RTL takes over Sky: 3,700 jobs in Cologne on the brink!

RTL takes over Sky: 3,700 jobs in Cologne on the brink!

The media landscape in Germany is facing a remarkable change: RTL Germany has announced the takeover of Sky Germany. With an initial purchase price of 150 million euros, which, depending on the development of the RTL share price, can increase up to 377 million euros, RTL is pursuing the vision of creating a leading streaming and TV platform. This is reported by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger .

A look at the future

Stephan Schmitter, the CEO of RTL Germany, describes the purchase as a "unique opportunity". The market participants are optimistic about an increase in RTL shares by almost 15 percent. This means a "streaming boost" and a "unique offer", which should be of interest to both spectators and advertising customers, as RTL explains in a press release [ RTL Group ].

But the merger process is still subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. A decision is expected for the coming year, whereby the takeover must be registered in accordance with the European Commission's competitive and media concentration authorities. It is important to wait and see whether these high requirements are met, since earlier considerations of fusion projects with other competitors such as ProSiebenSat.1 have also failed due to similar anti-antitrust concerns [ LTO ].

The effects on employees and viewers

The merger will not only influence the corporate structures, but also turn the world of work upside down by many employees. RTL currently has 6,650 full -time positions, more than half of which are located in Cologne. It is expected that special efficiency gains could also lead to a certain job reduction due to the deletion of double structures. Nevertheless, it is emphasized that Cologne remains the headquarters of RTL while Sky continues to operate from Munich.

Exciting times are waiting for the audience: The three brands RTL+, Sky and WoW should initially remain independent, which promises a variety of content from the area of ​​entertainment, sport and information. However, there is still a lot unclear to pricing the streaming subscriptions after the takeover.