RTL to operate Hungarian channels under Luxembourg licence

RTL Group confirmed that it plans to operate its cable channels in Hungary under a Luxembourg license in the future.

The move will not see RTL close down any channels in Hungary and will also not apply to its main channel RTL Klub.

However, Luxembourg licenses for cable channels including RTL+, Film+, and Cool TV will now be granted to RTL Group’s Luxembourg-based subsidiary CLT-UFA – which already has the licenses for RTL Group’s TV channels in Belgium and the Netherlands.

RTL Group said that the switch to a Luxembourg license neither affects its viewers nor its advertising clients and said RTL Group “will remain deeply rooted in Hungary‎.”

“We acquired seven Hungarian-language cable channels in 2011. All of them, with the exception of Muzsika TV, have been operating with a Romanian license,” a RTL spokesperson told DTVE.

“We re-assessed our operations in light of the difficult economic environment and decided to benefit from synergies/cost savings – it makes business sense to operate these cable channels from Luxembourg where we have technical facilities and staff.”

RTL added that as a pan-European broadcaster, many of the Group’s channels are operated under a Luxembourg licence, in line with EU laws and regulations.