Media RTL wants to buy Sky Deutschland including Sky Switzerland
RTL wants to buy the media group Sky Deutschland. This was announced by both companies on Friday. With the acquisition, RTL would take over the Sky businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which are known for their live sports offerings, among other things.
27.06.2025, 10:03
SDA
With the deal, which still has to be approved by the competition authorities, RTL Deutschland intends to expand its position in entertainment, sport and news in the German-speaking video market, according to the statement.
In Switzerland, Sky is known for its live coverage of the German Bundesliga, English Premier League matches, Italian Seria A matches and Formula 1 and golf broadcasts, among other things. The streaming service provider also offers well-known films and series.
Price linked to share price performance
According to the figures, the combined group generated pro forma revenue of 4.6 billion euros in 2024, around 45% of which came from subscription revenue. With the RTL+, Sky and WOW brands, RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland would become number 3 with around 11.5 million paying subscribers.
RTL is to pay 150 million euros in cash for the purchase. Depending on the development of RTL Group's share price, further money is likely to flow to the seller at a later date. RTL has the option of making the earn-out payment in its own shares, in cash or in a combination.
The earn-out payment is limited to a maximum of 377 million euros, provided the share price rises to 70 euros, the statement continued. The previous day, the shares closed at 31.65 euros.
Challenge to US competition
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe - RTL Group is part of the Group portfolio - told Deutsche Presse-Agentur: "This puts us on a par with the American platforms, especially Netflix and Amazon Prime."
Rabe added: "We will continue to use the Sky brand in the long term because it is one of the strongest entertainment and sports brands in Europe." Both businesses operate in different target groups and business models. "RTL is primarily financed by advertising and Sky by subscriptions."
The deal will be registered with the European Commission in the next few days. Once the deal is completed, RTL CEO Stephan Schmitter will become CEO of the joint company. Sky Deutschland will become part of RTL Deutschland.
