RTL Group has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of RTL Belgium to the Belgian media companies DPG Media and Groupe Rosse for €250 million.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. RTL Group was the majority shareholder of RTL Belgium for 33 years, before taking full ownership of the broadcaster in December 2020.
RTL Belgium operates three free TV channels – RTL-TVI (family, general interest), Club RTL (children, sports, classic movies and series) and Plug RTL (fiction, young culture, reality TV) – in the French-speaking part of the country. Its radio stations comprise Bel RTL (talk, general interest), Radio Contact (music) and the digital station Mint (pop rock music). The business unit also operates the streaming service RTL play and the news website RTLInfo.be.
Commenting on the transaction, Elmar Heggen, COO and deputy CEO of RTL Group, said: “DPG Media and Groupe Rossel are strong cross-media companies that are well equipped to accelerate RTL Belgium’s digital transformation. The sale is in line with our strategy and the best strategic option for RTL Belgium, its dedicated employees and our shareholders”.
He added: “We would like to thank the management and the team of RTL Belgium for their performance, passion and commitment. Today, RTL Belgium stands for audience proximity, independent information, pluralism of opinion and high-quality entertainment. We are looking forward to the continued cooperation with RTL Belgium, for example with our technical service provider BCE in Luxembourg and the streaming technology company Bedrock”.
