Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Deutsche Telekom Expand Alliance

Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland is extending its alliance with Deutsche Telekom for its TV Now Premium streaming service.

TV Now Premium is being integrated with Deutsche Telekom’s TV offer, Magenta TV. As of today, the Magenta TV Smart and Magenta TV Smart Flex plans will automatically include TV Now Premium without any additional fee for customers. Those who bundle these services can access more than 60,000 hours of content with one subscription fee.

In addition, the two companies will further collaborate on advertising technology, advertising sales and content, with a focus on addressable TV. Testing will begin next year using RTL Group’s ad-tech solutions, Smartclip and Yospace, and will be open for additional partners from the media and TV industry. The market for addressable TV advertising in Germany is expected to grow to more than €500 million by 2025.

“We want to further accelerate the growth of our streaming service via the strength of our linear channels, huge investments in content, technology—and by forging strong partnerships,” said Bernd Reichart, CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. “Our content expertise and sales power combined with the technological skills of Deutsche Telekom and its strong infrastructure are a perfect match. Together, we also want to open up the future market of addressable TV advertising on the basis of an open technological ecosystem, independent of the global tech platforms.”

“We have long considered ourselves to be an aggregator and utilize cooperations to further expand Magenta TV for our customers,” added Michael Hagspihl, head of consumers at Telekom Deutschland. “With Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, we are working with a strong partner with whom we will intensify our collaboration in terms of content, technology and sales. Together, we want to significantly shape the TV industry and set new focuses in the German advertising market.”