Cool TV
A Hungarian television channel owned by RTL Group, known for youth-oriented entertainment and later for crime and procedural programming.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cool TV is a Hungarian television channel owned by RTL Group. The service began broadcasting on 15 September 2003 under the name m+, before being relaunched as Cool TV on 4 September 2004. The rebranding was intended to give the channel a clearer identity and broaden its availability, with the service reaching approximately 2.5 million households at the time of its relaunch. In its first phase, Cool TV was positioned toward urban viewers aged roughly 15 to 29. Its intended audience was associated with contemporary music, fashion, nightlife, lifestyle programming and a more informal, trend-conscious form of television. The channel operated around the clock and combined acquired series with programming connected to RTL Klub, the principal Hungarian RTL service. Its schedule included youth-focused entertainment as well as reruns of established scripted programs. Examples mentioned in connection with the channel include South Park, Married... with Children, 24, Footballer's Wives, The L Word, Queer as Folk, The Unit, Dead Like Me, Weeds, Skins and Desperate Housewives. Cool TV also experimented with locally produced topical and talk-oriented formats. In 2007 it introduced programs including Cool Live and Cool Night, using younger presenters associated with RTL Klub. Cool Live was framed as a youth and lifestyle program, while Cool Night adopted an adult-oriented format that included interviews with figures from the Hungarian adult-entertainment industry and, at times, soft-core video content. Both programs were later discontinued. In 2009, Cool TV acquired the broadcasting rights to Beugró, the Hungarian adaptation of the improvisational comedy format Whose Line Is It Anyway?, adding a locally recognizable entertainment property to its schedule. A major strategic change took place on 30 August 2010, when Cool TV received a new visual identity and shifted toward a broader audience. Its schedule subsequently emphasized crime series and procedural dramas more heavily than the youth-lifestyle profile associated with its early years. The repositioning improved the channel's competitive performance. By July 2012, Cool TV was reported as Hungary's most-watched cable channel and the country's third-most-watched commercial television channel in the 18–49 demographic during the 19:00–23:00 prime-time period, ahead of the main competitor Viasat 3. The channel underwent another branding update on 1 December 2014 at 09:00. The new identity retained elements of the logo introduced in 2010, including the two red dots, while replacing the earlier gray circular elements with white three-dimensional forms. This update continued the channel's use of visual continuity while refreshing its presentation. Cool TV's overall development illustrates the repositioning of a specialized youth channel within a larger commercial television portfolio. It began with a narrowly defined urban youth proposition, expanded through imported and RTL-linked entertainment, tested original talk and lifestyle formats, and later concentrated more strongly on broadly appealing crime and procedural programming. Publicly available reference material identifies RTL Group as its owner, but does not provide enough information to establish a separate operating-company structure, current management roster, headquarters, financial results or detailed present-day programming beyond the channel's continuing Hungarian-market identity.
History
Cool TV's history began with the launch of m+ on 15 September 2003. The service was created as a Hungarian commercial television outlet with a deliberately youthful profile. Its initial target was urban viewers aged 15 to 29 who were interested in music, clothing, contemporary lifestyles and entertainment associated with youth culture. The channel broadcast continuously and combined acquired television series with reruns of programs originally purchased or produced for RTL Klub. On 4 September 2004, m+ was relaunched as Cool TV. The new name and identity were intended to establish a more recognizable market proposition, and the channel was reported to have become available in approximately 2.5 million households. During this early period, its schedule mixed youth-oriented programming with imported and RTL-linked scripted series. The range included comedy, drama, crime and cult-oriented titles, such as South Park, Married... with Children, 24, Footballer's Wives, The L Word, Queer as Folk, The Unit, Dead Like Me, Weeds, Skins and Desperate Housewives. In 2005, the channel was described as having relocated on paper to Romania, although the available reference material does not provide further explanation of the corporate or regulatory implications of that arrangement. From 2007, Cool TV developed more original topical programming. Cool Live was presented as a youth and lifestyle show, while Cool Night used a late-night adult format featuring interviews with Hungarian adult-entertainment personalities and occasional soft-core video clips. These formats used younger presenters lent by RTL Klub. Both were subsequently cancelled, indicating that the experiments did not become permanent pillars of the channel's schedule. The channel added a notable locally relevant entertainment property in 2009 by purchasing the airing rights to Beugró, the Hungarian version of the improvisational comedy format Whose Line Is It Anyway? This complemented the channel's acquired-series strategy with a recognizable Hungarian format. The most important strategic transition occurred on 30 August 2010. Cool TV received a new image and repositioned itself toward a wider audience. Its schedule thereafter focused primarily on crime procedurals rather than the narrowly defined youth and lifestyle mix of its founding period. The repositioning appears to have strengthened the channel's competitive standing. By July 2012, Cool TV was reported as the most-watched cable channel in Hungary and the third-most-watched commercial television channel in the cited 18–49 prime-time measurement, outperforming Viasat 3. A further identity update was introduced on 1 December 2014 at 09:00. The logo retained the two red dots associated with the 2010 identity, while gray circular elements were changed to white three-dimensional forms. The update preserved continuity with the previous brand while modernizing the channel's on-air presentation. The available source material identifies Cool TV as owned by RTL Group. It does not establish a detailed current management structure, a precise headquarters address, financial performance, or a complete account of programming after the 2014 identity change. On the evidence available, Cool TV is best understood as an active Hungarian RTL Group television brand whose history is defined by a transition from youth-oriented programming to a broader, crime- and procedural-led commercial channel.
- 2014
Visual identity update
[1]The channel introduced a new on-air identity on 1 December, retaining its red-dot motif while changing other logo elements.
- 2012
Reported cable-channel leadership
[1]Cool TV was reported as Hungary's most-watched cable channel in the cited 18–49 prime-time audience measurement.
- 2010
Audience and programming repositioning
[1]A rebrand launched on 30 August shifted Cool TV toward a broader audience and a stronger crime-procedural focus.
- 2009
Acquisition of Beugró rights
[1]The channel acquired the airing rights to the Hungarian improvisational comedy program Beugró.
- 2007
Expansion into original topical programming
[1]Cool TV launched formats including Cool Live and Cool Night with younger presenters associated with RTL Klub.
- 2005
Reported paper relocation to Romania
[1]Reference material states that the channel relocated on paper to Romania, without providing further corporate detail.
- 2004
Relaunch as Cool TV
[1]The service adopted the Cool TV name on 4 September 2004 and expanded its reported household availability.
- 2003
Launch as m+
[1]The television service began broadcasting in Hungary as m+ on 15 September 2003.
Products and positioning
A Hungarian commercial television channel that evolved from a youth- and lifestyle-oriented service into a broader entertainment outlet with a strong emphasis on crime and procedural programming.
Television channel · 2003
Cool TV
The core Hungarian television service. It launched as m+ in 2003 and was relaunched as Cool TV in 2004. Its programming has included acquired scripted series, RTL-linked reruns, youth and lifestyle formats, comedy and a substantial later emphasis on crime and procedural television.
Youth and lifestyle program · 2007
Cool Live
A topical program introduced during Cool TV's 2007 expansion into channel-produced programming. It was associated with youth and lifestyle coverage and used younger presenters connected with RTL Klub. The program was later cancelled.
Late-night adult talk program · 2007
Cool Night
An adult-oriented late-night format launched in 2007. It included interviews with Hungarian adult-entertainment performers and producers and sometimes featured soft-core video clips. The format was later cancelled.
Improvisational comedy program · 2009
Beugró
The Hungarian adaptation of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Cool TV acquired its broadcasting rights in 2009, adding a locally produced or localized improvisational comedy property to its entertainment schedule.
Brand decisions
2014
Refresh of the channel identityOtherBackground
The 2010 visual identity had established a logo based in part on red dots and gray circular elements.
Action taken
Cool TV introduced a new identity on 1 December 2014, retaining the red dots and changing the gray circles to white three-dimensional forms.
Aftermath
The channel maintained continuity with its preceding branding while updating its visual presentation.
2010
Shift toward a broader audience and crime programmingStrategyBackground
Cool TV had originally targeted urban young adults with music, lifestyle and youth-oriented programming.
Action taken
Beginning on 30 August 2010, the channel introduced a new image and emphasized crime procedurals while targeting a wider audience.
Aftermath
The repositioning was reported as successful; by July 2012, Cool TV was described as Hungary's leading cable channel in the cited audience segment.
2004
Relaunch under the Cool TV brandStrategyBackground
The service had started as m+ in 2003, but the initial identity was replaced after approximately one year.
Action taken
The channel relaunched as Cool TV on 4 September 2004 and expanded its reported household reach.
Aftermath
The new name became the enduring identity of the Hungarian channel.
Recent events
- 2014
Cool TV receives a further visual rebrand[1]
Product generation
The channel introduced its then-current visual identity on 1 December 2014, retaining the red-dot motif while changing other logo elements.
- 2012
Cool TV reaches a leading position among Hungarian cable channels[1]
Other
By July 2012, Cool TV was reported as Hungary's most-watched cable channel and third-most-watched commercial channel in the cited 18–49 prime-time measurement.
- 2010
Cool TV broadens its target audience[1]
Product generation
A rebrand and programming change beginning on 30 August shifted the channel toward a wider audience and increased emphasis on crime procedurals.
- 2009
Cool TV acquires rights to Beugró[1]
Product launch
Cool TV acquired the Hungarian broadcasting rights to Beugró, an improvisational comedy program based on the Whose Line Is It Anyway? format.
- 2007
Cool TV introduces new topical formats[1]
Product launch
The channel introduced locally produced programs including Cool Live and Cool Night, extending its youth, lifestyle and adult-oriented programming offer.
- 2004
m+ is relaunched as Cool TV[1]
Product launch
On 4 September 2004, the service was relaunched under the Cool TV name and was reported to be available in approximately 2.5 million households.
- 2003
Cool TV launches as m+[1]
Product launch
The channel began broadcasting in Hungary under the name m+ on 15 September 2003.
Sources1 sources
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