- Five subscription models from free to 14.99 EUR: from a free tier to the music package. RTL+ has the widest price spread of all services in this article series and thereby consistently addresses every willingness-to-pay level.
- NFL as a unique selling point: RTL holds the German NFL rights until 2027/28, around 80 games per season including all playoffs and the Super Bowl. Two Sunday Night games run linear on RTL/NITRO, another exclusively on RTL+.
What is RTL+?
RTL+ is the streaming service of RTL Deutschland, the German arm of the Bertelsmann subsidiary RTL Group. Unlike Netflix or Amazon, RTL+ is not an international service with a global content budget, but a genuine German platform: rooted in the strongest reach brands of German commercial television, RTL, NITRO, VOX, RTL ZWEI, ntv. RTL+ bundles live TV, media library content and exclusive streaming originals on one platform.
Ad Alliance, the marketing house of RTL Deutschland, incidentally markets not only RTL+ but also HBO Max in Germany. The marketing logic of both platforms thus lies in one hand.
Content: reach hits, originals and NFL
RTL+ builds on three content pillars: reach events like the NFL, Formula 1 (via VOX) and big events. Pop-cultural long-runners like Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten, Der Bachelor, Germany's Next Topmodel, Big Brother and Ninja Warrior, formats that bind loyal audiences with high continuity. And exclusive streaming originals that position RTL+ as a standalone product beyond the media library function.
The NFL is the most strategically significant rights package: American football has gained strongly in viewership in Germany since 2023, and RTL holds the exclusive rights for the free TV and streaming market until 2027/28. Anyone who wants to watch the Super Bowl live tunes in to RTL, or RTL+.
Pricing model: widest price spread in the market
No other service in this article series addresses as many willingness-to-pay levels as RTL+. From free to 14.99 EUR, all segments are covered:
NFL access is included from the premium tier. The free tier and the basic subscription are thus deliberately excluded from the sports inventory, live sport as an upgrade lever. Annual packages are cheaper: Basic 59.99 EUR, Premium 89.99 EUR, Music 129.99 EUR.
Advertising: one brand strategy and Addressable TV
Unlike the German counterpart "JOYN" by ProSiebenSat.1 (MFE), subscription remains in the foreground at RTL+. "JOYN" also has a premium tier. But the Unterföhring media house relies more strongly on advertising revenues than the Bertelsmann subsidiary RTL does.
The advertising inventory on RTL+ grew by 60% in 2024, and again by 95% in 2025. Targeting includes contextual signals, viewing habits and demographic attributes of logged-in users.
Added to this is digital linear reach in the form of Addressable TV: the digital spot exchange within the linear program. Following a clear streaming logic, addressable digital creatives are exchanged one to one in the linear ad break on Smart TV devices.
Conclusion: the national counterpoint to the global platforms
RTL+ is a German platform with a German audience, German content and a marketing structure that combines linear TV reach and streaming under one roof. NFL, GZSZ and Addressable TV in one booking system, and the widest price spread from free access to the music package. Anyone who wants to combine German mass reach with measurable targeting finds in RTL+ the most direct route there.