So I'm alone in being uncomfortable about the "People of color watch" being initialed "SS" then?

Also, can I just say that this is so disappointing. AV Club readers are supposed to be intelligent, smart people. And you can come up with nothing but Nazi jokes when you hear "German"? Not only is this borderline racist; mostly, it's so terribly lazy.

Yes. The theory is that when the sponsor actually pays for it, that's a huge intrusion into the producer's editorial discretion, so it must be marked. If it's "just" free content, then the producer is less compelled to bow to the wishes of the advertiser. He can take it or leave it.

No. Interviews are protected by freedom of the press, of course.

It's actually European Union law, not a specifically German one. It stipulates that paid-for product integration must be marked on-air at the beginning of the show and after each commercial pod.

Actually, the official phrase required is "Unterstützt durch Produktplatzierung". So now you know that, you can stop mocking German society and start mocking German language…