RTL looks to possible US acquisition


Pan regional European broadcaster RTL is in early talks to acquire a US cable network.

Local press reports that Dawn Airey is currently in Los Angeles talking to a number of struggling cable broadcasters to buy and rebrand a network. It is looking to launch a male skewing channel, similar to UKTV’s Dave, with a raft of low-cost, mass-appeal programming, much of which would likely come out of RTL’s international production and distribution division FremantleMedia.

This comes a few months after RTL announced plans to launch channels in India after signing a joint venture agreement with Reliance Broadcast Networks. Airey became president, CLT-UFA, UK TV (RTL’s European enterprise business) following the sale by RTL of UK broadcaster Five to Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell.