RTL

Also known as RTL plus, RTL Fernsehen, RTL Television GmbH, Radio Télé Luxemburg, Radio Télévision Luxembourg, RTL Television

German television station based in Cologne

Key facts

Country: Germany
Broadcast area: National, Also distributed in: , Austria , Switzerland , Luxembourg , Liechtenstein
Headquarters: Cologne , Germany
Language: German
Picture format: 2160p UHDTV , (downscaled to 1080i and 576i for the HDTV and SDTV feeds respectively)
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
Launched: 2 January 1984 ; 42 years ago ( 1984-01-02 )
Former names: RTL plus (1984–1992) , RTL Television (1992–2004)
Website: www .rtl .de
Digital terrestrial television

~7 min read

Article

RTL (from Radio Télévision Luxembourg), formerly RTL plus and RTL Television, is a German-language free-to-air television channel owned by RTL Deutschland, headquartered in Cologne. Founded as an offshoot of the German-language radio programme Radio Luxemburg, RTL is considered a full-service broadcaster under the Medienstaatsvertrag (Interstate Media Treaty) and is the largest private television network in Germany. As of August 2010, RTL employs some 500 permanent staff, having outsourced its news and technical departments.

In September 2021, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland (RTL Germany Media Group) was renamed RTL Deutschland. As part of the rebrand, both the group and the channel received new logos and branding.