RTL takeover of Sky Deutschland will lead to significant job cuts, sources say

Bertelsmann SE & Co KGaA

23/04/2026 13:42

BERLIN, April 23 (Reuters) - European Broadcaster RTL AUDK.LU's takeover of pay‑TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland is expected to lead to significant job cuts, with a three‑digit number of positions likely to be affected, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

RTL aims to remove overlapping functions following the acquisition, the sources said. The combined group would not need duplicate roles in areas such as human resources, marketing or administration at RTL’s headquarters in Cologne and Sky Deutschland’s base in Munich, they said.

An RTL spokesperson declined to comment.

RTL CEO Thomas Rabe had told Reuters on Wednesday that jobs would be cut but did not give details. "We will be very fair," he said.

 (Reporting by Klaus Lauer and Cian Muenster; editing by Matthias Williams)

 ((Cian.Muenster@thomsonreuters.com;))