RTL+ in Germany & Bedrock Join Forces

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RTL+ in Germany is planning to migrate to the Bedrock platform in early 2026.

Bedrock, co-owned by RTL Group and Groupe M6, has built the tech platform for RTL Group’s streaming services in France (M6+), the Netherlands (Videoland) and Hungary (RTL+).

Bedrock will now have a German subsidiary, based in Cologne, in which a part of the current tech team of RTL+ will work.

Over the coming months, RTL Deutschland will inform its involved teams and relevant works councils in more detail about the planned next steps, including the planned workforce reduction at RTL Deutschland.

Initially, Bedrock Germany will be responsible for the development of elements specifically aimed at RTL+ in Germany, such as user onboarding, billing and payment and recommendation engine.

The plan is to finalize the migration of RTL+ in Germany to the Bedrock platform in early 2026.

Headquartered in Paris, the enlarged Bedrock company will have three tech offices in Lyon (France), Lisbon (Portugal) and Cologne (Germany). Jonas Engwall, CEO of Bedrock since 2019, will continue to lead the company.

RTL Deutschland will become a direct shareholder in the enlarged Bedrock company. The members of the board of Bedrock are Elmar Heggen, deputy CEO and COO of RTL Group; Björn Bauer, CFO of RTL Group; David Larramendy, chairman of the executive board of Groupe M6; Valéry Gerfaud, chief technology and innovation officer of Groupe M6; Andreas Fischer, COO of RTL Deutschland and executive VP of business development of RTL Group; and Mouna Sepehri, managing partner and co-founder of Orson.

Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group, said: “Alliances and partnerships are one of our strategic priorities to successfully compete with the global tech platforms. Bedrock and RTL+ in Germany have outstanding and unique strengths – having them join forces will create a true European champion in streaming technology. The migration will also contribute to reaching profitability with our streaming business in 2026 and to further growing Bedrock.”

Larramendy commented: “We are pleased that Bedrock plans to continue its international expansion with the addition of RTL+ in Germany. The planned migration confirms Bedrock’s strategy to share technological resources between major broadcasters and would be a positive step forward for all parties.”

Stephan Schmitter, CEO of RTL Deutschland, added: “Our RTL+ product and tech team has already achieved a lot, successfully launching the first all-inclusive entertainment offer on the market. To further secure our top-three position in the German streaming market, it is essential to bundle our resources. The combination of Bedrock and the best features and tech experts from RTL+ will create a unified platform that all RTL Group streaming services can use in the future to provide their users with an excellent product experience.”