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Super RTL is a German free-to-air television network owned by RTL Deutschland. The channel originally launched in 1995 as a joint venture between RTL Group predecessor company CLT-UFA and Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments (later Disney International Operations) division.[2]
The channel operates under three different programming slots - Toggolino, which is aimed at pre-schoolers, Toggo, which is aimed at mainstream children, and RTL Super, which is aimed at families and young adults.
History
On 24 August 1994, with Jeffrey Katzenberg's resignation, a reorganization of Disney Company took place in which Richard Frank became head of newly formed Disney Television and Telecommunications (DTT), which included Walt Disney Television International,[3] which held Disney's Super RTL stake. The Luxembourgish CLT (owners of the German RTL channel) made a deal with Disney to form RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. in 1995.[4]
Super RTL
Super RTL was finally launched on 28 April 1995, with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as its first ever program (aside from showing Disney Channel's "TV" ident, Super RTL is not owned by Disney Branded Television, instead, it was owned by Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments division).[5] The Disney-CC/ABC merger led to DTT being split up in April 1996, Walt Disney Television International was transferred to Capital Cities/ABC in that same month.[6] CC/ABC combined the international units, Walt Disney Television International and ACIBG, into Disney–ABC International Television (DAIT) in July.[7] Around the same time, in the 1990s, Bertelsmann ultimately came out on top after having gradually increased its stake in the German television channel RTL.[8] Following a legal dispute with RTL/CLT,[9][10] Bertelsmann announced plans to merge the television businesses of UFA to form the joint venture CLT-UFA in April 1996.[11] A merger agreement was signed on 8 July 1996.[12] It was approved by the CLT board of directors on 5 December,[13] and the formation of CLT-UFA was completed on 14 January 1997.[14] As a result, German television channels such as RTL Television and VOX and international broadcasting services, including M6 in France, were all brought together under one roof.[15]
The Fun & Action Tour, a Germany-wide roadshow event for children, was started in 1997 featuring TV program characters. The tour was later renamed the Toggo Tour. The following year, the channel became the top view channel by the 3-to-13-year-old target age group.[16]
In 1999, the joint venture saw its channel make a net profit of DM 4.5 million, launched its website and started the Super RTL Licensing Agency to make more revenues from TV licensing. A new managing director, Claude Schmit, took charge of the venture in 2000.[16]
Also in 2000, the preschool programming is labeled "Toggolino". Toggolino Club is started in 2002 and offers paid pre-school children education content.[16]
The Toggo umbrella brand was introduced in 2001 for all activities for 6- to 13-year-old children. In 2002, Sony BMG label, Berlin Records, released the first Toggo Music CD. SuperRTL began using the 'Family Cartoon' rating label in 2006 for family viewing suitable animated films shown on Friday and Saturday night.[16]
In 2005, Super RTL was granted a broadcast license for the preschool pay-TV channel Toggolino TV by the government media regulators for young children between the ages of 3 and 6. However, Toggolino TV was never launched.[17] Bertelsmann turned over the learning platform Scoyo to Super RTL in 2009.[16] In mid-2013, Super RTL, RTL II and four other RTL channels were available over Zattoo live streaming service under the first deal between a German broadcaster and an over the top platform company.[18]
Program contents' changes, and post-Disney era
With the announcement of the launch of a free-to-air German version of Disney Channel causing a loss of Disney programming, Super RTL signed volume deals in October 2013 with Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution and Sony Pictures Television for a slate of animated features and DreamWorks Animation (DWA) for 1,200 hours of programming until 2020.[19] The DWA deal included shows from the Classic Media library.[20] The channel also acquired programming to expand its views in the evenings with more adult TV shows to debut in its fall 2014 schedule: ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, ABC's Once Upon a Time and Scandal and Syfy's Lost Girl supernatural series. As of 1 January 2014, Disney programming left the channel, because the broadcast version of Disney Channel launched on 17 January. However, Disney continued to hold its stake in the station.[19]
RTL Disney TV LP launched its Kividoo subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services on 28 April 2015.[5] In February 2016, RTL Disney Television LP received approval for a second channel from the anti-media concentration commission KEK.[2] granted the 10-year license to the company. On 15 March, RTL Disney TV announced that the second channel's name as "Toggo plus" after receiving the broadcast license from media authorities' licensing and supervision commission ZAK. Toggo Plus was planned to launch on 4 June 2016.[17] Super RTL continued to expand its Toggo brand with plans to launch Toggo Radio channel, the first German children and family friendly channel, at the end of May 2020.[21]
On March 3, 2021, the RTL Group announced they had fully acquired Disney's stake in the station and the limited partnership, putting Super RTL under its full control for the first time.[22]
At the end of July 2023, it was announced that Super RTL would be renamed to "RTL Super" in the middle of August 2023.[23] However, it was later confirmed that only Super RTL Primetime would rebrand under the name, and that the existing Super RTL channel wouldn't be affected.[24]
Super RTL's broadcast day is split between three different umbrella brands.[79]
Toggolino - Airs shows aimed at preschool audiences. The brand was first introduced in 2000.[16]
Toggo - Super RTL's main umbrella brand. Airs programmes aimed at a 6-13-year-old audience. The brand was first introduced in 2001.[16][17]
RTL Super - Airs repeats of drama shows and family-oriented live action movies. The brand was first introduced in 2019 as Super RTL Primetime and was renamed in August 2023.[80]
From 3 June 2001 until 2005, Super RTL also ran another block titled Ravensburger TV. Operated by RTV Family Entertainment (now Your Family Entertainment), this block aired for two hours every day except for Saturdays, and functioned as a bridge-in-gap between Toggolino and Toggo, airing programs aimed at both demographics.[81][82]
On 15 March 2016, it was announced that a timeshift service, Toggo Plus, would launch on 4 June 2016. The channel transmits Toggo and Toggolino's programs one hour later. Unlike the main Super RTL network, it is a paid service, and does not timeshift the "RTL Super" slot. Infomercials would fill out the remaining time. The launch allowed the Toggo/Toggolino strand to begin at 5:00am instead of 6:00am compared to before.[17]
Toggo Radio
Logo of Toggo Radio
An online-only radio channel that was launched at the end of May 2020. The channel is on Super RTL platforms, online radio aggregators and smart devices, but not FM or digital audio broadcasting initially. Content consists of chart music, children's songs and radio plays.[21]
References
^Observatory, European Audiovisual. "TV Channel: Super RTL". MAVISE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
^ abKrieger, Jörn (10 February 2016). "Super RTL plans new TV channel". Broadband TV News. Retrieved 12 April 2016. RTL Disney Fernsehen is owned 50% each by CLT-UFA which is part of RTL Group and Buena Vista International Television Investments, a subsidiary of Walt Disney.
^ abjoint venture with Amperwelle Studio München Programmanbietergesellschaft, Axel Springer AG, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen für Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
^joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Lühmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
^ abjoint venture with Amperwelle Studio München Programmanbietergesellschaft, Axel Springer AG, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen für Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
^joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Lühmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
