RTL+
 | |
Type of site | Streaming service |
|---|---|
| Predecessor(s) | RTL Most (Hungary) |
| Area served | Germany Austria Switzerland Hungary |
| Owner | RTL Group |
| Parent | RTL Deutschland RTL Magyarország |
| URL | www.rtlplus.de www |
| Launched |
|
RTL+ (formerly TVNOW in German-speaking countries, and RTL Most in Hungary) is a European video on demand streaming service belonging to RTL Deutschland and RTL Magyarország, in turn part of the Bertelsmann-owned RTL Group.
History
Its origins trace back to the launch of the 'RTLnow.de' portal in 2007.[1][2] In 2016, all the video portals corresponding to the different channels of the TV network merged into TVNOW.[3]
On November 4, 2021, TVNOW became RTL+.[4] At the time, TVNOW was providing a three-layered service (Free, Premium and Premium Duo), having about 2 million paid subscription users, making around 3.4 million users together with Dutch RTL branch Videoland.[5][6]
On February 16, 2022, RTL Deutschland announced a cooperation with the U.S. media company Warner Bros. Discovery. In this context, series and movies from Warner as well as HBO Originals from the streaming provider HBO Max, which are not yet available in Germany, are to be successively integrated into the RTL+ portfolio, in some cases exclusively, starting in the first quarter of 2022.[7]
On November 16, 2022, RTL+ was launched in Hungary by RTL Magyarország, replacing RTL Most, in order to expand more with Hungarian content online.[8]
Following the redesign graphics of RTL in the Netherlands, rumors has said that the merger between RTL XL and Videoland to form RTL+, to expand Dutch content on the Internet. It will be in the Q3 2023.
References
- ^ Deutschbein, Rita (July 16, 2021). "Aus für TVNow! RTL setzt Streaming-Dienst neu auf". Techbook (in German).
- ^ "RTL baut Streaming-Dienst TV NOW aus". Mebucom (in German). 13 December 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Thieme, Mario (2021). TV auf Abruf: Lösen Mediatheken das klassische Fernsehen ab?. Tectum Verlag. p. 66. ISBN 978-3-8288-7682-8.
- ^ "Aus TVNOW wird RTL+". NTV (in German). November 4, 2021.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (November 4, 2021). "Bertelsmann Expands Netflix Competitor RTL Plus as Fremantle Revenues Soar to $1.5 Billion". Variety.
- ^ Fiedler, Markus (November 3, 2021). "Mehr als nur ein neuer Name: Aus TV Now wird RTL+". Imtest (in German).
- ^ "RTL Deutschland schließt umfangreichen exklusiven Film- und Seriendeal mit WarnerMedia". RTL Deutschland Media Hub (in German). 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "Megérkezett az RTL+, a legújabb magyar előfizetéses streamingszolgáltatás". RTL Magyarország (in Hungarian). 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2023-03-17.