How it started
History
In 2000, Bertelsmann and Pearson announced that they would merge their television and radio stations and production companies. This created RTL Group, based in Luxembourg, as a leading European media company. RTL's activities in Germany were also affected by this merger; Bertelsmann had gradually increased its stake in the German television broadcaster RTL in the 1990s.
In 2007, television and content businesses in Germany were bundled under the umbrella of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. The company introduced a new brand identity and bundled digital competencies.
In 2009, RTL, VOX, N-tv, and other channels moved into a joint broadcasting center in Cologne-Deutz, to achieve synergy effects not only organizationally but also through physical proximity. An example of cooperation between RTL Deutschland companies is the streaming platform RTL+ (originally launched as TV NOW). Initially launched by RTL, other channels were successively added to the service.
In February 2019, RTL Deutschland and their parent company RTL Group announced that they've sold their German film production and distribution company Universum Film to New York-based American global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Robertsn (KKR) who owns Munich-based German film distribution company Tele Munchen Group and had plans to merge TMG with Universum to create a German entertainment production company.
At Bertelsmann, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland established further partnerships with other divisions, such as for marketing (Ad Alliance) and content production (Content Alliance).
From Wikipedia’s article on RTL Deutschland, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2