RTL (German TV channel) facts for kids
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| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | National Also distributed in: Austria Switzerland France Italy Belgium Luxembourg Liechtenstein Netherlands Turkey Poland Romania Hungary Israel Denmark |
| Headquarters | Cologne, Germany |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | German |
| Picture format | 2160p UHDTV (downscaled to 1080i and 576i for the HDTV and SDTV feeds respectively) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | RTL Group |
| Parent | RTL Deutschland |
| Sister channels | VOX n-tv Super RTL RTL Zwei Nitro RTLup VOXup RTL Crime RTL Living RTL Passion GEO Television |
| History | |
| Launched | 2 January 1984 |
| Former names | RTL plus (1984–1992) RTL Television (1992–2004) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | Channel numbers vary |
| Streaming media | |
| Ziggo GO (Netherlands) | ZiggoGO.tv |
| RTL LIVE | RTL RTL Up RTL Crime RTL Passion RTL Living |
RTL is a popular German TV channel. Its name comes from Radio Télévision Luxembourg. It used to be called RTL plus and RTL Television.
RTL is owned by RTL Deutschland and its main office is in Cologne, Germany. It started as a TV channel connected to the German radio show Radio Luxemburg. RTL is the biggest private TV network in Germany. It offers a wide range of shows for everyone. As of 2010, about 500 people work for RTL full-time.
In September 2021, the company that owns RTL changed its name to RTL Deutschland. At the same time, both the company and the TV channel got new logos and a fresh look.
Contents
The Story of RTL: From Past to Present
RTL plus became well-known in its early years. It often showed movies with smaller budgets and TV shows from America. By 1988, it was the second most-watched TV channel in Germany.
Growing Across Germany
After Germany became one country again in 1990, RTL started broadcasting to the whole country. The channel moved its main office to Cologne. It also got the right to broadcast on free-to-air channels, meaning people could watch it without paying extra.
Exciting Shows and Movies
In 1990, RTL also got the rights to show games from the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. They also made deals with movie companies like Cannon and Universal Studios. This allowed them to show more popular and exciting films on the channel.
In 2012, RTL made a deal with Walt Disney Studios. This meant they could show Disney movies until 2016. After that, they switched back to Universal. This happened because Disney Channel became a free-to-air channel, competing with RTL.
New Slogans and Look
In July 2015, RTL introduced a new slogan: "Wilkommen zuhause" (Welcome home). This went along with their older slogan, "Mein RTL." They launched a big advertising campaign for it. The "Welcome home" slogan had actually been used before in the early 2000s.
On September 1, 2017, RTL updated its logo. It became flatter and used brighter colors. The slogan "Wilkommen Zuhause" continued to be used. Another channel, n-tv, also got a new look on the same day.
A Fresh New Identity
As part of a big change within the RTL company, RTL revealed a brand new look. This included a colorful new logo and updated graphics for their shows. This new look started on September 15, 2021. Other RTL channels like RTL Crime, RTL Living, and RTL Passion also got new looks at the same time.
RTL Channel Logos Over Time
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Logo of RTL plus (1984–1987)
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Logo of RTL plus (1987–1992)
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Logo of RTL Television (30 October 1992 – 1999)
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Logo of RTL (31 August 2008 – 28 August 2014)
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Logo of RTL (28 August 2014 – 31 August 2017)
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Logo of RTL (1 September 2017 – 14 September 2021)
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Logo of RTL (since 15 September 2021)
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Logo of RTL HD (since 15 September 2021)
How Many People Watch RTL?
RTL has been a very popular channel in Germany for many years. Its audience share, which is the percentage of people watching TV who are tuned into RTL, has changed over time. For example, in 1985, only a small number of people watched it, but by 1993, it had grown a lot.
Over the years, the number of viewers has gone up and down. As of 2016, the average age of people watching RTL was about 48.9 years old.
See also
In Spanish: RTL (Alemania) para niños
