RTL Group’s children’s television channel Super RTL has announced plans to take over the satellite spot currently occupied by Paramount Global’s Nickelodeon Germany in order to launch a new youth-oriented network.
The deal will allow RTL Group to incorporate more Nickelodeon programming into Super RTL while working with the brand on a revamped version of its Toggo channel that will launch in the future. The arrangement needs regulatory approval from Germany’s trade and commerce watchdog, the Bundeskartellamt.
The partnership between RTL Group and Nickelodeon comes about three years after the Walt Disney Company sold its stake in Super RTL back to the broadcaster, as reported by The Desk in 2021. Super RTL originally launched as a joint venture between Disney and RTL Group in 1999; Disney divested its stake in order to focus on developing and marketing its direct-to-consumer streaming service, Disney Plus, in the Germanic region of Europe.
“By expanding the partnership with Nickelodeon and Paramount, Super RTL offers its young audience an even richer treasure trove of high-quality children’s programs,” Thorsten Braun, the CEO of Super RTL, said in a statement. “By adopting the satellite frequency, a new, valuable Toggo touchpoint is created for the target group between three and 13 years old. This fits perfectly into the strategy of making the Toggo brand present and tangible for children across as many channels and platforms as possible.”
“Through the strategic partnership with Super RTL, the popular Nickelodeon characters and stories for children in Germany continue to have a permanent place in the free-to-air TV,” Michael Keidel, the VP of Ad Sales, Affiliate Partnerships and Streaming in Europe for Paramount, said in a statement. “This fits perfectly into our strategy of entertaining fans via numerous high-reach touchpoints. This includes our premium streaming service Paramount Plus, our free, ad-supported streaming offering Pluto TV and our pay TV channels.”
