Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has cleared the planned joint advertising sales company between RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery, paving the way for the two broadcasters to consolidate their TV ad marketing efforts in a new venture called El Cartel Brothers.
The authority’s decision follows a detailed examination of the deal’s potential impact on competition in Germany’s advertising market. El Cartel Brothers is set to launch in 2026, based in Munich, and will handle the TV and selected digital advertising inventory of both companies.
Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, described the deal as a sign of the times: “The television landscape is changing, and companies are increasingly interested in cooperation in order to hold their ground amid growing competition from international players. Although the conditions in the market have so far prevented closer links between competitors in previous cases, there are no grounds for prohibiting the cooperation project between RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery under merger control rules.”
According to the cartel office, both companies are considered smaller players in the broader big-screen advertising market, which now includes not only traditional TV but also advertising-funded streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube. The authority concluded that the cooperation could even strengthen competition in this expanded market definition.
The announcement of the strategic alliance with Warner Bros. Discovery marks a notable turnaround for RTLzwei. In December 2024, the cartel office had blocked an attempt by RTL Group’s Ad Alliance to take over ad sales for RTLzwei – a move that cast doubt on the future of RTLzwei’s in-house sales unit, El Cartel Media. Now, in an unexpected twist, RTLzwei is not only preserving its sales capabilities but strengthening them through a new partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery.
For Warner Bros. Discovery, the alliance is a strategic move ahead of the German launch of HBO Max in 2026. The streaming service is expected to include an advertising-financed subscription tier, adding further relevance to the company’s ad sales operations.
The new company will integrate teams from both El Cartel and Warner Bros. Discovery’s sales departments. Leadership details for El Cartel Brothers have yet to be announced.
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