Super RTL Was Originally Going To Be A Temporary Channel Until Disney Channel Launched In Germany

## Introduction

Disney's original intention for Super RTL was for it to be a temporary stop-gap solution to access the German television channel market and at a later date, they would turn it into a premium pay-TV Disney Channel, presumably either with CLT (Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion)/RTL's support or by a 100% Disney buyout when Digital TV is launched, with the date of October 1997 given for a potential Disney Channel launch.

## Disney's Plan For Super RTL And Disney Channel

Programming rights for some of Disney's content were tied up in contracts with other broadcasters (for example ARD). The original idea for Super RTL was to offer a limited Disney offering, combined with what RTL has to offer, with third-party acquisitions. However, Super RTL was never turned into the Disney Channel, and a separate Disney Channel in Germany was launched in 1999, Super RTL continued to exist as a free-to-air service, alongside Disney Channel Germany's premium alternative.

Before entering the German television market as a broadcaster, Disney did have negotiations with German Pay-TV satellite television platform - Premiere (now Sky Deutschland), but decided to go down the free-TV route, partly because in Germany, cable networks do not normally pay carriage fees to programmers. Originally, Disney wanted a partnership with ARD because of the long-standing content contract, but with it being a public state broadcaster with strict rules they couldn't give Disney the freedom it wanted. Ultimately, they wanted to go down the premium route, simply in their own words "because it is Disney" (actually said by Etienne de Villiers, the president of Walt Disney Television International), and because they spend more money in their programming budget when compared to other cable channels.

## The End of Disney's Involvement In Super RTL

In April 2013, it was announced that Disney Channel Germany will no longer be a pay-TV service and will be turned into an advertising-financed free-to-air channel available on all conventional TV platforms, including Digital Terrestrial on 1st January 2014.

As part of the plans for Disney Channel to go free-to-air, it was planned that the channel will take over the transmission slots that were occupied by entertainment channel Das Vierte. Disney acquired Das Vierte in autumn 2012, and the channel was available on cable, satellite and DTT.

Despite the Disney Channel's move to FTA broadcasting, Disney kept Disney Cinemagic, Disney Junior and Disney XD on pay-TV platforms. Following the transition into a free-to-air service, Disney Channel continues to mainly show TV series, cartoons and movies from the Disney library. The channel comprises of programmes from third-party content producers and original productions made for German audiences. Disney Channel's main demographic during the daytime was specifically children, during the prime-time evening hours, the channel targeted family audiences. As a result of the launch of Disney Channel on FTA television, it led to a Disney children's content exodus on Super RTL, with Disney programming now airing on Disney Channel, from 1st January 2014, Super RTL no longer aired children's programming from Disney.

To make up for the loss of Disney children's programming, Super RTL signed a volume content deal with Warner Bros. International Television, which included popular cartoon franchises such as Tom & Jerry and Scooby-Doo. Super RTL also signed a content deal with DreamWorks Animation with 1,200 hours of content until 2020. However, Super RTL continued their content relationship with Disney's ABC division for programming aimed at the adult demographic which airs on Super RTL at night time, and also aired content from other major broadcasters in the United States.

At the time Disney also said that they will continue to hold a stake in general interest service RTL II and in Super RTL. With Disney Channel going free-to-air, the channel will compete head-on with Super RTL. Nevertheless, Disney wanted to keep its 50% stake in Super RTL. According to Disney, this was a "good model for both sides". From this point forward, Disney saw Super RTL as a financial investment more than an actual content partnership.

On 3rd March 2021, it was announced that RTL will buy Disney's 50% stake in Super RTL so it can have full ownership over the channel. At the time, Disney were reviewing their linear television business (both pay-TV and FTA) which led to several channel closures in several countries worldwide. The reason why Disney was closing down channels was because of financial management reasons mainly caused by Disney's debt problem from the heavy acquisition of a majority of 21st Century Fox's assets, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio and its international television business. Also, there was a shift to a streaming direct-to-consumer model as a way for viewers to access and watch shows and movies, Disney was rolling out its Disney+ streaming service in different countries, and was quickly becoming Disney's preferred way to distribute its movies and shows. To put it simply, it was to modernise and streamline (pun unintended) Disney's business.

Meanwhile, RTL were also reviewing their business by focusing on their core Central European markets such as Germany and the Netherlands, which led to 100% ownership of RTL in Belgium and the acquisition of Talpa Network (which incidentally owns 50% of TV10 B.V., with the other 50% owned by Disney, the company operates a time-sharing channel that airs Disney XD during the daytime, and a general entertainment channel - Veronica at night.). Also in January 2021, RTL's parent company - Bertelsmann announced it will be withdrawing from the broadcasting market in France by selling its 48% controlling stake in French broadcasting company M6, this follows the sale of print magazine group Prisma Media to Vivendi in 2020. RTL's parent Bertelsmann was also focusing on its publishing business as it acquired publisher Simon & Schuster from ViacomCBS in November 2020. As RTL was focusing on its core markets, the company was also interested in having full-ownership of Super RTL.

## The Future of Super RTL

After taking full control of Super RTL, RTL announced plans to rebrand the channel as "Toggo", which is the name of its children's programming block since its creation in 2001, the block takes up the majority of Super RTL's schedule, starting at 5am CET and ending at 8.15pm CET. Following this move, it is likely that the channel will focus on child and family content, and abandon live-action shows aimed for older teens and adults only which usually airs at night. On 4th June 2016, RTL launched a new channel called "Toggo Plus", which airs the Toggo programming block time-shifted by one hour. Super RTL also has a pre-school programming block called "Toggolino". In 2020, Super RTL celebrated its 20th Anniversary. As a Disney executive once said to long-standing Super RTL boss Claude Schmit - "Super RTL was indeed one of the most profitable mistakes we ever made". The channel continues to acquire children's programming from a mixture of third-parties, and has a larger reach than YouTube for children's content in Germany. Also in 2020, Super RTL branched out into internet radio (with plans to expand into FM and DAB) by launching a child-friendly radio station called "Toggo Radio".

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