Observed Signal · Jul 3, 2026 · Industry Event (Festival) · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Screenforce Festival 2026: Broadcasters Reveal Season Plans
At the Screenforce Festival in Düsseldorf, major German broadcasters and media sellers — including RTL, ProSiebenSat.1, Disney, ARD Media, Visoon and production partner El Cartel Brothers — presented programming and commercial plans for the coming TV season. ProSiebenSat.1 highlighted travel-focused formats with Joko & Klaas, the comeback of Alexander Hold, a set of sporting rights and new entertainment formats; Disney Advertising announced a rebrand from Disney Channel to "Disney TV" and a new German Hulu series; RTL and Sky presented jointly with a clear sports emphasis. RTLzwei reported growth across linear TV and streaming (RTL+) and outlined new reality, dating and docusoap titles. DWDL.de covered the two-day festival and published interviews with ProSiebenSat.1 executives about investing in new brands and the competitive position of TV and streaming versus social platforms.
Market-facing programming and commercial announcements from major German broadcasters shape upcoming TV inventory, sponsorship and cross-platform strategies — relevant to advertisers and media buyers but not a structural industry change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- RTL, ProSiebenSat.1, El Cartel Brothers, Visoon, Disney and ARD Media presented their plans for the upcoming TV season at the Screenforce Festival in Düsseldorf.
- ProSiebenSat.1 announced travel-focused formats featuring Joko & Klaas, the return of Alexander Hold, programming tied to seven world championships, and other new entertainment series.
- Disney Advertising revealed a rebranding of Disney Channel to "Disney TV" and announced a new German Hulu series.
- RTL and Sky presented together for the first time at the festival, emphasising sport as a joint strength; RTLzwei reported rising linear ratings and strong reality performance on RTL+ with plans for new reality, dating and docusoap formats.
- DWDL.de conducted interviews with ProSiebenSat.1 executives Henrik Pabst and Nicola Lussana discussing investment in new brands and faces and TV's competitiveness with platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Connected Companies & Entities
11 Entities mapped“Screenforce Festival 2026 was the central genre event of the German TV industry and featured screenings and programme announcements from maj...”
“Joko and Klaas are going on trips for ProSiebenSat.1 — and not only them: many formats focus on distant countries; Alexander Hold returns, R...”
“Visoon duo Kai Ladwig and Franjo Martinovic have delivered memorable music appearances in Screenforce history and again performed as 'Modern...”
“Disney Advertising's screening in Düsseldorf surprised with news: alongside storytelling expertise there were announcements about the free-T...”
“At the Screenforce Festival, RTL and Sky presented together for the first time and located their joint strength particularly in sport....”
“No one reports as comprehensively as DWDL.de about the central genre event of the German TV industry....”
“Image and caption credits on coverage include Screenforce/WBD/DWDL, indicating Warner Bros. Discovery presence in festival imagery and cover...”
“In an interview ProSiebenSat.1 executives discussed investing in programming and the strengths of TV & Joyn in competition with TikTok, YouT...”
“At the Screenforce Festival, RTL and Sky presented together for the first time and located their joint strength particularly in sport....”
“RTL, ProSiebenSat.1, El Cartel Brothers, Visoon, Disney and ARD Media presented their plans for the coming TV season in Düsseldorf....”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Screenforce Festival: RTL Shines, Seven.One's Pufpaff, TV Wins
The Screenforce Festival returned after a year as a showcase for German broadcasters and sales houses to present programming and advertising propositions to advertisers and agencies. Six media sellers ran screenings — AdAlliance (RTL Deutschland), Seven.One Media (ProSiebenSat.1), newcomer El Cartel Brothers (representing Warner Bros. Discovery and RTLzwei), Disney Advertising, Visoon (Welt/Paramount) and ARD Media. RTL Deutschland's combined group made the biggest impression following the Sky Deutschland acquisition, while Seven.One's screening featured comedian Sebastian Pufpaff lampooning ad spots. Disney Advertising and ARD Media surprised with more personable presentations. Across presentations, the market emphasised tried-and-tested formats — notably more reality programming and live sports — and the report concludes that linear TV remains a strong, relevant advertising medium in Germany.
Screenforce Festival 2026 Returns with Multiple Premieres
The Screenforce Festival returned after a one-year break on July 1, 2026 in Düsseldorf, serving as an industry showcase where TV sales houses presented upcoming programming and advertising environments. The event features several premieres: the first public appearance of the reorganized RTL Deutschland following the Sky Deutschland takeover, ProSiebenSat.1's first industry event under MediaForEurope with new sales chief Nicola Lussana, ARD Media's return to the stage under MD Ralf Hape, and El Cartel Brothers debuting as the new sales house for RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery. Ad Alliance is also presenting that it has marketed HBO Max since January. Paramount, Visoon (Springer sales house) and Disney are among other participants completing the program.
Determined to Invest in New Brands and Faces
ProSiebenSat.1 executives Henrik Pabst and Nicola Lussana spoke at the Screenforce Festival in Düsseldorf, defending TV’s commercial strengths and outlining the broadcaster’s programming and monetisation strategy. They highlighted a strong upcoming season with increased sports rights (seven world championships, including three home events), new entertainment formats and established, highly planable shows. The interview emphasised Joyn’s rising reach and a balanced approach between linear channels (Sat.1, ProSieben) and streaming/partner platforms to maximise audience. ProSiebenSat.1 reiterated its commitment to ad‑funded models, CPM/TKP products and expanding data‑driven targeting on Joyn while arguing TV/streaming deliver superior brand effect in lean‑back viewing and present a “safe space” compared with some digital platforms.
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