RTL streaming revenue up 27.2% in H1
August 11, 2026
RTL Group has announced its results for the first six months of 2026 ending June 30th.
Group revenue was up 3.9 per cent to €2.89 billion, mainly driven by the acquisition of Sky Deutschland in June and continued streaming growth. Group revenue was up 0.1 per cent organically. Group revenue for the second quarter of 2026 was €1.59 billion. Sky Deutschland contributed €61 million to RTL Group’s Adjusted EBITA in the first half of 2026.
RTL Group’s digital advertising revenue was up 10.9 per cent to €255 million.
RTL Group’s global content business Fremantle generated revenue of €835 million in the first half of 2026, down 7.7 per cent year on year. Fremantle’s revenue was down 5.5 per cent organically. This was mainly due to timing effects at Fremantle’s drama and film business, while the entertainment and documentaries businesses were broadly stable. The revenue decrease at Fremantle is expected to reverse in H2 2026, resulting in slightly higher revenue for the full year 2026 – driven by productions such as Baywatch and Kill Jackie.
Fremantle’s Adjusted EBITA increased to €60 million. The Adjusted EBITA margin was up significantly, to 7.2 per cent, on track to reach the target margin of 9 per cent in the full year 2026. These positive effects were partly offset by lower contributions from the Group’s linear TV channels, also due to higher programming costs related to the Fifa World Cup 2026 at Groupe M6.
Streaming revenue was up 27.2 per cent to €299 million, driven by a higher number of paying subscribers, increased subscription prices in Germany and rapidly growing advertising revenue on RTL+ in Germany and M6+ in France. Adjusted EBITA from streaming was €31 million – up €65 million year on year (H1/2025: €-34 million).
Distribution revenue was up 9.6 per cent to €194 million, mainly driven by RTL Deutschland and RTL Hungary.
Clément Schwebig, RTL Group CEO, commented: “RTL Group delivered a strong first half performance in 2026, driven by rapid streaming growth, gains in both TV audience and TV advertising market shares, and the successful completion of the acquisition of Sky Deutschland. We also demonstrated the unique power of our content and brands, as the coverage of the football World Cup on M6 and M6+ attracted 60 million viewers and generated exceptional digital engagement. Our streaming businesses deliver strong profitability. Streaming revenue and paid subscriptions continue to grow dynamically. As a result, streaming is now expected to contribute around €100 million to our full-year operating profit.”
“The acquisition of Sky Deutschland is transformational for RTL Group. Following the successful closing of the transaction, our RTL Deutschland management team is moving quickly to integrate the businesses. With 12.4 million paid subscriptions in the DACH region, we are now the clear number three in the German-speaking streaming market. We confirm our target to deliver €250 million in annual synergies within three years. Our transformation strategy is delivering tangible results, and we are executing it with speed and discipline. Including the effects from the Sky Deutschland acquisition, we expect to grow to between €7.1 billion and €7.2 billion in full-year revenue with an Adjusted EBITA of €725 million,” added Schwebig.
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