Medienkonzern: RTL Deutschland und Sky streichen rund 500 Stellen
RTL und Sky wachsen zusammen – das hat auch Folgen für die Beschäftigten. Bis Ende 2027 sollen rund 500 Stellen wegfallen, während der Konzern zugleich Millionen einsparen will.
The German media conglomerate RTL Deutschland and Sky are set to eliminate approximately 500 positions by the end of 2027, according to RTL. Most of these cuts are expected to occur in 2026, the outlet reported. The job reductions aim to be socially responsible and coordinated with the relevant works councils, the source added. Contracts that have expired will not be renewed, and vacant positions will not be re-staffed.
Business-related dismissals are also expected to be avoided. The exact distribution of these 500 positions between RTL and Sky has not been disclosed by the company. RTL Group took over Sky Deutschland this year in an effort to strengthen its position in the streaming and TV market against major international providers and to expand its subscription business.
The merger is anticipated to generate annual synergies of 250 million euros within three years, primarily through the optimization of content and operating costs, according to RTL. Bundling responsibilities, eliminating redundant structures, and creating more efficient and forward-looking decision-making processes are also part of the plan.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe had already announced that the acquisition would have implications for employees, stating that the companies and organization would be merged and further streamlined. Rabe told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in April that this would affect personnel, but the focus would be on more efficiently utilizing media investments.
RTL and Sky are investing around 2.5 billion euros annually in content. Rabe had announced in April that these investments would be exploited in the future across various platforms - RTL, RTL+ and Sky. Through the acquisition, RTL also aims to broaden its business and become more independent from the traditional TV advertising market.
Sky mainly brings pay-TV and streaming business. Cuts had been made earlier This year, RTL Deutschland announced the elimination of around 600 positions as part of a restructuring, citing the deepening change in the media market, the difficult economic situation and weak TV advertising markets. RTL Deutschland belongs to the majority-owned international RTL Group by Bertelsmann.
Besides news channels such as RTL, Vox and ntv and the streaming service RTL+, Sky includes the Wow streaming service among its holdings.
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