RTL Crime

RTL Crime is a German pay television channel owned by RTL Group. It was launched on 1 December 2006 as a thematic service focused on crime and action-oriented entertainment. Its schedule is centered on crime series and related programming, positioning the channel within the specialized subscription-television segment rather than as a general-interest broadcaster. The channel expanded its distribution through established pay-TV platforms. It became available on Sky Deutschland on 1 October 2007, increasing its reach among German subscription television households. RTL Crime also developed an international extension of its brand when a localized feed was introduced in the Netherlands on 1 September 2011. This Dutch feed represented an adaptation of the channel concept for another market rather than a change to its core crime and action positioning. RTL Crime added a high-definition simulcast on 15 May 2012. The HD service initially began carriage on Unitymedia and was later introduced on Sky Deutschland on 25 September 2014. From 1 August 2017, the channel was also offered in HD through Kabel Deutschland's HD Premium package. These distribution steps illustrate the channel's gradual migration across major German pay-TV and cable platforms and its adoption of higher-definition delivery as a standard part of the service. The brand underwent a visual and naming presentation update on 15 September 2021, after which it was styled as RTL CRIME. The change aligned the channel more closely with RTL's broader contemporary brand presentation while retaining its established editorial focus. Its principal offering remains television programming delivered through pay-TV distribution, including crime and action series. Detailed information on the channel's headquarters, management, audience share, commissioning strategy, and current programming slate is not established in the supplied reference material.

RTL Crime was launched in Germany on 1 December 2006 by RTL Group as a pay television channel with a focused editorial identity. Unlike a broad general-entertainment channel, it was designed around crime and action programming, using a recognizable genre proposition to serve subscription-TV audiences. Its early development was closely tied to distribution partnerships. On 1 October 2007, RTL Crime became available on Sky Deutschland, giving the channel access to a major German pay-TV platform. The channel subsequently expanded its geographic footprint with a localized feed for the Netherlands, launched on 1 September 2011. This extension retained the core RTL Crime concept while adapting distribution to a separate national market. A significant technical development came on 15 May 2012, when RTL Crime introduced a high-definition simulcast. Unitymedia was among the first platforms to carry the HD service. The HD version later reached Sky Deutschland on 25 September 2014 and was added to Kabel Deutschland's HD Premium package from 1 August 2017. The sequence reflects the channel's progressive expansion across satellite, cable, and other subscription distribution environments, as well as the broader transition of television services toward HD delivery. On 15 September 2021, the channel's presentation was updated and the name was styled as RTL CRIME. This visual treatment connected the service more visibly with RTL's wider brand system while preserving its established genre focus. Across its history, RTL Crime has therefore combined a narrow programming proposition—crime and action television—with a distribution strategy based on pay-TV operators and HD platform availability. The supplied reference material does not provide sufficient detail to describe specific original productions, audience-share figures, executives, headquarters, financial performance, or later programming changes.

• 2021

  Brand styling updated to RTL CRIME

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  The channel adopts the RTL CRIME styling as part of a refreshed brand presentation.

• 2017

  HD distribution expands through Kabel Deutschland

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  RTL Crime HD becomes available in Kabel Deutschland's HD Premium package.

• 2014

  HD service added to Sky Deutschland

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  RTL Crime HD launches on Sky Deutschland.

• 2012

  HD simulcast launches

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  RTL Crime begins an HD simulcast, initially carried by Unitymedia.

• 2011

  Localized Dutch feed launches

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  A localized feed of RTL Crime is introduced in the Netherlands.

• 2007

  Sky Deutschland distribution begins

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  RTL Crime becomes available on Sky Deutschland, expanding its German pay-TV distribution.

• 2006

  German launch

  [1]RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  RTL Crime launches as a German pay television channel focused on crime and action series.

A thematic pay-TV channel for viewers seeking crime and action series, distributed through subscription television and cable platforms.

• Pay television channel · 2006

  RTL Crime

  The core German RTL Crime service is a subscription television channel centered on crime and action programming. Its thematic positioning differentiates it from general-interest RTL services and is intended for viewers seeking genre-focused series and related entertainment.

• High-definition television simulcast · 2012

  RTL Crime HD

  RTL Crime HD is the high-definition simulcast of the channel. It was introduced in 2012 and subsequently distributed through several German pay-TV and cable platforms, including Sky Deutschland and Kabel Deutschland's HD Premium package.

• Localized television feed · 2011

  RTL Crime Netherlands

  The Dutch localized feed extended the RTL Crime concept into the Netherlands. It was launched as a market-specific version of the channel rather than as a separate unrelated brand.

• 2021

  Refresh the channel's brand presentationStrategy

  Background

  RTL Group updated the channel's public presentation within its broader brand architecture.

  Action taken

  From 15 September 2021, the channel was styled as RTL CRIME.

  Aftermath

  The service retained its crime and action programming identity under the refreshed styling.

  Source

• 2012

  Introduce high-definition distributionGeneration change

  Background

  The channel responded to the continuing adoption of HD television delivery by pay-TV and cable operators.

  Action taken

  RTL Crime launched an HD simulcast, initially carried by Unitymedia.

  Aftermath

  The HD service later expanded to Sky Deutschland and Kabel Deutschland distribution.

  Source

• 2011

  Extend the channel concept to the NetherlandsStrategy

  Background

  RTL Crime pursued additional reach outside its original German market.

  Action taken

  A localized Dutch feed was launched on 1 September 2011.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained a localized presence in another European television market.

  Source

• 2006

  Launch a genre-focused German pay-TV channelProduct launch

  Background

  RTL Group created a dedicated service for crime and action programming within the German pay-TV market.

  Action taken

  RTL Crime launched on 1 December 2006.

  Aftermath

  The channel established the thematic and distribution basis for subsequent platform expansion.

  Source

1. 1RTL Crime (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2RTL Crime official websitertl-crime.rtl.de