German broadcasting company RTL Deutschland has taken over Sky Deutschland in a significant media convergence move.
RTL Deutschland, a leading European broadcaster and streaming group, has announced its acquisition of Sky Deutschland's operations. This strategic move expands RTL's reach to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and South Tyrol, positioning the company to challenge U.S. streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+.
The deal, initially valued at €150 million with potential earn-outs tied to RTL's share price performance, is expected to significantly enhance RTL's portfolio in sports, entertainment, and informational programming. The acquisition combines two influential European media brands across free-to-air, pay-TV, and streaming platforms.
RTL Deutschland delivers a broad mix of entertainment, sports, news, and factual programming. With Sky Deutschland's operations, the company will gain access to high-demand sports content such as Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Premier League, and Formula 1. This content will be integrated into RTL's streaming platform RTL+, boosting subscriber numbers and engagement, and creating a more comprehensive content offering.
Expected synergies include operational efficiencies from consolidating back-end operations, marketing, and technology workflows. The deal also aims to increase market power against US streaming competitors by combining subscriber bases, creating a brand with around 11.5 million paying customers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of neighboring countries.
Cross-platform distribution will also be optimized, aligning Sky's pay-TV sports-centric offering with RTL's entertainment and free-to-air portfolio. The company targets approximately €250 million in synergies over three years.
The acquisition was announced on June 27, 2025, in Munich. Regulatory clearance for the deal is expected in 2026. Upon completion, RTL's revenue outlook is projected at €4.6 billion.
In summary, RTL aims to build a more competitive, diversified media platform by combining Sky Deutschland’s premium sports assets with RTL’s broad entertainment offerings and streaming capabilities, creating strategic synergies around content, scale, and customer loyalty to better challenge global streamers.
- With the acquisition of Sky Deutschland's operations, RTL Deutschland's portfolio in sports, entertainment, and general-news programming is anticipated to be enhanced significantly.
- The combined media brands across free-to-air, pay-TV, and streaming platforms will offer a more comprehensive content selection, including technology-driven sports content such as Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Premier League, and Formula 1.
