Axel Springer vs ProSiebenSat.1

Morning Brew Acquires Express Checkout Newsletter

Morning Brew Inc., the business media publisher owned by Axel Springer, has acquired Express Checkout, a creator-led media brand focused on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The all-cash deal, whose terms were not disclosed, gives Morning Brew 100% of Express Checkout's intellectual property. Co-founders Nate Rosen and Jenna Movsowitz will join Morning Brew full-time. Express Checkout started as a weekly newsletter covering CPG and e-commerce. This acquisition continues Morning Brew's strategy of bringing independent creators and their audiences into its portfolio.

• Morning Brew Inc. acquires Express Checkout, a creator-led CPG media brand.
• The deal is all-cash and includes 100% of Express Checkout's intellectual property.
• Co-founders Nate Rosen and Jenna Movsowitz will join Morning Brew full-time.

Carsten Schwecke to Lead Retail Media at MediaMarktSaturn

Carsten Schwecke, formerly Chief Commercial Officer at RTL Deutschland and previously head of marketing at Seven.One Entertainment Group, will become co-CEO and Managing Director of MediaMarktSaturn Marketing GmbH on November 1, 2026, leading the retail media and partner marketing unit jointly with CMO Michael Schuld. Schwecke focuses on expanding first-party data activation, offsite media, and the publisher business, broadening the growth strategy beyond retail media and partner marketing. He succeeds Boris Prondzinski and Torsten Ahlers, who are leaving amicably; Ahlers supports the handover until January 31, 2027. In fiscal year 2024/25, retail media revenue reached around 91 million euros, up from about 5 million three years earlier. For offsite expansion, MediaMarktSaturn partners with Unlimitail.

• Carsten Schwecke becomes co-CEO and Managing Director of MediaMarktSaturn Marketing GmbH on November 1, 2026, alongside CMO Michael Schuld.
• Schwecke previously held leadership roles at RTL Deutschland, Seven.One Entertainment Group, and Axel Springer.
• He will focus on first-party data activation, offsite media, and expanding the publisher business as part of a broader growth strategy.

Peter Thiel mit dem Axel Springer Award 2026 ausgezeichnet

Unternehmer und Investor für seinen prägenden Einfluss auf die digitale Transformation gewürdigt / Diskussion über Innovation, Freiheit und die Zukunft westlicher Gesellschaften

The Voice Hits Streaming Record, Babylon Berlin Strong

The AGF's program brand measurement data for calendar week 39 (September 21-27, 2026) shows that 'The Voice of Germany' reached a new streaming record of 511,000 unique viewers on Joyn, crossing the half-million mark for the first time since the metric was introduced in 2024. It was the strongest Joyn brand of the week. Meanwhile, ARD's 'Sportschau' led the overall streaming ranking with 1.767 million viewers, helped by the German national football team's match against Greece, closely followed by 'Babylon Berlin' with 1.75 million, which remained the most-watched fiction title. RTL's 'Oktagon MMA' also posted a streaming best outside the top 20. The data covers streaming on the providers' own platforms, excluding YouTube and social networks, and represents net reach, not average viewership.

• The Voice of Germany reached 511,000 streaming viewers on Joyn, a record for the brand and first time above 500,000.
• Sportschau led streaming rankings with 1.767 million viewers, followed by Babylon Berlin with 1.75 million.
• Babylon Berlin remained the most-watched fiction show, with a slight decrease of 143,000 viewers week-over-week.

ProSieben and Sat.1 cut repeat rate in September

In September 2026, the German TV channels ProSieben and Sat.1 significantly reduced their share of repeats in primetime (20:15–midnight), according to DWDL's 'Frische-Index'. ProSieben's freshness score rose by 15 points year-over-year to 65 out of 100, while Sat.1 reached 64, also up 15 points. This marked the largest annual improvement among the eight major broadcasters analyzed. ZDF, RTL, and Das Erste led the ranking with scores around 85-86, largely unchanged from the previous year. VOX recovered from the bottom group, while RTLzwei and kabel eins saw declines in freshness. Despite the improvement, the year-to-date average for ProSieben and Sat.1 remains lower than the same period last year, indicating that the overall repeat rate is still higher across the industry.

• ProSieben's freshness score rose to 65/100 in September 2026, up 15 points year-over-year.
• Sat.1's freshness score increased to 64/100, also up 15 points compared to September 2025.
• ZDF, RTL, and Das Erste led with scores of 86, 86, and 85 respectively.

ProSieben launches new show 'Catch Us' with Andrea Kiewel

ProSieben is expanding its collaboration with Andrea 'Kiwi' Kiewel, who will participate as a contestant in the new show 'Catch Us. Die Jagd durch Europa'. The show, hosted by Steven Gätjen, features Kiewel, comedian Chris Tall, and TV journalist Jenke von Wilmsdorff with his son Jánik as 'targets' fleeing through European cities. They will be pursued by six hunter teams while completing tasks to avoid detection. Viewers can participate via social media and the Joyn app. The format, produced by Redseven Entertainment, combines classic chase and game show elements with interactive audience engagement. It will air on ProSieben from November 10 for three consecutive prime-time evenings.

• ProSieben will air 'Catch Us. Die Jagd durch Europa' starting November 10, 2026, in prime time.
• Andrea Kiewel, Chris Tall, and Jenke von Wilmsdorff with his son Jánik will be the 'targets' in the show.
• Steven Gätjen will host the show as the gamemaster.