In a recent interview with Hungarian online news portal index.hu, Péter Kolosi, Chief Content Officer of RTL Hungary, talked about the interest in the Champions League, the rationale behind filming a double season of the reality show The Traitors and the strengths of this year’s The X Factor – to name a few strong programmes coming to RTL in Hungary this autumn.

Reflecting on the first half of the year, Péter Kolosi expressed satisfaction with RTL Hungary’s achievements, noting that the company outperformed main competitor TV2 for six out of eight months and led the market for five months. “I'm very happy with our results this year, and not just for RTL as a channel, because our portfolio, which has now grown to 12 channels, was also the market leader in prime time during this period.”

Péter discussed the strategic decisions behind the autumn season’s programming. He mentioned the early launch of the successful show Sztárbox to pre-empt competition from TV2. “Both commercial channels ‘tacticise’ when making decisions about the autumn season,” he remarked, emphasising the importance of timing in their programming strategy.

Following a successful first season, the second season of Sztárbox started on 1 September, with the first episode achieving stronger audience shares than the opening show last year. “I'm sure that this autumn, like last year, this show will not only be the talk of television, but also one of the most popular topics in the country”, noted Péter.

On 2 September, RTL Hungary launched new game show Kalandra fal! (Adventure Wall!), produced by the Hungarian arm of UFA. Kalandra fal! features celebrities and offers pure entertainment for the entire family. “I think anyone who spends that one hour in front of the screen has a lot of fun”, said Péter about the format.

Football fever

Péter Kolosi also discussed the high interest in the UEFA Champions League, which RTL Hungary holds the broadcasting rights for, starting with the 2024/25 season. In total, RTL Hungary will show 192 matches on streaming service RTL+, with selected matches also available on linear TV.

Péter addressed the significant resources – both human and technical – required to manage the broadcasts, especially when covering seven matches simultaneously. “I'm expecting a very exciting season“, concluded Péter, adding that football fans should subscribe to RTL+, as many important matches will be available exclusively on the streaming platform.

Aimed at engaging viewers ahead of the UEFA Champions League, RTL Hungary has been showing Kabát FC, a reality show with a football theme, since early September. Péter explained that the format was designed to provide light entertainment for the whole family, aligning with their strategy of offering easy-going content at the start of the autumn season.

Old favourites return

The interview also touched on the return of popular formats like The X Factor, which Péter described as significantly revamped with a new panel of mentors. He also talked about The Traitors, which will return with two editions: with and without celebrities. “It's very interesting how different it is when you have celebrities and when you have civilians – even the atmosphere is different. (…) If someone watches both seasons, even though they are watching the same format, they will see two very different shows”, highlighted Péter.

Péter also commented on Fort Boyard, which launched on RTL in Hungary on 16 September: “I believe that Fort Boyard will be a new face in Hungarian television, because this type of content has not been seen much in the last 20 years.” The game show, originally developed in France, has been revamped and promises to bring a fresh and exciting element to Hungarian television. “I hope that the viewers will like it as much as I do – my colleagues enjoyed making the programme very much”, added Péter.

Other popular formats, including Házasodna a gazda (Farmer Wants a Wife), Nyerő Páros (Power Couples) and A Konyhafőnök (The Kitchen Chef) will also make a comeback on RTL Hungary’s channels this autumn. “It's going to be exciting on TV every day from now until Christmas, and that's good”, summarised Péter.

When asked about what the biggest challenge of the season will be, Péter Kolosi replied: “The ratings race itself – but just as the result of a football match is not decided in the third minute of the first half, that's something we can talk about later in the year.”