DPG Media has signed an agreement with RTL Group for the acquisition of RTL Nederland and Videoland for 1.1 billion euros. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets must still approve the takeover.
On the basis of the current agreement, RTL will retain its name and RTL Nederland and RTL Nieuws will become a new division of DPG Media under the leadership of current CEO Sven Sauvé. DPG CEO Erik Roddenhof says in a press release that the acquisition of RTL and its streaming service Videoland fits in with the strategy of the Belgian media group: “We strongly believe in the future of television and streaming, where the power of good local programs and series is crucial.” Roddenhof identifies challenges that face both apply to the Belgian market as well as to the Dutch market, including the ‘changing viewing behavior of consumers and the impact of international streaming services’.
It is now up to the regulator ACM to see whether the takeover by The ACM, for example, is examining whether the acquisition will not give DPG Media too much of a dominant position in the Dutch media landscape. Early this year the regulator still blocked the takeover of Talpa by RTL. The dominant position of RTL played an important role in this. DPG Media is an originally Belgian publisher and the parent company of various Dutch media, including Tweakers, NU.nl and de Volkskrant. The company achieved a turnover of 1.8 billion euros in 2022 and has 6,000 employees. RTL Nederland achieved a turnover of 636 million euros in the same period and employs 800 people.
