social media inventories, plus streaming offers from Discovery+ and RTLzwei’s presence on RTL+.
Claudia Ziemer, formerly of Warner Bros. Discovery, stated: “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.”
Stephan Karrer, who has led El Cartel since 2019, 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 established teams with a “start-up culture.” Most existing ad sales staff will transition to El Cartel Brothers. Booking processes will remain unchanged initially, with close coordination with clients and agencies to ensure planning security. El Cartel Brothers also unveiled a new brand identity.
The joint venture received approval from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office earlier this month. RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery aim to create a third major force in the German advertising market, competing with ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Group’s Ad Alliance, and attracting new clients. This signals further consolidation in the German TV advertising landscape due to rising competition from digital platforms.