German broadcasters RTL and Sky Deutschland have agreed a strategic partnership in the content sector.In the first step of the two-year agreement, RTL will broadcast seven Formula 1 races live per season, marking Formula 1’s return to German free-to-air TV. RTL will also show one Premier League match per week on its streaming service RTL+ and add live coverage of second-division Bundesliga to RTL.In return, Sky Deutschland receives the rights to two UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League matches per week and can therefore offer its subscribers live games from these competitions every Thursday. The partnership also includes selected highlight rights, Sky fiction blockbusters and close cooperation between the two companies’ production and editorial teams.“With its first-class programme line-up, Sky Sport is known among all sports fans as the leading pay-TV provider of live sports. The innovative partnership with RTL now allows us to show even more viewers some of the exciting sporting experiences that the brilliant team at Sky Sport has in store for them. It will give them an insight into the full subscription offering,” said Barny Mills, CEO of Sky Deutschland.Stephan Schmitter, Chief Content Officer and CEO of RTL Germany from 1 January 2024, added: “The new content partnership with Sky is the next big step towards our promise of ‘All Inclusive Entertainment’, as it perfectly complements our fiction and sports offering around football, American Football and motorsports. At the same time, we are maximising the reach of the highly attractive Sky sports rights on free-to-air TV and streaming, produced by great teams on both sides.”The partnership will start in 2024, with live sports and fictional content being just the beginning of a large-scale partnership between RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland. The aim is to share even more content in the future, according to the broadcasters.
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