An inside look at Germany's new streaming platform, 'RTL II You'
Henner Herwig Jürgens is the Managing Director and Cofounder of VAST MEDIA, a media research and consulting company based in Berlin that provides international television industry leaders with qualitative competitive market analysis of digital entertainment and content marketing.
A new streaming platform for millennials emerges in Germany:
On May 30th, German commercial broadcaster RTL II launched its digital millennial-oriented channel 'RTL II YOU', which offers viewers a mix of its own popular TV highlights and licensed content in the drama, reality, anime and talk show segments. They're also producing content with well-known YouTube and social media celebs. The content is available through a linear 24/7 stream, but also as individual on-demand clips.
A freemium model:
'RTL II YOU' can be accessed for free by either downloading the dedicated free apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, by visiting you.rtl2.de, or via Amazon's Fire TV.
The platform was launched with a freemium model. Basic features such as viewing the linear stream and watching clips on-demand are available for all users. Users who register can also access a variety of extra features including reminders for programs, chatting with fellow users, commenting on videos, subscribing to channels and adding videos to a 'Watch Later' list.
Variety of owned and licensed content:
Content-wise, users can find episodes and clips from RTL II's popular on-air shows, other scripted reality shows and international programming. These include:
- "Berlin - Tag & Nacht"
- "Köln 50667"
- "Kiss or Cash"
- "X-Diaries - love, sun & fun"
- "Teen Wolf"
- "Heroes Reborn"
- "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"
- "One Piece"
- "Late Late Show with James Corden".
Providing content from the web's biggest stars:
Other original formats feature YouTube stars and other social media stars who focus on beauty, fashion, music, gaming, and sports. "HYPE - Das Selfie-Magazin," for example, is a daily live show that is produced in cooperation with Joiz and provides the latest gossip updates from the online and celebrity world.
Why this platform's unique:
Every week new OTT/streaming platforms around the world are launching. RTL II YOU has launched combining multiple content strategies into one. Instead of relying only on owned content, only on traditional content, only on international content, or only on influencer content - they are offering everything a millenial's heart can desire.
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