SPIEGEL-Gruppe

HandOfBlood Runs Satirical Drink Spot During ZDF Break

During the Switzerland vs. Algeria World Cup match on July 3, 2026, streamer Maximilian Knabe (known as HandOfBlood) paid for and aired a 15‑second satirical clip during a ZDF 'drinking pause' ad break. In the vertical video he addressed the ZDF audience as 'Präsident Knabe' of the fictional Eintracht Spandau and held up a can labelled 'KnabeMix' while criticizing FIFA and the commercialization of the tournament. Knabe’s management said he financed the spot with his beverage brand Knabe Drinks; Der Spiegel reported the cost as a 'low to mid five‑figure' amount. The clip followed standard ads from MediaMarkt and Tipico and was cut off after 15 seconds by ZDF's usual station ident (Mainzelmännchen). The story was reported by DWDL on July 3, 2026.

RTLzwei to Grow via Reality, Dating and Docs

RTL Zwei will continue to expand its reality formats and social reportages, commissioning new shows that spotlight everyday people such as snack-bar operators (e.g., the documentary 'Die Imbisshelden'), police officers, unemployed people and even documentaries about terminally ill people seeking to end their lives. The coverage reiterates the channel’s editorial focus on real‑people factual programming—genres it previously established with formats like 'Armes Deutschland' and 'Hartz und herzlich'. This reporting aligns with broader programming plans announced for RTLzwei to grow via reality, dating and documentary content, including multiple new seasons, new format brands and documentary specials, as part of a strategy to raise linear audience share and feed streaming siblings.

Funke Appoints Jesper Doub and Stephan Thurm

Funke Mediengruppe has expanded its group executive management from two to four members, effective July 1, 2026, adding Jesper Doub and Stephan Thurm to join Simone Kasik and Christoph Rüth. The company said the new structure ensures all market-facing business areas are directly represented in the corporate management team while retaining the existing divisional setup. Jesper Doub will lead the National Brands unit, Stephan Thurm will head Funke Digital, Simone Kasik remains Chief Financial Officer for Corporate Services, and Christoph Rüth continues to oversee regional media and IT. In parallel, shareholders appointed entrepreneur and digital strategist Philipp Wachter to Funke’s supervisory board and shareholders’ committee; publisher Julia Becker praised his strategic vision and execution capability. Funke framed the moves as a way to strengthen cross-division collaboration, accelerate innovation and better network content, products and monetization offers across the portfolio.