The takeover of Sky Deutschland by the RTL Group continues to take concrete shape: The European Commission has now given the green light to the deal. We summarize the most important new developments.
Approved without conditions
The European Commission has approved the planned acquisition of Sky Deutschland (DACH) by RTL Group without any conditions. This means that a key hurdle in the takeover process has been overcome. RTL and Sky parent company Comcast now want to finalize the transaction, with completion expected for June 1, 2026.
RTL CEO Thomas Rabe described the decision as a “significant milestone” that should strengthen the competitiveness of European media companies. Dana Strong, CEO of Comcast, also spoke of an important step and referred to the positive development of Sky Deutschland in recent years.
The merger creates a joint company with around 12.3 million paying subscribers. The combined offer will in future include both RTL’s entertainment and news brands as well as Sky’s extensive sports rights – including the Bundesliga and Formula 1.
The merger is expected to create annual synergies of around 250 million euros within three years, primarily through cost savings. At the same time, viewers should benefit from a broader range of German-language content, spanning free TV, pay TV and streaming.
The financial conditions remain unchanged: The purchase price is 150 million euros in cash (excluding cash and debt) as well as a variable earn-out component of up to 377 million euros, which is linked to the development of the RTL Group share price and can be triggered within five years.
The agreement also includes the rights to the “Sky” brand in the DACH region as well as the “WOW” streaming brand. Both companies will remain organizationally independent until completion; the locations in Cologne (RTL) and Munich (Sky Deutschland) will remain in place.
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