RTL is dealt another blow as Dutch regulators halt its merger with Talpa

Last year, RTL’s merger plans in France were blocked by regulators, and now RTL is facing the same fate in the Netherlands.

The Dutch competition authority ACM has informed RTL Group and John de Mol’s Talpa Network that it will not approve the planned merger of their channels.

RTL Nederland and Talpa Network have agreed to merge their activities in June 2021 to better fight local streamers.

The official decision won’t come for a few weeks, but the deal is already done.

A statement from RTL said both parties had “fully cooperated” to address ACM’s concerns about the merged company’s likely dominance of the television advertising market, with a proposal to “fully to outsource”. ” to Mediahuis Nederland.

However, this did not allay concerns.

“RTL Group and Talpa Network regret that ACM failed to take into account the speed and extent of changes in the Dutch media landscape and the impact of these changes on local media companies,” the statement read. “They remain firmly convinced that a merger between RTL Nederland and Talpa Network would be the right strategic response to the challenges arising from increased competition with international platforms.”

“RTL Nederland is and will remain an important asset for RTL Group – it is very profitable with a strong family of channels that achieved excellent ratings and financial results in 2022,” says Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL. “Under the leadership of CEO Sven Sauvé, RTL Nederland has built one of the most successful European streaming services with Videoland. Together with our excellent local management team, we will continue to grow RTL Nederland on TV, streaming and digital.”

“We can assure our viewers, creators and business partners of our unwavering commitment to build on RTL’s strong position as the leading Dutch media company – a position that benefits everyone,” Sauvé added. “RTL Nederland is in good shape, we have an excellent workforce and with the full support of our shareholder, we will continue to expand our position in TV, digital and streaming.”

For RTL, the blow comes after not merging the French network M6 with TF1. This deal was concluded for similar reasons, but stopped by the authorities on similar anti-competitive grounds.

Today’s news comes after our story about RTL’s Fremantle production arm. The Luxembourg-based broadcaster has financed more than €250 million ($270 million) in takeover deals since 2021, fueling speculation in the industry. american idol manufacturer for sale.

However, Rabe clearly rejected this idea. “Fremantle was and remains the core of RTL Group’s business and growth strategy,” he said in a statement earlier this month. “Fremantle has firmly established itself as a home and attractive partner for the best creative minds in entertainment, fiction and documentary.”