Announced in June 2025 and now moving through European regulatory approvals, RTL Group’s planned acquisition of Sky Deutschland marks the Group’s biggest deal since its inception. 

“We strongly believe that in-country consolidation is essential to ensure long-term competitiveness,” says Thomas Rabe. “Scale within national markets unlocks significant synergies and enables greater investments in content, technology and innovation.”  

Thomas Rabe describes the acquisition as “transformational” for RTL Group’s streaming business: 

“It will take us to around 11.5 million paying subscribers in the DACH region, making us the clear number three streaming provider. We will further diversify our revenue streams and enhance our appeal to creative talent, rights holders and business partners.” 

Integration will follow a ‘best-of-both’ approach, combining strengths from RTL and Sky with an even stronger focus on streaming. Within three years of closing, RTL Group targets annual synergies of around €250 million.

“The combination of RTL and Sky provides a strong foundation for future growth: two of the most powerful entertainment and sports brands in Europe teaming up to create a unique video proposition across free TV, pay TV and streaming.”

🔹Strategic priorities and partnerships 

“The international media industry is in the middle of a fundamental transformation, with big opportunities for those prepared to shape the future. And we are,” says Thomas Rabe. He outlined RTL Group’s three strategic priorities: strengthening our core business, scaling growth drivers and expanding alliances and partnerships across the industry.  

“We’re focusing on what RTL does best: investing in premium content, strengthening our families of channels, pursuing synergistic acquisitions – think about our announcement to acquire Sky Deutschland – and managing both costs and our portfolio with discipline.” 

Fremantle, home to the Got Talent franchise, remains one of RTL Group’s key growth drivers.

“Second, our growth priorities include strengthening and scaling our streaming services RTL+ and M6+, advancing in advertising technology and digital advertising, and further expanding Fremantle’s global content production footprint.”  

“And third, alliances and partnerships,” says Thomas Rabe. “Whether in advertising sales, content development or distribution, we believe that collaboration – both within RTL Group and across the wider industry – is essential for long-term success.”

He highlights the renewed streaming partnership with Deutsche Telekom until at least 2030, which hard-bundles RTL+ in MagentaTV. 

“This long-term extension not only boosts our reach and subscriber growth but also supports our path to profitability by 2026.” 

🔹YouTube and local platforms: a balanced approach 

On RTL Group’s strategy toward global platforms, Thomas Rabe explained that the company aims to balance collaboration and independence: “Our approach is to embrace global platforms like YouTube where they add value, while at the same time investing in our own services and local content, all of which are essential to RTL Group’s long-term growth.”  

“Rather than competing head-on, we use YouTube strategically to extend the reach and monetisation of our content and for promotion,” explains Thomas Rabe. Fremantle, for instance, is one of the biggest producers on YouTube worldwide, with billions of monthly views from global franchises such as Got Talent and Idol. 

“Second, our growth priorities include strengthening and scaling our streaming services RTL+ and M6+, advancing in advertising technology and digital advertising, and further expanding Fremantle’s global content production footprint.”  

RTL Deutschland is also using YouTube to expand reach and monetisation, launching dedicated YouTube channels for popular programmes like Alarm für Cobra 11. 

“Building on this momentum, six additional channels are planned for 2025, with further expansion continuing in 2026,” says Thomas Rabe.  

🔹AI and creativity 

AI is central to RTL Group’s transformation. “AI will fundamentally change the economics of video production, enabling massive cost savings and serving as a key driver of profitability for media companies in the years ahead, leading to more content produced, intensifying the battle for discoverability of programmes and for the attention of audiences,” says Thomas Rabe. 

He adds: “The challenge for us is to capture these efficiencies faster and more effectively than others, which requires us to rethink traditional workflows.” Already, Fremantle’s Imaginae Studios explores native AI production, while RTL Deutschland uses an AI-powered youth protection tool to flag sensitive content, cutting screening time by up to 80 per cent while keeping human oversight.  

Beyond safety, AI is also transforming our marketing efforts across RTL Deutschland, Groupe M6 and Fremantle, where it already generates trailers, openers and bumpers, delivering meaningful savings and creative impact. 

“But first and foremost, we will remain the partner of choice for creative talent. We know human creativity is, and always will be, the foundation of our success, and, combined with AI, will continue to thrive at RTL Group,” says Thomas Rabe. 

🔹Outlook 

Looking ahead, Thomas Rabe emphasises execution and delivery:
“Our priority is clear: executing our strategy. On streaming, this means reaching our subscriber and profitability targets. Fremantle’s focus is to continue growing its creative pipeline, particularly in drama and entertainment formats, while integrating AI into production workflows. And once we have received regulatory approvals for the acquisition of Sky Deutschland, our goal will be to integrate the business and realise the targeted synergies. Exciting times are ahead for RTL Group.” 

➡️ Read the full article on World Screen (p. 121/284)