Paying subscribers for RTL Group’s streaming services RTL+ in Germany and Hungary and 6play in France were up 30.5% to 5.569 million at the end of 2023.
The number of paying subscribers for the German streaming service RTL+ increased by 23.% to 4.941 million, compared to 4.016 million at the end of December 2022. The growth was driven by a strategic partnership with Deutsche Telekom to bundle RTL+ Premium as part of Magenta TV, as well as increasingly attractive content such as leading reality TV formats, football matches of the Uefa Europa League and the growing number of originals such as Sisi and Pumuckl’s New Adventures.
In November 2023, RTL+ was the most-used streaming service in Germany, ahead of all major streaming services in the German market, based on usage time per user. Since August 2023, RTL Deutschland has bundled video, music, podcasts, audiobooks and magazine content into a single app.
Earlier this month, M6 announced it would transform 6play in France into M6+ with a €100 million investment in content, technology and marketing.
The figures were announced as part of results that includes group revenues of €6.9 billion, a fall of 5.2%, and adjusted EBITA of €927 million, the latter figure includes streaming start-up losses of €179 million.
In common with other broadcasters, RTL has faced a soft advertising market bound up in the cost of living crisis.
“In 2023, we demonstrated the resilience of our businesses in a particularly challenging environment,” said Thomas Rabe, Chief Executive Officer of RTL Group. “As announced, we invested through the cycle. We grew our streaming services, extended our market leadership positions, in particular in Germany, and released globally acclaimed content. The second half of 2023 was one of the most profitable half-years in the history of RTL Group despite weak advertising markets and significant investments, enabling us to pay an attractive dividend.
Following the announcement of a planned disposal of the Dutch streaming service Videoland and the investments in M6+ in France, RTL Group has updated the targets for its streaming services RTL+ in Germany, M6+ in France and RTL+ in Hungary: by 2026, the Group aims to reach around 9 million paying subscribers and around €750 million of streaming revenue.
