Formula 1, English football, and darts are set to be featured on RTL after the acquisition of Viaplay. This leads to speculation: will Eredivisie football follow suit? “And for that, Wilfred Genee might be heading to RTL.”
The sports rights and programming from Viaplay will be integrated into RTL’s Videoland, which will now offer not just series and movies, but also live sports. For €142 million, the streaming service has secured rights for Formula 1, the English Premier League, and international PDC Darts competitions.
Will Eredivisie Follow?
This acquisition represents a significant package, according to AD media journalist Dennis Jansen. “They have, in principle, two seasons of Formula 1, but there’s still work to do. They need to renew rights soon, so they’ll likely enter the market quickly to check if they can extend the Formula 1 rights.”
In the AD Media Podcast, he adds, “There’s more to come. Spanish and Italian football will likely become available soon. And even the Eredivisie highlights have one more year with NOS, but afterward, those will also be free.”
The Role of Wilfred Genee
Media editor Marcus den Blanken suggests that this may explain why Wilfred Genee is in discussions with Peter Lubbers, RTL’s new content chief. “Ah, and maybe Wilfred Genee is heading to RTL for this?”
Angela de Jong questions whether Genee would return to presenting at 7 p.m. Marcus responds, “I doubt that.” Dennis suggests, “I can imagine they’ll revive RTL 7 as a sports channel.”
Could VI Land on RTL 7?
While all sports will primarily be available on Videoland, the linear channel RTL 7 could also benefit. Podcast host Manuel Venderbos states, “Yes, and it makes sense that the VI team would find a spot there.”
Dennis adds, “That’s possible, but Humberto Tan could do that too.” Marcus remarks, “But RTL might think, ‘Let’s look for someone younger.’ I think Humberto is great, but seeing him again wouldn’t be exciting…”
Concerns About Wilfred
Dennis also mentions concerns about Genee. “No, I mean: why would you bring in Wilfred Genee? I don’t think he wants that at all.” Manuel counters, “But he’s willing to have talks.” Angela suggests, “Well, I believe there are opportunities for him on Videoland, regarding interview programs and similar formats.”
Marcus concludes that René van der Gijp’s podcast could be expanded at RTL. “I think there isn’t as much space for that at Talpa, but RTL 7 or Videoland could successfully accommodate it.”
