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RTL (German TV channel)

German television network

Field	Value
name	RTL
logo	RTL Logo 2021.svg
logo_size	250px
launch_date
picture_format	2160p UHDTV
(downscaled to 1080i and 576i for the HDTV and SDTV feeds respectively)
owner	RTL Group
parent	RTL Deutschland
country	Germany
language	German
area	National
Also distributed in:
Americas
Austria
Switzerland
France
Italy
Belgium
Luxembourg
Liechtenstein
Netherlands
Turkey
Poland
Romania
Hungary
Israel
Denmark
headquarters	Cologne, Germany
former_names	RTL plus (1984–1992)
RTL Television (1992–2004)
sister_channels	VOX
n-tv
Super RTL
RTL Zwei
Nitro
RTLup
VOXup
RTL Crime
RTL Living
RTL Passion
GEO Television
website
terr_serv_1	Digital terrestrial television
terr_chan_1	Channel numbers vary
online_serv_1	Ziggo GO (Netherlands)
online_chan_1	ZiggoGO.tv
online_serv_2	RTL LIVE
online_chan_2	RTL
RTL Up
RTL Crime
RTL Passion
RTL Living

(downscaled to 1080i and 576i for the HDTV and SDTV feeds respectively) Also distributed in: Americas Austria Switzerland France Italy Belgium Luxembourg Liechtenstein Netherlands Turkey Poland Romania Hungary Israel Denmark RTL Television (1992–2004) n-tv Super RTL RTL Zwei Nitro RTLup VOXup RTL Crime RTL Living RTL Passion GEO Television RTL Up RTL Crime RTL Passion RTL Living

RTL (from Radio Télévision Luxembourg), formerly RTL plus and RTL Television, is a German-language free-to-air television channel owned by RTL Deutschland, headquartered in Cologne. Founded as an offshoot of the German-language radio programme Radio Luxemburg, RTL is considered a full-service broadcaster under the Medienstaatsvertrag (Interstate Media Treaty) and is the largest private television network in Germany. As of August 2010, RTL employs some 500 permanent staff, having outsourced its news and technical departments.

In September 2021, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland (RTL Germany Media Group) was renamed RTL Deutschland. As part of the rebrand, both the group and the channel received new logos and branding.

History

RTL plus was already known through the radio station. Even before the broadcast began, the pressure on politicians to introduce private television in Germany was growing in Saarland, which could be reached from the broadcasting systems in Luxembourg. Private television began operations in the Federal Republic of Germany on January 1, 1984 with the two-year Ludwigshafen cable pilot project (Kabelpilotprojekt). It was the birth of PKS (later Sat.1). A day later, RTL plus, which was then broadcasting from Luxembourg and named after the Luxembourg radio and television broadcaster RTL (derived from Radio Télévision Lëtzebuerg, see also RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg), began its German-language program from 5:27 p.m. The unusual broadcast start took place in a small studio in Bertrange with the following scene: Chief doctor Rainer Holbe delivered a television with the RTL-plus logo in a delivery room with his obstetricians. The broadcast times were Monday to Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. The first RTL broadcast after the starting signal was the news 7 vor 7 with Hans Meiser and Geert Müller-Gerbes.

RTL plus was famous in its early years for showing low-budget films and American programmes. In 1988, it was the second most-viewed channel in Germany.

After reunification in 1990, broadcasting was extended to the entire country. RTL moved to Cologne and received the right to broadcast on free-to-air frequencies. That same year, RTL acquired the first-run rights to the German Football First Division. Deals with Cannon and Universal Studios finally provided more high-profile films for the channel. In 2012, RTL made a deal with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to air films from its media library until 2016, when it switched to Universal, as Disney Channel was relaunched as a free-to-air channel competing with RTL.

In July 2015, the channel introduced the slogan Willkommen zuhause (Welcome home) to complement Mein RTL, and launched its biggest advertising campaign in 20 years. This tagline (as Willkommen zu Hause, with a space between zu and Hause) was earlier used in the early 2000s.

On 1 September 2017, RTL flattened its logo, with brighter shades of the three colours. The slogan continues to be Willkommen zuhause, through Mein RTL would be used in rare cases. Another sister channel, n-tv was rebranded on the same day.

As part of a comprehensive restructuring within Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, RTL unveiled a new identity, a new, multi-colourful logo and a new graphics package. The rebrand rolled out on 15 September 2021, as well as RTL Crime, RTL Living and RTL Passion.

Station logos

RTLplus1984.svg|Logo of RTL plus (1984–1987) RTLplus.svg|Logo of RTL plus (1987–1992) RTL.svg|Logo of RTL Television (30 October 1992 – 1999) RTL Logo.svg|Logo of RTL (31 August 2008 – 28 August 2014) RTL Logo 2014.svg|Logo of RTL (28 August 2014 – 31 August 2017) RTL Logo 2017.svg|Logo of RTL (1 September 2017 – 14 September 2021) RTL Logo 2021.svg|Logo of RTL (since 15 September 2021) RTL HD Logo 2021.svg|Logo of RTL HD (since 15 September 2021)

Audience share

Germany

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	Annual average
1985	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1986	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1987	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1988	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1989	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1990	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1991	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1992	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1993	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1994	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1995	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1996	16.6%	16.6%	18.2%	18.6%	18.1%	15.5%	15.6%	16.7%	17.2%	16.7%	17.4%	16.5%
1997	15.9%	16.0%	16.4%	17.8%	17.0%	15.9%	14.8%	14.7%	16.9%	16.9%	15.7%	14.9%
1998	14.2%	14.2%	16.2%	16.2%	15.6%	13.8%	14.4%	15.7%	16.3%	15.1%	15.2%	14.6%
1999	13.6%	13.9%	15.0%	15.8%	15.9%	15.3%	14.9%	15.3%	15.5%	15.4%	14.3%	13.6%
2000	14.0%	14.0%	13.8%	14.3%	14.4%	13.7%	14.0%	14.2%	14.0%	14.6%	15.1%	14.7%
2001	14.3%	13.4%	15.3%	15.9%	16.9%	13.6%	14.3%	13.4%	15.5%	15.4%	14.6%	14.5%
2002	15.0%	13.2%	14.9%	16.1%	15.2%	12.6%	14.5%	13.2%	15.4%	15.5%	15.2%	14.4%
2003	15.8%	15.7%	16.0%	15.3%	15.5%	14.3%	13.7%	13.5%	15.5%	14.9%	13.9%	13.8%
2004	15.2%	13.8%	13.9%	14.1%	14.5%	12.2%	13.1%	12.3%	14.5%	14.4%	14.0%	12.8%
2005	13.1%	12.5%	12.9%	13.6%	14.1%	13.1%	12.7%	12.3%	14.0%	13.5%	13.5%	12.9%
2006	13.0%	12.3%	13.4%	12.8%	13.7%	12.8%	12.1%	12.7%	13.0%	13.1%	12.6%	11.9%
2007	12.6%	12.0%	12.6%	12.8%	12.9%	12.8%	12.4%	11.8%	13.1%	12.9%	12.1%	11.1%
2008	11.8%	11.5%	11.7%	12.5%	12.4%	9.8%	11.6%	10.5%	12.5%	12.1%	12.9%	11.5%
2009	12.6%	11.8%	12.4%	12.8%	12.4%	11.6%	11.4%	10.9%	13.3%	13.5%	14.0%	12.9%
2010	12.7%	12.7%	13.7%	14.0%	13.6%	12.7%	12.5%	12.8%	14.5%	14.8%	15.3%	13.6%
2011	15.2%	14.1%	13.7%	14.6%	14.9%	12.5%	13.3%	13.2%	14.8%	14.6%	14.3%	13.3%
2012	14.1%	13.1%	13.4%	12.7%	11.9%	10.6%	11.5%	10.5%	12.7%	12.3%	12.7%	10.8%
2013	13.1%	11.3%	11.2%	12.1%	11.4%	10.8%	10.9%	10.4%	10.7%	11.7%	11.5%	10.3%
2014	12.8%	10.4%	10.6%	10.6%	10.6%	8.4%	9.0%	9.0%	10.0%	11.5%	10.7%	9.5%
2015	11.3%	9.6%	9.8%	9.9%	9.9%	9.7%	9.2%	9.0%	10.6%	10.6%	10.1%	9.1%
2016	11.7%	10.0%	9.6%	10.0%	9.8%	8.3%	9.0%	8.3%	10.1%	10.4%	10.0%	9.2%
2017	11.0%	8.8%	9.3%	9.4%	9.5%	9.0%	8.5%	8.5%	9.0%	9.4%	9.0%	8.1%
2018	9.7%	8.4%	8.5%	8.6%	8.3%	7.5%	7.8%

The average age of the viewers is 48.9 years (as of 2016).

References

(3 January 2014). ""Ich war quasi der Mister RTL"". Saarbrücker Zeitung.
Audience shares 1988: RTL 4.1% and SAT.1 5.6%, see ''Marktanteile der Fernsehsender'' at [[:de:Fernsehen in Deutschland. Fernsehen in Deutschland (de)]]
Roxborough, Scott. (1 February 2012). "Disney Signs Multi-Year Package Deal With Germany's RTL". The Hollywood Reporter.
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1990".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1991".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1992".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1993".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1994".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1995".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1996".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1997".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1998".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 1999".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2000".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2001".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2002".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2003".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2004".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2005".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2006".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2007".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2008".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2009".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2010".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2011".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2012".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2013".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2014".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2015".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2016".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2017".
"KEK/Zuschaueranteile 2018".
(14 March 2017). "Langzeit-Entwicklung des TV-Markts: Wie die Sender gealtert sind – und wer sich dagegen stemmt".

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