Leading German broadcaster RTL Deutschland announced its latest partnership with YouTube at Mipcom Cannes, revealing that the long-running action series “Cobra 11” has been a success on the platform.
Stephan Schmitter, general manager of RTL Deutschland, who appeared on stage with YouTube’s VP of EMEA Pedro Pina, said that the broadcaster uploaded more than 200 full episodes of the series to YouTube a year ago and was able to achieve 30 million views. This is a huge achievement for a program that has been broadcast since 1996 and has previously been sold to more than 120 countries worldwide.
RTL has become the latest broadcaster to partner with YouTube, following Channel 4 and the BBC in the UK and France Télévisions in France.
While linear publishers, like streamers, still perceive YouTube as a major disruptor and competitor, some of them have begun working more closely with the platform to reach younger demographics and generate new ad revenue. YouTube’s appeal has also increased because it is now consumed on TV screens, making it a clear competitor to traditional channels.
Schmitter noted that “Cobra 11” remained of little commercial value to RTL after extensive rebroadcasts linearly and online, but found a new audience on YouTube, where 83% of viewers are men with an average age of 30. This also translated into a 123% increase in the series’ initial video views on RTL+ and a 26% increase in subscriptions associated with the programme.
“Our theory was that today’s young men also love big stunts, flying cars, big explosions and the German Autobahn with no speed limits. That’s the key. They discover or rediscover the series. And if they want new episodes, more flying cars and explosions, they need to go to RTL+,” Schmitter said.
The YouTube partnership in “Cobra 11” was also profitable in terms of advertising. RTL’s advertising sales arm, Ad Alliance, was responsible for packaging inventory across the broadcaster’s linear channels, RTL+, Sky and YouTube.
“We can now go to advertisers, our huge portfolio of advertisers, and present them with a 360-degree offer. And that really works, especially on the big screen, because it’s just a click away,” the executive said.
“This combination makes sense to advertisers, and they’re very interested in what we’re doing with YouTube and how inventory is shared. We’re finally getting additional money, and our revenues are up significantly this year,” he said, noting that revenues have nearly reached “double-digit millions.”
Earlier this year, France Télévisions struck a deal to deliver around 20,000 hours of content a year to YouTube, including national and local newscasts as well as top current affairs and investigative magazines. Already paid. The broadcaster’s news channel franceinfo reached 110 million views on YouTube in September, an eightfold increase compared to the previous year.
Pina argued that traditional publishers should stop viewing YouTube solely as a threat to their business.
“Ultimately, it’s a self-reinforcing partnership that can only generate value. But interestingly and importantly, the value it produces feeds into already successful intellectual property and breathes new life into things that were already successful before. And that’s very energizing,” Pina said. “And that’s the model of creators. Let’s get back to the idea of thinking like a creator at the beginning, Evan.”
Like France Televisions, RTL has launched its news channel NTV on the platform, as well as shorter videos and content produced with digital creators.
As young viewers increasingly turn to YouTube and TikTok for information, Schmitter said the move is especially important at a time of political polarization in Germany, where the far-right party AFD is on the rise.
“I think it is important for us to reach everyone and for our role in the democratic system,” Schmitter said.
Pina echoed Schmitter’s claim, pointing to the growing presence on YouTube of legacy news organizations such as the BBC and France Télévisions.
“The more traditional gamers start turning to YouTube, the more voices from different walks of life can be heard, and that can only be good for democracy,” Pina said.