RTL Deutschland
Source Passport
DE-M-00031-8
Issued and maintained by MJRC
- Legal name
- RTL Deutschland GmbH
- Country
- Germany
- Type
- Multi-platform group
- Founded
- Not disclosed
- Editor-in-chief
- Stephan Schmitter (CEO)
- Claim
- Not claimed by the organisation
- Last verified
- Not yet
0 of 6 layers verified
Transparency
Limited
2 of 7 key disclosures on record, 0 of them checked by our researchers.
- Legal name and registration number not disclosed
- Owners with influence on record, not yet checked
- Beneficial owners (the people behind the companies) not disclosed
- State or public-body ownership stated not disclosed
- State advertising or revenue mix not disclosed
- Public contact address not disclosed
- Official websites and accounts on record, not yet checked
- People behind the owning companies not disclosed
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Needs update: this passport has not been fully verified yet.
Who is it?
Origin
Not yet verified
EMFA Art. 6(1)(a)
- Brand names
- Not disclosed
- Company registration number
- Not disclosed
- Registered address Pending check
- Picassoplatz 1, 50679 Köln
- Public contact email
- Not disclosed
2 sources
- Lobbyregister des Deutschen Bundestages, entry R001391 RTL Deutschland, version last changed 23.06.2025, read 2026-10-20 (legal form GmbH, address Picassoplatz 1 Köln, legal representatives incl. CEO Stephan Schmitter, subsidiary of RTL Group, website rtl.com, FY2024 no public grants over EUR 10,000)
- Bayerisches Lobbyregister, entry DEBYLT0329 RTL Deutschland GmbH, extract dated 16.07.2024, read 2026-10-20 (legal name RTL Deutschland GmbH, address, management, subsidiary of RTL Group)
Who stands behind it?
Control
Not yet verified
EMFA Art. 6(1)(b) and (c)
- Owners with influence Pending check
Owner Holding Owner type RTL Group – Company Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Indirect Company - Beneficial owners
- Not disclosed
- State or public-body ownership
- Not disclosed
- Parent group Pending check
- Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA (via RTL Group; Bertelsmann's capital is held 80.9% indirectly by foundations and 19.1% by Mohn family members, voting rights controlled by Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft)
2 sources
- Lobbyregister des Deutschen Bundestages, entry R001391 RTL Deutschland, version last changed 23.06.2025, read 2026-10-20 (legal form GmbH, address Picassoplatz 1 Köln, legal representatives incl. CEO Stephan Schmitter, subsidiary of RTL Group, website rtl.com, FY2024 no public grants over EUR 10,000)
- Bertelsmann Geschäftsbericht 2025 (filed in the Bundestag Lobbyregister), read 2026-10-20 (Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA: capital 80.9% held indirectly by foundations, 19.1% by Mohn family members, all voting rights controlled by Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft (BVG); RTL Group reported as Bertelsmann division; RTL Deutschland Sky Deutschland acquisition expected to close H1 2026; Bertelsmann Investments holds a stake in the Spiegel-Gruppe)
Who pays?
Money
Nothing disclosed
EMFA Art. 6(1)(d), plus revenue mix
- State advertising and third-country public revenue
- Not disclosed
- Revenue mix
- Not disclosed
- Named funders
- Not disclosed
Where does it appear?
Channels
Not yet verified
- Official websites Pending check
- Official social accounts
- Not disclosed
How does it travel?
Distribution
Nothing disclosed
- Distribution partners
- Not disclosed
Who is connected?
Networks
Nothing disclosed
- Sister outlets in the same group
- Not disclosed
- Documented public-office or party roles
- Not disclosed
Change history
| Version | Date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 November 2026 | First published |
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