RTL in Formula 1 and football deal with Sky Deutschland

RTL Deutschland has struck a sports deal with pay TV operator Sky Deutschland to bring Formula 1 to and Bundesliga and English Premier League football to RTL viewers, with Sky Deutschland viewers getting access to Europa League and Europa Conference League matches.

Stephan Schmitter (Source: RTL)

The two-year partnership will see seven Formula 1 races broadcast live on RTL in Germany, alongside one game from the English Premier League per match week on streaming service RTL+, and three conference broadcasts of the second tier of German football, the 2nd Bundesliga on RTL.

In exchange, Sky Deutschland will receive rights to two Europa League or Europa Conference League games per match week, providing subscribers access to premium live sport every Thursday. The partnership additionally includes select highlights rights, Sky fiction blockbusters and collaboration in production and on-screen editorial between the two broadcasters.

RTL+ viewers will have access on a non-exclusive basis to Sky sereis such as Der Pass and Das Boot.

The partnership will begin in 2024, with details of the specific races and matches to be confirmed nearer to the time of broadcast.

The pair said that sharing live sport and content is the start of a broader partnership between them, with the ambition of finding further ways to share content in the future.

Barny Mills, CEO of Sky Deutschland, says: “With an unmissable schedule, Sky Sport is known by sports fans as the leading pay-TV broadcaster of live sport. By creating this innovative partnership with RTL Deutschland, we will provide even more viewers with a showcase of those exciting sporting moments executed by the brilliant team at Sky Sport as a sample of what is on offer from a full subscription. As consumer habits evolve and change over time, it is our role to anticipate and provide solutions that make life easier for the viewer. This partnership represents that thinking in action and we are excited to join forces with RTL Deutschland.”

Stephan Schmitter, chief content officer and incoming CEO of RTL Deutschland, says: “RTL Deutschland is the place for fantastic live sport and magical sport events in free-to-air TV and streaming. As the German free-TV market leader, we want to offer our viewers the best possible content – both on RTL and on our streaming service RTL+. Our new content partnership with Sky is the next major step for our ‘all-inclusive entertainment’ promise, as it perfectly complements our fiction and sports offering of football, American football and motorsport. At the same time, we ensure the greatest possible exposure across free-TV and streaming for Sky’s highly attractive sports rights, produced by great sport teams on both sides.”