Germany’s Mediengruppe RTL has announced the launch of a new free-to-air TV channel called RTL Nitro. Scheduled to launch on April 1, it will rely heavily on US series, with German free TV premieres of Modern Family, Nurse Jackie and Chase.
RTL Nitro will be RTL’s first new free TV channel in almost 17 years, and its primary competitor, the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, has only launched one new free TV channel since the arrival of digital TV, the female skewed Sixx.
Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, said in a statement: “RTL Nitro perfectly complements Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s programme line-up. We are especially pleased to be able to present outstanding Free TV premieres such as the multi-award-winning US sitcom Modern Family, the Showtime series Nurse Jackie and the new Bruckheimer crime series Chase right from the channel’s launch.”
RTL Nitro can be received with a digital satellite receiver on Astra at 19 degrees east. The broadcaster has sof ar not announced any distribution deals with cable or IPTV operators.
The video-on-demand site www.RTLNitroNow.de will launch simultaneously with the channel, as will the RTL Nitro homepage at www.RTLNitro.de, which features trailers, comprehensive information about the channel, and its current programme line-up.