MADSACK Mediengruppe vs Score Media Group

RND Leaders Discuss Platform Dependency and Subscription Strategy

In an interview with MEEDIA, Denni Klein and Lina Timm, the co-CEOs of Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) within the Madsack Mediengruppe, discuss their first nine months in leadership. They outline their 'Abo First' and 'Regionaljournalismus First' strategy, emphasizing direct customer relationships to reduce platform dependency. The RND network partners with 139 media outlets and has grown digital subscriptions to about 375,000, with a 10-15% growth in Plus-Abos despite industry stagnation. They highlight their newsletter initiative (70+ local '5in5' newsletters, 1.1 million total newsletter subscriptions) as a key tool for loyalty and churn reduction. The leaders also address their shift away from optimizing for both advertising and subscription, their use of AI for content processing, and a major investment in a new data platform/CDP to power hyper-personalization.

• RND has around 375,000 digital subscriptions and 500,000 print subscriptions.
• Madsack is investing an eight-figure sum in a data platform, CDP, and customer marketing platform.
• RND has over 70 local '5in5' newsletters and a total of 1.1 million newsletter subscriptions.

Trust in Media Brand Boosts Ad Effectiveness More Than News Context

A new study by German media group Score Media, titled 'Faktor Vertrauen – Werbewirkung in Nachrichtenumfeldern regionaler News Brands', reveals that trust in the media brand is the primary driver of advertising effectiveness, far outweighing the impact of the surrounding news context. Based on a survey of 3,856 internet users in June, the study found that media brand trust explains 24% of variance in brand image and 23% in ad effectiveness, while the news context contributes only 0.2%. Negative news did not negatively affect brand perception. High trust levels boosted ad recall and recognition by up to 11 percentage points and significantly increased purchase intent and information interest. The study suggests that advertisers should not avoid news environments based solely on negative content, but rather prioritize trusted media brands, especially regional news outlets which enjoy high trust among readers.

• Score Media Group published the study 'Faktor Vertrauen – Werbewirkung in Nachrichtenumfeldern regionaler News Brands'.
• The study surveyed 3,856 internet users aged 18-69 in June.
• Media brand trust explains 24% of brand image variance and 23% of ad effectiveness variance.

Christopher Kaiser wird CEO der Score Media Group

Der Medien- und Digitalmanager bringt langjährige Vermarktungserfahrung und umfassende Expertise in der digitalen Transformation mit.

Christopher Kaiser Named New CEO of Score Media

Score Media Group, a German alliance of regional newspaper and media houses, will have a new CEO starting January 1, 2027. Christopher Kaiser, currently Co-CEO of Ströer Media Solutions and a member of Ströer's Executive Board, will succeed Carsten Dorn, who leaves after more than eight years to become managing director of audio marketer RMS, alongside Sven Thölen, succeeding Stefan Mölling, who will become Chief Commercial Officer at Ströer. Kaiser brings over 25 years of leadership experience in agencies and marketing, with a focus on digital, data-driven business models, and a decade at Ströer where he expanded programmatic offerings and integrated out-of-home with digital. He will aim to further develop Score Media's print and digital portfolio, leveraging his expertise in digital transformation through technology, data, and AI, building on Dorn's strong foundation.

• Christopher Kaiser becomes CEO of Score Media Group on January 1, 2027.
• Carsten Dorn leaves after more than eight years to become managing director of RMS, succeeding Stefan Mölling, who moves to Ströer as Chief Commercial Officer.
• Kaiser joins from Ströer, where he was Co-CEO of Ströer Media Solutions and a member of the Executive Board for over ten years.