RTL sees rocketing streaming growth and surging revenues

Paying customers for RTL’s RTL+ and Videoland streaming services numbered 3.8 million by the end of 2021, up from 3.4 million for the third quarter.

The number of paying subscribers for German streamer RTL+ more than doubled to 2.712 million compared to 1.286 million at the end of December. The strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom to bundle RTL+ Premium in Magenta TV and the growing number of original formats such as Sisi contributed significantly to the growth, according to the company.

Paying subscriber numbers for Dutch service Videoland grew 20.9% to 1.092 million compared to 0.903 million at the end of December 2020, partly thanks to boosts in interest from the third season of the Videoland original series Mocro Maffia and the reality format Temptation Island.

RTL Deutschland recently struck a new distribution deal with Warner Bros Entertainment giving it access to exclusive films and series including HBO Max originals from this quarter.

The broadcaster’s streaming growth help fuel top line growth of 10.3% to €6.6 billion for the full year, while adjusted EBITA was up 35.1% to €1.152 billion.

Streaming revenue was up 31.2% compared with a 25.3% increase in revenue from production outfit Fremantle and 16% growth in TV advertising sales. Streaming revenue amounted to €223 million in total.

CEO Thomas Rabe has set a target of €1 billion in streaming revenue by 2026, with 10 million paying subscribers.