RTL Group has published its quarterly statement for the first three months of 2026. Group revenue was stable at €1.29 billion, as lower TV advertising revenue was compensated mainly by higher streaming revenue. Group revenue was up 2.5 per cent organically.

RTL Group’s digital advertising revenue was up 14.6 per cent to €118 million, compensating 45 per cent of the decrease in TV advertising revenue.

RTL Group’s global content business Fremantle recorded stable revenue of €372 million in the quarter, mainly due to negative foreign exchange rate effects offsetting higher revenue from Fremantle in the US. Fremantle’s revenue increased by 4.2 per cent organically.

Streaming revenue was up 27 per cent to €141 million, driven by a “significantly higher” number of paying subscribers, increased subscription prices in Germany, and growing advertising revenue on RTL+ in Germany and M6+ in France.

RTL Group’s distribution revenue was up 9.1 per cent to €96 million, mainly attributed to streaming.

Clément Schwebig, CEO of RTL Group, commented: “We have had a solid start to 2026 with RTL Group and our content business Fremantle returning to organic growth. The environment for linear TV advertising remains challenging, driven by the ongoing shift to streaming. The first three months of 2026 marked the first profitable quarter of our streaming business. With all streaming performance indicators growing – from revenue to paying subscribers and viewing time – we are confident that our streaming services will generate an operating profit of €25 million to €50 million for the full year.”

“At the same time, we continue the expansion of our streaming footprint through partnerships with HBO Max in Germany and Amazon Prime Video in France, a compelling pipeline of local and international content and, above all, with the combination of RTL and Sky in the DACH region. As I assume the role of RTL Group’s CEO, I look forward to working with our excellent management teams and colleagues across the Group to further accelerate our transformation,” concluded Schwebig.

Other posts by :

1. Eutelsat shares rebound
2. Zombies; channels, ads, viewers
3. Analyst: How disruptive could Starlink be?
4. Bank: AST SpaceMobile has 2 year head start on Starlink
5. SpaceX wraps IPO; 8,000 launches by 2030
6. Markets braced for SpaceX IPO
7. Former SpaceX exec to build ‘space taxis’
8. Eutelsat shares crash despite good news
9. Analyst: Years of subs growth ahead for Starlink

Categories: Articles, Business, Results

Tags: Fremantle, m6, RTL