The EU competition authority has granted unconditional approval to media group RTL for the acquisition of pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland. While RTL had offered concessions in the advertising market to secure clearance, the European Commission stated on Wednesday that these were unnecessary. The takeover will not restrict competition in the advertising market, nor in the acquisition of sports and entertainment rights or streaming services. Consequently, the acquisition was approved without remedies.

"This is a major day for us and for the European media market as a whole," RTL CEO Thomas Rabe told Reuters. "The merger can now be completed as of July 1," the executive emphasized. Through this acquisition, two European media providers are joining forces in the sports and entertainment sector to close the gap with US heavyweights Netflix, Disney, and Amazon Prime in Germany. The merger is essential "to compete with the major US streaming services," stressed Rabe, who also serves as CEO of RTL's parent company, Bertelsmann. By acquiring the pay-TV broadcaster, Bertelsmann subsidiary RTL gains access to Sky's sports rights, including the Bundesliga, the English Premier League, and Formula 1. Additionally, the streaming service WOW will transfer to RTL. Sky Deutschland, owned by the US group Comcast, operates in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Rabe announced plans to leverage sports rights across all platforms to generate revenue. For instance, RTL's free-to-air channels will broadcast more matches from the first and second Bundesliga divisions, while DFB-Pokal matches will be available on RTL+, and European matches will also be shown on Sky.

RTL announced the acquisition of Sky Deutschland in June 2025. Comcast will receive 150 million euros in cash and could receive an additional payment of up to 377 million euros in the coming years, depending on the performance of RTL's share price. RTL expects annual synergies of 250 million euros within three years.

Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer stated that the takeover is good news for Germany as a media hub. "We need national champions capable of competing internationally. This strengthens competition."

(Reported by Klaus Lauer and Sabine Wollrab, edited by Ralf Banser. Copy-edited by Ralf Bode. For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)