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Super RTL is a German free-to-airtelevision network owned by SUPER RTL Fernsehen GmbH, a fully owned subsidiary ofRTL Deutschland.[2] The channel originally launched in 1995 as ajoint venture between RTL Group predecessor company CLT-UFA and Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments (later Disney International Operations) division, with the venture then-known as RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG.[3]
The channel airs daily from 5:00am-12:00am under two different programming slots;Toggo (5:00am-8:00pm), which is aimed at children, andRTL Super (8:00pm-12:00am), which is aimed at families and young adults.
Super RTL was finally launched on 28 April 1995, withThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as its first ever program (aside from showingDisney Channel's "TV" ident, Super RTL is not owned byDisney Branded Television, instead, it was owned by Disney's Buena Vista International Television Investments division).[6] The Disney-CC/ABC merger led to DTT being split up in April 1996, Walt Disney Television International was transferred toCapital Cities/ABC in that same month.[7] CC/ABC combined the international units, Walt Disney Television International and ACIBG, intoDisney–ABC International Television (DAIT) in July.[8] 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.[9] Following a legal dispute with RTL/CLT,[10][11] Bertelsmann announced plans to merge the television businesses ofUFA to form the joint venture CLT-UFA in April 1996.[12] A merger agreement was signed on 8 July 1996.[13] It was approved by the CLT board of directors on 5 December,[14] and the formation of CLT-UFA was completed on 14 January 1997.[15] As a result, German television channels such as RTL Television, Super RTL and VOX and international broadcasting services, including M6 in France, were all brought together under one roof.[16]
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.[17]
In 1999, the joint venture saw its channel make a net profit ofDM 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.[17]
Also in 2000, the preschool programming is labeled "Toggolino". Toggolino Club is started in 2002 and offers paid pre-school children education content.[17]
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.[17]
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.[18] Bertelsmann turned over the learning platform Scoyo to Super RTL in 2009.[17] In mid-2013, Super RTL,RTL II and four other RTL channels were available overZattoo live streaming service under the first deal between a German broadcaster and an over the top platform company.[19]
Program contents' changes, and post-Disney era (2014-present)
With the announcement of the launch of a free-to-airGerman version of Disney Channel causing a loss of Disney programming, Super RTL signed volume deals in October 2013 withWarner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution andSony Pictures Television for a slate of animated features andDreamWorks Animation (DWA) for 1,200 hours of programming until 2020.[20] The DWA deal included shows from theClassic Media library.[21] 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'sPretty Little Liars, ABC'sOnce Upon a Time and Scandal and Syfy'sLost 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.[20]
RTL Disney TV LP launched its Kividoo subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services on 28 April 2015.[6] In February 2016, RTL Disney Television LP received approval for a second channel from the anti-media concentration commission KEK.[3] 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.[18] 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.[22]
Sale of Disney stake and rebranding of Primetime block to RTL Super (2021-present)
On March 3, 2021, the RTL Group announced it had fully acquired Disney's stake in RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, putting Super RTL under its full control for the first time.[23]
At the end of July 2023, it was announced that Super RTL would be renamed to "RTL Super" in the middle of August 2023.[24] 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.[25]
In October 2024, it was announced that the Toggolino brand would cease to exist, with all children's programming being branded under the singular "Toggo" name.[26]
On April 24, 2024, Super RTL entered into a new major partnership withParamount Global to secure a new free-to-air broadcast deal for Nickelodeon programming in Germany, and to fully acquireNickelodeon Germany and replace it with a standalone Toggo branded network, subject to approval.[27] On 18 September, it was announced that the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) had blocked the Nickelodeon channel deal.[28]
Super RTL's broadcast day is split between two different umbrella brands.[69]
Toggo - Super RTL's main umbrella brand. Originally focused towards a 6-13-year-old audience, but since October 2024, it has also been used for pre-school programming. The brand was first introduced in 2001.[17][18]
RTL Super - Airs repeats of drama shows and family-oriented live-action movies. The brand was first introduced in 2019 asSuper RTL Primetime and was renamed in August 2023.[70]
From 3 June 2001 until 2005, Super RTL ran a strand titledRavensburger TV. Operated byRTV 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.[71][72]
From 2000 until 2024, pre-school programs were branded under theToggolino brand.[17]
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.[18]
A radio channel that was launched on 15 June 2020. The channel is available on Super RTL platforms, online radio aggregators and smart devices and viaDigital Audio Broadcasting, but not FM. Its content consists of chart music, children's songs and radio plays.[22]
^abKrieger, Jörn (10 February 2016)."Super RTL plans new TV channel".Broadband TV News. Retrieved12 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 Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen and Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs.
^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 Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen and Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs.
^joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Lühmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
