Vodafone adds TV Now Premium, promises targeted ads in expanded RTL deal

Vodafone Deutschland has agreed with broadcaster Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland to expand the pair’s long-term partnership, including a big expansion in the availability of RTL’s content on the Vodafone TV platform and collaboration in advanced advertising. 

Vodafone said it would make the content of RTL available in streaming and linear TV to its more than 13 million TV.

Vodafone’s GigaTV customers will receive RTL content to a much greater extent than before and will be able to access it over a longer period of time. The range of RTL channels on Vodafone cable will be standardized nationwide and RTL’s streaming offering TV NowPremium – now renamed RTL+ – will be available as an app on GigaTV from 2022.

The pair have also agreed to jointly develop technical options for group-based targeted advertising and to expand the scope of tailored, individual offers for users.

Vodafone is significantly expanding its existing media library of RTL content, with 30-day catch up and some shows available in UHD quality.

In addition, a total of 12 RTL pay and free TV channels will available to customers across Germany. Free TV HD channels RTL HD, VOX HD, Nitro HD, ntv HD, Super RTL HD, RTLplus HD, RTLZwei HD, and associated SD channels will be useavaialble d throughout the entire cable network.

Vodafone will also offer OTT services VOXup and TOGGOplus as well as the pay TV channels RTL Crime HD, RTL Living HD and GEO Television HD to those signing up to the relevant packages.

The integration of TV Now Premium as an app on GigaTV from next year is the key innovation of the partnership agreement, giving approximately one million GigaTV customers access to the streaming service on TV.

In addition, the two companies have agreed to collaborate in the expanding the reach of addressable TV advertising, and have said they want to develop new types of TV offerings and products together.

Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO Vodafone Deutschland said: “As Germany’s largest TV provider, we want to make the best and most popular content conveniently accessible to our customers via GigaTV. To do this, we rely on cooperation with strong partners such as Mediengruppe RTL in order to further expand the offer for our TV customers. With the expanded media library with the most popular programmes from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and convenient access to TV Now Premium, we are significantly strengthening our entertainment offering. I am very much looking forward to the further results from our partnership – our TV customers will benefit from it. “