“In a major shakeup of the European Television Market, German BroadCast Giant Rtl Group Has Signed a Deal To Acquire Pay-TV Group Sky Deutschland Froma Comc. The Deal Includes A € 150 Million ($ 176 Million) Upfront Payment Plus A Varialable Component of Up To A Maximum of € 377 Million ($ 442 Million)”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
The Deal Includes A € 150 Million ($ 176 Million) Upfront Payment Plus A Varialable Component of Up To A Maximum of € 377 Million ($ 442 Million) Between € 41 and € 70. Comcast Can Trigger the variable payment at any time with a wit
The Agreement, AnnunCed by Rtl Parent Bertelsmann on Friday, is Still Subject to Regulatory Approval, but IF IF IT Passes Muster, It Could Mark A Seismic Shift in the European T. By Combining Sky’s Subscribers Across Germany, Austria and Switzerland with Rtl’s Own Premium Rtl+ Service, The Company Can Boast of A Streaming Serving Servic Disney to Become The Third-Biggest Provider of Streaming Services in Germany After Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Bertelsmann and RTL CEO Thomas Rabe Called the Deal “Transformational” in his Company’s Strategy of Creating “National Media Champions” to compete with Global Streaming Behemoths.
“Following This Transaction, Germany Will Once Again Be Our Largest Market,” SAID Rabe, “at the Same Time, This Acquisition i Astp on the Path Strengthaning European Competition with Global Tech and Streaming Platforms. ”
The Purchase Gives RTL Access to Sky’s Premium Sports Rights, Including Bundesliga and Premier League Soccer, and Formula 1 Motor Racing, As Well As Sky’s Wow Streaming Service.
Sky Deutschland Reported AROUND € 2 Billion ($ 2.34 Billion) in Annual Revenue Last Year, But The Company Has Never Made a Profit. With the Launch of HBO Max in Germany Next Year, Sky Will Also Lose Its Position As the Exclusive Provider of HBO Content in German-Speaking Territories. RTL is Believed to have Approached Comcaast on the Deal. Comcast is not thorough to be planning a sale of its of auropean operations, in the UK/Ireland and Italy.
Rabe has been tried to bulk up National Operations in France and the Netherlands, Only to be Blocked by Competition Authorities. In 2022, Bertelsmann Droped A Planned Merger Between Rtl’s French Network M6 and France’s Leading Commercial BroadCaster TF1, Amid Stiff Regulatory Opposition. Last Week, TF1 Insthead Teamed Up with Netflix, Signing A Landmark Carriage Agreement Deal to Stream All of Its TV Channels on the Platform.
In 2023, Antitrust Watchdogs in the Netherlands Rejected Rtl’s Bid to Buy The Dutch Talpa Network and Merge It With Rtl’s Television Operations there. In a aprate AnnounCement on Friday, RTL ConfirMed that National Competition Authority Has Approved Ital To Sell Its Dutch Operation to Belgium’s DPG Media. RTL Expects The € 1.1 Billion ($ 1.3 Billion) Deal to Close On July 1.
RTL is hoping there will be less regulatory to the Sky Deal, Since the Merged Group would not be a dominant force in the streaming sector.