Adrenaline-fueled brand integrations: Seven.One Media wins HOLY, Samsung, FitnessFirst, NordVPN and Hansaplast for the third "THE RACE" adventure
Unterföhring, March 9, 2026. Joyn’s most successful creator format is back in full swing: the third season of "THE RACE" – the award-winning adventure format by YouTuber David Heinrichs alias "DAVE" – is running free of charge on Joyn since March 8. Two weeks later, the episodes will also be available on YouTube. A major innovation marks the new season: for the first time, studio flitz, the ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary founded in 2025, is responsible for the entire production, while sales are in the hands of Seven.One Media. This means that creation, implementation and sales are bundled under the ProSiebenSat.1 umbrella for the first time, paving the way for particularly harmonious and creative brand presentations. Seven.One Media was able to get HOLY, Samsung Electronics, FitnessFirst, Saily eSIM and Hansaplast on board for the new season.
Lennart Harendza, Chief Revenue Officer Seven.One Media: “'THE RACE' impressively demonstrates the appeal that high-reach creators and an adrenaline-fueled adventure format can have – for viewers as well as for advertising customers. Thanks to in-house production, we were able to think strategically about sales early on and thus achieve particularly effective integrations. And the results are impressive: with the new season, we have brands from a wide range of industries, such as beverages, technology and fitness, benefiting from the gripping storyline, the charisma of the creators and an impressive digital reach."
The Berlin-based soft drink brand HOLY is accompanying the entire season as a beverage partner with a comprehensive placement package: beverage powders and matching shakers are part of the basic equipment for all participants – accompanying them through the physical and mental challenges of the competition. At the same time, Samsung Electronics is putting its latest smartwatch in the spotlight: all participants wear the latest Galaxy Watch Ultra, whose tracking functions are an integral part of the format. In special situations, the smartwatch is also integrated via data panels displaying the creators' heart rate, steps taken and distance covered. The Samsung integrations were realized in collaboration with the product placement agency PARTICIBRAND, which has been working with Samsung Electronics Germany since 2023.
In addition, Seven.One Media is offering the advertising format "YouTube episode partnership" for the first time: a 90-second spot integrated directly into the YouTube episode, in which a creator from the season presents a product authentically and in the look and feel of the format. FitnessFirst (agency: PIA Media) kicked things off with three episodes in the previous wildcard challenge "THE RACE – Die Wildcard Challenge". In addition, FitnessFirst is accompanying the season with a Joyn fitness tip that draws attention to the fitness clubs and Hyrox offers in selected studios. In the subsequent main season "THE RACE", the Saily brand is taking over the YouTube episode partnership to draw attention to its eSIM service developed by the creators of NordVPN, while HOLY and Hansaplast will also follow as episode partners later in the season.
The third season of "THE RACE" is running since Sunday, March 8, free of charge, with two episodes per week on Joyn.