RTL Zwei

RTL Zwei, stylised as RTLZWEI, is a German-language private television channel serving the general-entertainment market. It is operated by RTL2 Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG and is part-owned by RTL Group, with additional ownership interests held by Bauer Media Group, Tele-München Television Media Participation LP and Hubert Burda Media. The channel is licensed as a full-service broadcaster under Germany’s interstate broadcasting framework, which requires a commercial station of this type to provide more than entertainment alone, including news, information and cultural programming. The operating company was established in 1992, but the channel’s planned launch in September of that year was delayed after Hessian media regulators questioned the proposed shareholder structure. The ownership interests of several founding participants had to be reduced below the applicable threshold before a broadcasting licence could be granted. RTL II eventually began transmitting on 6 March 1993 at 6:09 a.m. via an Astra satellite transponder previously used by Screensport. Its opening programme was the film Little Miss Marker. During its early development, RTL Zwei positioned itself as a youth-oriented alternative within German commercial television. Its schedule combined acquired films and series, locally produced reality and documentary-soap formats, news, magazine programming, children’s content and imported animation. In 2000, the channel became an early German home for the casting format Popstars and began broadcasting Big Brother. Popstars later moved to ProSieben, while Big Brother remained an important part of RTL Zwei’s access-prime-time identity for many years, continuing on the channel until 2011. Reality and factual entertainment became central to the channel’s business model. Programmes such as Die Geissens – Eine schrecklich glamouröse Familie and Frauentausch helped establish a recognizable schedule built around documentary soaps, relationship formats and everyday-life subjects. The channel also used acquired international series, including 24, Stargate SG-1, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, to strengthen its prime-time offering. Its news operation includes RTL II News, RTL II Spezial. Das Magazin and Das Nachrichtenjournal. RTL II News has been designed for a younger audience, a strategy that has sometimes attracted criticism because entertainment and consumer stories could receive prominent placement alongside hard news. RTL Zwei has also had a notable role in German anime and children’s programming. Its Pokito-branded afternoon block carried a large number of imported anime series, including Detective Conan, InuYasha, One Piece and Naruto. Editing decisions made to comply with youth-protection and scheduling requirements generated criticism from anime viewers. The channel later reduced its traditional children’s output, announcing in 2013 that its Sunday-morning children’s programme would end, while also experimenting with a short-lived online anime service. The station expanded beyond linear broadcasting in February 2012 by introducing a video-on-demand service. It has also been associated with several German television premieres, including the first German casting-show run of Popstars, an interactive film project, international millennium celebrations and the regular presentation of dubbed Bollywood films after a successful 2004 broadcast. On 7 October 2019, the channel adopted the RTLZWEI brand, spelling out the number in the name for the first time. The rebrand, developed with mehappy GmbH, was intended to modernize the visual identity while retaining the station’s established entertainment positioning. RTL Zwei remains a German free-to-air entertainment broadcaster with localized variants for Austria and Switzerland. Those versions use separate advertising arrangements and are distributed through cable and satellite platforms. The company’s main administration is in Grünwald near Munich, while its news department r…

RTL Zwei emerged from Germany’s early private-television expansion. Its operating company, RTL2 Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, was founded in 1992, with RTL Television, CLT, Bertelsmann, Burda and FAZ among the original ownership participants. The channel was expected to begin in September 1992, but regulators objected to the proposed shareholder structure. The interests of the initial shareholders had to be reduced below the relevant ownership ceiling before the licence could be issued. The station finally launched on 6 March 1993 at 6:09 a.m. It transmitted via an Astra satellite transponder previously used by Screensport, which had ceased operations after merging with Eurosport. The first broadcast was Little Miss Marker. RTL II was licensed as a full-service private broadcaster, requiring it to combine entertainment with news, information and cultural programming. The channel developed a commercially distinctive schedule aimed in part at younger viewers. It combined films, imported series, reality programmes, documentary soaps, news and magazine shows. A major turning point came in 2000, when RTL II introduced Popstars and Big Brother to German television audiences. Popstars ran for two seasons before moving to ProSieben, while Big Brother remained on RTL II through 2011. These formats helped make unscripted entertainment a core part of the channel’s identity. RTL II also built a substantial anime and children’s offering. Through the Pokito youth block, it broadcast more than 80 anime series as well as cartoons. Compliance-related edits to series such as Detective Conan, InuYasha, One Piece and Naruto drew criticism from fans. The channel later curtailed its conventional children’s programming and ended its Sunday-morning children’s schedule in April 2013. A separate online anime channel was also introduced that year but was short-lived. In prime time, RTL II relied heavily on its own documentary-soap and reality productions, including Die Geissens – Eine schrecklich glamouröse Familie and Frauentausch. It supplemented these with acquired US programming such as 24, Stargate SG-1, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Its news and magazine portfolio includes RTL II News, RTL II Spezial. Das Magazin and Das Nachrichtenjournal. RTL II News’s youth-oriented editorial approach has been criticized for giving prominent placement to entertainment or consumer stories, and questions about whether the station met the information expectations of a full-service licence have arisen during its history. The broadcaster began offering video on demand in February 2012, extending its reach beyond scheduled broadcasts. It also experimented with distinctive imported formats and premieres. These included the 24-hour millennium programme The Final Countdown, an interactive film project called Jack Point Jack, and a successful 2004 showing of the Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, released in German as In guten wie in schweren Tagen. The Bollywood film’s performance led to further Indian-film broadcasts. The company was originally based in Cologne but later moved its main administration to Grünwald, south of Munich. Its news department stayed in Cologne to share production facilities with RTL news operations. As of the cited reference material, the company employed approximately 210 people and was managed by Andreas Bartl from June 2014. Ownership is divided principally among RTL Group, Bauer Media Group and Tele-München Television Media Participation LP, with a smaller interest held by Hubert Burda Media. On 7 October 2019, RTL II adopted the RTLZWEI name and visual identity. The change was developed with mehappy GmbH and represented the first time the number in the station’s name was written out. The channel continues to operate as a German-language general-entertainment broadcaster, with versions for Austria and Switzerland carrying localized advertising.

• 2019

  Rebrand to RTLZWEI

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the RTLZWEI name and a redesigned visual identity on 7 October.

• 2013

  Sunday children’s block discontinued

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  RTL II announced the end of its Sunday-morning children’s programme from 21 April and continued adjusting its youth-content strategy.

• 2012

  Video-on-demand service introduced

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  RTL II added an on-demand service to complement linear broadcasting.

• 2004

  Bollywood programming gains a foothold

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  The channel’s broadcast of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham became a successful German television event and was followed by further Indian-film programming.

• 2000

  Big Brother and Popstars join the schedule

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  RTL II became an early German broadcaster of both the reality format Big Brother and the casting format Popstars.

• 1993

  RTL II begins broadcasting

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  The channel launched on 6 March at 6:09 a.m. via Astra satellite transmission, opening with Little Miss Marker.

• 1992

  Operating company established and launch planned

  [1]RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org

  RTL2 Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG was established and the channel was initially scheduled to launch in September, subject to regulatory approval.

A youth-oriented German commercial general-entertainment broadcaster combining reality and documentary soaps, acquired series and films, news, magazine programming, and selected anime and children’s content.

• Broadcast television · 1993

  Linear television channel

  RTL Zwei’s principal offering is a German-language free-to-air general-entertainment channel. Its schedule combines locally produced reality and documentary-soap formats with feature films, imported scripted series, news and magazine programming. Localized versions serve Austria and Switzerland with separate advertising arrangements.

• Unscripted television

  Reality and documentary soaps

  Reality and documentary-soap programming forms one of RTL Zwei’s strongest schedule pillars. Formats such as Die Geissens – Eine schrecklich glamouröse Familie and Frauentausch present family life, relationships, consumption and social situations in an accessible, personality-led style designed for recurring viewing.

• News television · 1993

  News and magazine programming

  The broadcaster operates RTL II News together with RTL II Spezial. Das Magazin and Das Nachrichtenjournal. The news portfolio is intended to meet the information role of a full-service private broadcaster while using a presentation and story mix aimed particularly at younger commercial-TV viewers.

• Children’s television

  Pokito anime and children’s programming

  RTL Zwei historically carried one of the largest anime offerings among German free-to-air channels. Its Pokito block included series such as Detective Conan, InuYasha, One Piece and Naruto, alongside cartoons and other youth programming. Content edits made for youth-protection compliance became a recurring point of criticism among fans.

• Digital video · 2012

  Video-on-demand service

  Introduced in February 2012, RTL Zwei’s video-on-demand offering extended access to selected channel content beyond the linear schedule and represented the broadcaster’s move into digital distribution.

• 2019RTLZWEI rebrand

  Germany · Austria · Switzerland

  RTL II replaced its long-used written forms RTL 2 and RTL II with RTLZWEI and introduced a redesigned visual identity developed with mehappy GmbH.

  Outcome. The channel retained its established entertainment positioning while presenting a more contemporary brand identity.

  Source

• 2019

  Adopt the RTLZWEI identityOther

  Background

  The broadcaster sought to modernize a name that had appeared in several forms, including RTL 2 and RTL II.

  Action taken

  On 7 October 2019, the channel adopted RTLZWEI and introduced a new visual design created with mehappy GmbH.

  Aftermath

  The rebrand standardized the station’s public-facing identity across its market presence.

  Source

• 2013

  Reduce traditional children’s programmingStrategy

  Background

  RTL II was adjusting its youth schedule after years of anime and children’s broadcasting.

  Action taken

  The channel announced the discontinuation of its Sunday-morning children’s programme from 21 April 2013 and also launched a short-lived online anime channel.

  Aftermath

  The decision marked a reduction in the prominence of conventional children’s programming within the channel’s overall schedule.

  Source

• 2012

  Expand into video on demandStrategy

  Background

  Changing viewing habits created demand for access to television content outside scheduled linear broadcasts.

  Action taken

  RTL II introduced a video-on-demand service.

  Aftermath

  The broadcaster added a digital distribution channel alongside its conventional television service.

  Source

• 2000

  Launch of Big Brother and Popstars programmingProduct launch

  Background

  RTL II was seeking distinctive formats capable of attracting younger and broader commercial audiences.

  Action taken

  The channel added Big Brother and Popstars to its schedule.

  Aftermath

  Both formats became important reference points in the development of German reality and casting television; Popstars later moved to ProSieben, while Big Brother remained on RTL II until 2011.

  Source

• 1992

  Restructure initial ownership to secure a broadcasting licenceStrategy

  Background

  German media authorities questioned whether the proposed shareholder structure complied with the applicable rules for private broadcasting.

  Action taken

  The initial shareholders reduced their interests below 25 percent before the licence was awarded.

  Aftermath

  The channel’s launch was delayed from September 1992 to March 1993.

  Source

1. 1RTL Zweien.wikipedia.org
2. 2RTL Zwei official websitertl2.de