The RTL International channel is discontinued after one year
After almost 16 months, the media group RTL is ending the broadcasting operations of its foreign channel. The company announced this in Cologne on Wednesday. The last program day will be May 31.
"We very much regret the shutdown of this channel," said Stefan Sporn, head of sales, according to the statement. "Although we quickly achieved good global distribution with RTL International, the number of subscribers did not develop positively enough to make the offering economically profitable in the foreseeable future." RTL International, which targets German-speaking viewers and tourists living abroad, was launched in early 2016.
Sporn did not give any concrete figures on Wednesday. However, initial analyses had clearly shown that "above all, the success of globally active piracy platforms, which illegally stream broadcast signals from many German broadcasters over the Internet, often free of charge, has played a significant role in this," he noted.
The program can currently still be received via platforms such as satellite, cable and IPTV in the USA, Canada, southern Africa, Australia and on many cruise ships, among others. Use via the app generally costs EUR 7.99 per month. (SDA)
