Hit by a weak economy and a downturn in advertising, RTL reported a decline in both revenue and profit for 2025. Adjusted operating profit (EBITDA) fell by just over eight percent to 661 million euros, while revenues dropped 3.8 percent to 6.02 billion euros, the European television group announced on Thursday. In its forward-looking streaming business, RTL narrowed its losses to 47 million euros and aims to post its first profit of between 25 and 50 million euros in the current year. The market environment remained challenging in 2025 – "characterized by a significant decline in TV advertising and a further accelerated shift from linear television to streaming," said outgoing RTL CEO Thomas Rabe. The streaming business will be "the engine for sustainable profit growth in the coming years."

For 2026, the Bertelsmann subsidiary is targeting an operating profit of around 725 million euros (plus or minus three percent). However, the advertising market for traditional linear television is expected to remain under pressure, likely shrinking by about three percent. In the medium term, RTL aims to reach an adjusted EBITDA of approximately one billion euros. This is to be achieved through streaming growth, increased use of Artificial Intelligence, cost discipline, and 250 million euros in synergies over three years following the planned acquisition of pay-TV provider Sky Deutschland.

Streaming revenue surged by over 26 percent last year to 509 million euros, partly due to higher subscription prices in Germany. Furthermore, the number of paying subscribers climbed 19.2 percent to 8.1 million. Digital advertising revenues rose by nearly 28 percent to 517 million euros, though this was not enough to offset the decline in TV advertising revenue.

The sale of RTL Nederland to the Belgian media group DPG for 1.1 billion euros caused net profit to jump by around 85 percent to one billion euros. Consequently, RTL is increasing its dividend to 5.50 euros per share (up from 2.50 euros the previous year). At the same time, RTL Deutschland is cutting approximately 600 full-time positions due to the sluggish TV market.

Rabe has served as CEO of Bertelsmann since 2012 and as CEO of RTL since 2019. The manager will step down from the parent company at the end of this year, while Clement Schwebig is set to succeed him at RTL as early as May. The Frenchman was most recently responsible for Western Europe and Africa at Warner Bros. Discovery and is tasked with making the acquisition of pay-TV provider Sky Deutschland from the US group Comcast a success.

(Report by Klaus Lauer, edited by Myria Mildenberger. For inquiries, please contact our editorial office at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)