Ex-RTL Commercial Chief Carsten Schwecke to Run MediaMarktSaturn's €91m Retail-Media Arm
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Carsten Schwecke, formerly RTL Deutschland's commercial chief, is taking over MediaMarktSaturn's fast-growing retail-media and marketing business from 1 November 2026.
A broadcast sales boss moves into retail media
Carsten Schwecke becomes CEO of MediaMarktSaturn Marketing GmbH on 1 November 2026, reporting to EVP and CMO Michael Schuld. He takes charge of the electronics retailer's retail-media and marketing operation across 11 countries.
He replaces two departing executives: Boris Prondzinski, leaving at the end of November, and Torsten Ahlers, leaving at the end of January. Schwecke's background is squarely in media sales — most recently chief commercial officer at RTL Deutschland, which he left in April 2026 after the Sky Deutschland restructuring, and before that roles at Seven.One/Media Impact and Axel Springer.
A unit that grew from €5m to €91m
The business Schwecke inherits has grown fast. Spun out as a standalone unit in 2021, it generated around €91m in revenue in FY2024/25 — up from roughly €5m three years earlier.
The offer spans onsite digital ads, programmatic in-store screens and joined-up reporting, and it is extending into offsite reach through the Unlimitail partnership. Schwecke's stated priorities are activating first-party data and growing offsite media.
Why a TV executive, and why now
Marketing Minute's read: hiring a senior national-TV sales leader to run a retailer's ad business is a signal in itself. It says MediaMarktSaturn no longer sees retail media as an add-on to the shop — it sees it as premium, broadcast-grade inventory that deserves broadcast-grade commercial leadership.
That tracks a broader shift. Retail-media networks have moved from "monetise the website" to "sell audiences." A TV-sales executive brings exactly the muscle that shift needs: packaging audiences, pricing reach and selling to the same brand and agency buyers who already sit across the table for connected TV.
What advertisers should expect
Expect a harder push on first-party-data targeting and offsite extension, so MediaMarktSaturn audiences can be reached beyond its own properties — and expect more TV-style deal structures, with upfront-like commitments and audience guarantees.
For planners, the practical move is to treat MediaMarktSaturn as a media seller, not just a retail partner, in 2027 negotiations. Bring the scrutiny you apply to broadcasters: measurement, incrementality and transparency on where offsite impressions actually run.
A simple test of whether retail media has matured in your category: are you buying shelf and promotion, or are you buying audiences? This hire is a clear bet on the latter.
Quick FAQ
Who is Carsten Schwecke?
A German media-sales executive, previously chief commercial officer at RTL Deutschland, with earlier roles at Seven.One/Media Impact and Axel Springer. He joins MediaMarktSaturn as CEO of its marketing GmbH.
How big is MediaMarktSaturn's retail-media business?
Around €91m in revenue in FY2024/25 across 11 countries, up from about €5m three years earlier.
When does the change take effect?
1 November 2026, with Schwecke reporting to EVP and CMO Michael Schuld.
When a retailer hires a national-TV sales boss, it's telling you the media network, not the shelves, is the growth engine. Retail media has graduated from a website add-on to an audience business — and audience businesses get sold the way broadcasters sell reach, not the way shops sell promotions. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Start treating big retail-media networks as media sellers to be scrutinised like broadcasters, not as retail partners to be negotiated like shelf space.
In your next retail-media deal, are you buying promotions — or audiences you can actually measure?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: ADZINE, DWDL, campaigngermany.de.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
