The innovative partnership between the leading German pay and free-to-air TV broadcasters, which is unique in the German TV market so far, has the goal of offering German viewers access to even more live sport and delivering greater value to both Sky and RTL Deutschland viewers. 

The two-year partnership will see seven Formula 1 races broadcast live on RTL in Germany, alongside one game from the English Premier League per match week on RTL+, and three conference broadcasts of the 2nd Bundesliga on RTL. As part of the commercial agreement, Sky Deutschland will receive rights to two Europa League or Europa Conference League games per match week, providing subscribers access to premium live sport every Thursday. The partnership additionally includes selected highlights rights, Sky fiction blockbusters and close collaboration in production and on-screen editorial between the two broadcasters. 

Barny Mills, CEO of Sky Deutschland, says: “With an unmissable schedule, Sky Sport is known by sports fans as the leading pay-TV broadcaster of live sport. By creating this innovative partnership with RTL Deutschland, we will provide even more viewers with a showcase of those exciting sporting moments executed by the brilliant team at Sky Sport as a sample of what is on offer from a full subscription. As consumer habits evolve and change over time, it is our role to anticipate and provide solutions that make life easier for the viewer. This partnership represents that thinking in action and we are excited to join forces with RTL Deutschland.” 

Stephan Schmitter, Chief Content Officer and incoming CEO of RTL Deutschland, says: “RTL Deutschland is the place for fantastic live sport and magical sport events in free-to-air TV and streaming. As the German free-TV market leader, we want to offer our viewers the best possible content – both on RTL and on our streaming service RTL+. Our new content partnership with Sky is the next major step for our ‘all-inclusive entertainment’ promise, as it perfectly complements our fiction and sports offering of football, American football and motorsport. At the same time, we ensure the greatest possible exposure across free-TV and streaming for Sky’s highly attractive sports rights, produced by great sport teams on both sides.” 

Highlights of the co-exclusive partnership: 

• Seven Formula 1 races per season on RTL, alongside every qualifying session and the first race of the season on all RTL platforms
• Three 2nd Bundesliga conference broadcasts per season on RTL
• One Premier League game per match week on RTL+
• Select highlights and news clips
• Two Europa League or Europa Conference League games per match week on Sky
• High-end fiction formats from Sky non-exclusive on RTL+, such as Der Pass and Das Boot

The partnership will begin in 2024, with details of the specific races and matches to be confirmed nearer to the time of broadcast. Sharing live sport and content is the start of a broader partnership between RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland, with the ambition of finding further ways to share content in the future. 

About Sky Deutschland 

Sky Deutschland is one of the leading entertainment providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its programme offering consists of the best live sports, exclusive series, the latest films, a wide range of children's programmes, exciting documentaries and entertaining shows - including Sky Originals. Viewers can watch the programme at home and on the go via Sky Q and Wow. The Sky Q entertainment platform offers everything from a single source: Sky and free TV channels, thousands of films and series on demand, media libraries and many other apps. With Wow, customers can stream series, films and live sport flexibly in terms of location and time and on a monthly cancelable basis. Sky Deutschland, headquartered in Unterföhring near Munich, is part of the Comcast Group and belongs to Europe's leading media and entertainment group Sky.