German television station
Television channel
RTL Zwei
(stylised as RTL
ZWEI
), formerly spelled
RTL 2
and
RTL II
, is a German-language television channel that is operated by
RTL2 Television
GmbH & Co. KG
. RTL2 is a private television broadcaster with a
full program
(Vollprogramm)
according to the
Interstate Broadcasting Agreement
(Rundfunkstaatsvertrag)
. For Austria and Switzerland, variants of the main programme are produced with nationally inserted advertising islands; these variants can be received via the cable networks in these two countries as well as via digital satellite. RTL Zwei is the second subsidiary of
RTL Group
in Germany.
History
[
edit
]
On 26 September 1992, RTL II was scheduled to begin broadcasting; select programming guides were anticipating the channel's launch during that time. However, the channel's launch was delayed until 1993 because LPR Hessen (known as the
Hessische Landesanstalt fur privaten Rundfunk
) repeatedly raised concerns about the channel's shareholder structure to the German media authorities. The shares of the channel's initial owners (RTL Television, CLT, Bertelsmann, Burda and FAZ) had to be reduced to below 25% before the licence for the channel could be awarded to RTL.
[1]
The channel eventually started broadcasting on 6 March 1993 at 6:09 a.m., replacing
Screensport
(which ceased operations five days earlier due to its merger with
Eurosport
) on the
Astra satellite
service. The first programme on the channel was the movie
Ein reizender Fratz
.
In 2000, RTL II began broadcasting the shows
Popstars
and
Big Brother
.
Popstars
ran on the channel for two seasons before it was moved to
ProSieben
, while
Big Brother
continued to air until 2011.
The network began offering a
video on demand
service in February 2012.
[2]
As of 7 October 2019, the channel was rebranded as
RTLZWEI
. The number
2
is written out for the first time in the station's history. The design was developed in cooperation with the agency
mehappy GmbH
.
[3]
Visual identity (logos)
[
edit
]
-
Logo of RTL 2 from 6 March 1993 to 6 April 1996; similar to the logo used by
KGAN
/
Cedar Rapids
from 1993 to 2004
-
Logo of RTL 2 from 6 April 1996 to 1999
-
The first version of the channel's circular "II" logo was used from 1999 to 2001.
-
Updated version of 1999 logo; used from 2001 to 2009
-
Logo of RTL II from 2009 to 2019
Ownership
[
edit
]
The channel is operated by RTL2 TV
GmbH & Co. KG
, which was founded in 1992 and employs approximately 210 people. Since June 2014 its Managing Director has been Andreas Bartl.
[4]
The company was originally headquartered in
Cologne
, but is now run from the municipality of
Grunwald
, to the south of Munich; only its news department is still based in Cologne, in order to share the production facilities of RTL news. The company is jointly owned by
RTL Group
S.A.
(35.9%),
[5]
Bauer Media Group
(31.5%),
[6]
Tele-Munich Television Media Participation LP
(31.5%, of which the
Leonine Holding
and
The Walt Disney Company
hold 50% each).
[5]
and
Hubert Burda Media
(1.1%)
[5]
Programming
[
edit
]
Programming pillars are daily episodes of the local
Big Brother
in access
prime-time
, and a prime-time lineup consisting mostly of "docu-soaps", movies and licensed series such as
24
and
Stargate SG-1
. Recent efforts to move further towards quality programming with science magazines and documentaries have met with an indifferent audience response.
[
citation needed
]
The channel's prime-time newscast
RTL II News
is frequently criticized
[
citation needed
]
for its selection of news stories, which are seen to cater to a young audience; for example, it has been known to put a CD release or the launch of a new gaming console in the second headline slot directly after the day's top event.
[
original research?
]
This unconventional approach has brought RTL II's broadcasting licence into jeopardy at least once, as a German
commercial broadcaster
has to feature minimum amounts of serious informational and cultural programming to be allowed a full channel licence.
[
citation needed
]
In addition to its own newscast formats (
RTL II News
,
RTL II Spezial. Das Magazin
and
Das Nachrichtenjournal
), the channel commissions independent producers to create its own productions, which it airs in the afternoons.
Afternoon programming
[
edit
]
In the afternoon, the channel now primarily features its own docu soap and reality show productions.
[7]
Prime-time
[
edit
]
Among its prime-time line-up the channel's own docu soap productions such as
Die Geissens ? Eine schrecklich glamourose Familie
and
Frauentausch
are particularly successful. Various US shows such as
Game of Thrones
[8]
and
The Walking Dead
[9]
have been the most successful series of RTL II's prime-time slot. Its late-night line-up also featured North American series such as
Autopsie ? Mysteriose Todesfalle
and
Flashpoint
.
Anime and children's programming
[
edit
]
RTL II has offered the largest
anime
content of all free-to-air German-language TV channels.
[
citation needed
]
It aired about over 80 Anime series since the channel and also broadcast cartoons. On weekdays, RTL II also aired an anime afternoon under their children/youth banner "Pokito". Following tensions with media authorities, RTL II's
standards and practices
department was believed
[
by whom?
]
to be especially sensitive about children's programming. As a consequence, the channel has cut scenes in anime series like
Detective Conan
,
[10]
InuYasha
,
[11]
One Piece
[12]
and
Naruto
,
[13]
[14]
for which it has received criticism from anime fans. Even some episodes where the original version had previously been given a
FSK
6 rating, meaning that it was suitable for children ages 6 up and may legally be aired at all hours of the day, have been edited down.
[
citation needed
]
In February 2013, RTL II announced that its Sunday morning children's programme would be discontinued as of 21 April 2013. A separate and short-lived online channel for anime was launched in April.
[15]
German premieres
[
edit
]
RTL II was the first channel to introduce various foreign TV formats on German television such as:
- The Final Countdown
: a show aired at the start of the new millennium lasting 24 hours and showing celebrations in various locations all over the world.
- Popstars
in 2000 was the first casting show aired on German television.
- Jack Point Jack
in 2003 was the first interactive movie on German television.
- Bollywood movies: On 19 November 2004 RTL II aired Sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness (German: In guten wie in schweren Tagen - original title: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham), the first dubbed Bollywood movie on German television, and achieved an audience share of over 12.3% among the target group of 14- to 49-year-olds.
[16]
Due to its great success Indian movies have been regularly aired on the channel ever since. Previously, Bollywood movies had been broadcast in Hindi with German subtitles on ARTE and VOX.
Audience share
[
edit
]
Germany
[
edit
]
|
January
|
February
|
March
|
April
|
May
|
June
|
July
|
August
|
September
|
October
|
November
|
December
|
Annual average
|
1993
[17]
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2.6%
|
1994
[18]
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3.8%
|
1995
[19]
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4.6%
|
1996
[20]
|
4.6%
|
4.1%
|
4.4%
|
4.8%
|
4.5%
|
4.3%
|
4.6%
|
4.5%
|
4.6%
|
4.6%
|
4.5%
|
4.1%
|
4.5%
|
1997
[21]
|
4.1%
|
4.4%
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.2%
|
4.0%
|
3.8%
|
3.6%
|
3.6%
|
4.2%
|
3.8%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
1998
[22]
|
3.7%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
4.1%
|
3.8%
|
3.4%
|
3.6%
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
3.7%
|
3.6%
|
3.8%
|
1999
[23]
|
3.6%
|
3.4%
|
3.4%
|
3.7%
|
4.0%
|
3.9%
|
4.4%
|
4.5%
|
4.6%
|
4.3%
|
4.2%
|
4.2%
|
4.0%
|
2000
[24]
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.6%
|
5.5%
|
5.7%
|
5.0%
|
4.5%
|
4.8%
|
4.8%
|
5.6%
|
4.9%
|
4.5%
|
4.8%
|
2001
[25]
|
4.4%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
3.7%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
4.3%
|
4.2%
|
3.8%
|
4.0%
|
2002
[26]
|
4.1%
|
3.7%
|
4.1%
|
4.0%
|
4.5%
|
4.1%
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.2%
|
3.4%
|
3.2%
|
3.2%
|
3.9%
|
2003
[27]
|
4.1%
|
4.2%
|
4.0%
|
4.8%
|
5.1%
|
5.6%
|
5.1%
|
4.9%
|
4.7%
|
4.8%
|
4.6%
|
4.6%
|
4.7%
|
2004
[28]
|
4.5%
|
4.5%
|
5.3%
|
5.1%
|
5.1%
|
4.8%
|
5.2%
|
4.9%
|
5.4%
|
4.9%
|
4.7%
|
4.5%
|
4.9%
|
2005
[29]
|
4.4%
|
4.7%
|
4.4%
|
4.0%
|
4.4%
|
4.3%
|
4.2%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
4.3%
|
3.9%
|
3.7%
|
4.2%
|
2006
[30]
|
3.8%
|
3.6%
|
3.7%
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
3.4%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
3.8%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
2007
[31]
|
3.4%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
4.1%
|
4.0%
|
4.1%
|
4.2%
|
4.1%
|
3.7%
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
2008
[32]
|
3.6%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
4.1%
|
4.3%
|
3.5%
|
4.1%
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
3.7%
|
3.6%
|
3.6%
|
3.8%
|
2009
[33]
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.9%
|
4.2%
|
4.1%
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.0%
|
3.7%
|
4.0%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
3.9%
|
2010
[34]
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
4.0%
|
3.5%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.6%
|
3.8%
|
2011
[35]
|
3.4%
|
3.5%
|
3.4%
|
3.5%
|
3.6%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.6%
|
3.7%
|
3.7%
|
3.8%
|
3.6%
|
2012
[36]
|
3.6%
|
3.7%
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
4.0%
|
3.7%
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.1%
|
4.2%
|
4.5%
|
4.3%
|
4.0%
|
2013
[37]
|
3.9%
|
4.1%
|
4.1%
|
4.1%
|
4.3%
|
4.1%
|
4.3%
|
4.4%
|
4.0%
|
4.2%
|
4.4%
|
4.3%
|
4.2%
|
2014
[38]
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
3.8%
|
4.1%
|
4.0%
|
3.4%
|
3.6%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
4.0%
|
3.9%
|
3.9%
|
2015
[39]
|
3.6%
|
3.7%
|
4.0%
|
3.9%
|
3.8%
|
3.7%
|
3.8%
|
3.5%
|
3.6%
|
3.5%
|
3.2%
|
3.3%
|
3.7%
|
2016
[40]
|
3.3%
|
3.6%
|
3.5%
|
3.7%
|
3.8%
|
3.2%
|
3.4%
|
3.3%
|
3.5%
|
3.5%
|
3.5%
|
3.2%
|
3.5%
|
2017
[41]
|
3.1%
|
3.1%
|
3.2%
|
3.2%
|
3.2%
|
3.2%
|
3.4%
|
3.1%
|
2.9%
|
3.1%
|
3.1%
|
3.2%
|
3.2%
|
2018
[42]
|
2.9%
|
3.1%
|
3.0%
|
3.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The average age of the viewers is 43.5 years (as of 2016).
[43]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
RTL Deutschland
|
|
---|
RTL Nederland
| |
---|
Groupe M6
(48.6%)
| |
---|
RTL Luxembourg
| |
---|
RTL Magyarorszag
| |
---|
Atresmedia
(18.65%)
| |
---|
Latin America & Brazil
| |
---|
Russia
| |
---|
Fremantle
| |
---|
- ^
joint venture with
Leonine Holding
,
The Walt Disney Company
,
Bauer Media Group
and
Hubert Burda Media
.
- ^
a
b
joint venture with Amperwelle Studio Munchen Programmanbietergesellschaft,
Axel Springer AG
, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen fur Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
- ^
joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Luhmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
- ^
joint venture with Pressefunk Nordrhein-Westfalen and
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
.
- ^
joint venture with
Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland
, Antenne Niedersachen and Niedersachsen Radio.
- ^
joint venture with Mediengruppe Dr. Haas.
- ^
joint venture with Rheinland-Pfalzische Rundfunk.
- ^
joint venture with Broadcast Sachsen.
- ^
joint venture with Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen and Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs.
- ^
joint venture with
TF1 Group
.
- ^
joint venture with
France Televisions
and
Groupe TF1
.
|
|
---|
Bertelsmann
Home Entertainment
|
- Arcadia Entertainment
- Aris Ekdotiki
- ClipArt Films
- Feelgood Entertainment
- Fiction Pictures
- JP Video Productions
- Libero Video
- Lucifier Video Enterprises
- Mascot Video
- Media Vista Film & Audio Distributors
- Panorama Audio Visual Systems S.A.
- Pissanos International
- Star Video
|
---|
Media assets
| |
---|
RTL Deutschland
|
|
---|
RTL Nederland
| |
---|
Groupe M6
(48.6%)
| |
---|
RTL Luxembourg
| |
---|
RTL Magyarorszag
| |
---|
Atresmedia
(18.65%)
| |
---|
Latin America & Brazil
| |
---|
Russia
| |
---|
Fremantle
| |
---|
- ^
joint venture with
Leonine Holding
,
The Walt Disney Company
,
Bauer Media Group
and
Hubert Burda Media
.
- ^
a
b
joint venture with Amperwelle Studio Munchen Programmanbietergesellschaft,
Axel Springer AG
, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen fur Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
- ^
joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Luhmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
- ^
joint venture with Pressefunk Nordrhein-Westfalen and
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
.
- ^
joint venture with
Funk & Fernsehen Nordwestdeutschland
, Antenne Niedersachen and Niedersachsen Radio.
- ^
joint venture with Mediengruppe Dr. Haas.
- ^
joint venture with Rheinland-Pfalzische Rundfunk.
- ^
joint venture with Broadcast Sachsen.
- ^
joint venture with Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen and Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs.
- ^
joint venture with
TF1 Group
.
- ^
joint venture with
France Televisions
and
Groupe TF1
.
|
|
---|
Penguin
Random House
| USA
| |
---|
UK
| Ebury
| |
---|
Penguin General
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|
Vintage Publishing
| |
---|
|
---|
Canada
| |
---|
Germany
| |
---|
Spain
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|
|
---|
Other assets
| |
---|
|