RTL Club
RTL Club is a French-language Belgian television channel serving Belgium and Luxembourg with children’s programming, sports, and American series.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
RTL Club is a French-language television channel based in Brussels and distributed primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg. The channel is part of the RTL Belgium television portfolio and is positioned around a combination of daytime programming for younger viewers and entertainment-oriented programming for adults during the evening. Its morning schedule has included cartoons and children’s series, while its primetime offer has included sports and American television series. The service was historically associated with RTL Group through RTL Belgium. That ownership ended on 31 March 2022, when RTL Belgium was acquired by DPG Media and Groupe Rossel. The transaction transferred the Belgian RTL television activities, including RTL Club, into a new ownership structure led by two Belgian media groups. The change marked the end of approximately three decades of RTL Group ownership of the Belgian channels. The channel was known as Club RTL until 28 March 2023, when the RTL branding order was changed to RTL Club. Although the channel had long been transmitted in both Belgium and Luxembourg, its regulatory position also changed in 2023. RTL Belgium’s channels ended their Luxembourgish status in March 2023 and became fully Belgian services. As a consequence, RTL Club lost its terrestrial licence in Luxembourg and ceased transmission from the Dudelange transmitter on 29 February 2024. RTL Club’s programming history illustrates the channel’s dual audience strategy. Children’s animation and series have been central to its morning schedule, while sports and imported American series have supported the evening schedule. A notable programming decision occurred on 1 February 2016, when the channel stopped airing The Simpsons after reported audience performance of approximately 2 percent share. The series moved to RTL Plug, another RTL Belgium service. RTL Belgium had renegotiated the programme’s availability annually and had been broadcasting at least 150 older episodes under its arrangement with the production company. The channel was also distributed through the Antenne TV service operated by TV Vlaanderen on Flemish pay digital terrestrial television from December 2017 until 1 September 2024. Its distribution therefore evolved from a cross-border terrestrial model toward a primarily Belgian broadcasting and pay-TV footprint. RTL Club remains an active channel within the RTL Belgium portfolio, although the available reference material does not establish a separate legal entity, a distinct founding date, current audience figures, or named channel executives.
History
RTL Club is a French-language Belgian television channel based in Brussels. Its historical identity was Club RTL, and the channel operated within the RTL Belgium portfolio while also being available in Luxembourg. The available reference material does not specify an original launch year or founding organization, but it records the channel’s long association with RTL Group through RTL Belgium. The channel developed a general-entertainment format with a differentiated daily schedule. Mornings were aimed at younger viewers and included cartoons and children’s series. Evening programming targeted adults and included sports and American series. This combination gave the channel a role distinct from a purely children’s network while preserving a strong animation and family-entertainment component. A notable programming change came on 1 February 2016, when Club RTL stopped broadcasting The Simpsons. The decision followed reported low ratings of approximately 2 percent share. The series moved to RTL Plug. The programme had been broadcast in French on the service for around two decades, and RTL Belgium had reportedly renegotiated its arrangement with the production company each year in order to carry at least 150 older episodes. From December 2017, the RTL Belgium channels were also carried on Flemish pay digital terrestrial television through TV Vlaanderen’s Antenne TV service. This provided an additional distribution route in Belgium. That distribution ended on 1 September 2024. Ownership changed on 31 March 2022, when DPG Media and Groupe Rossel acquired RTL Belgium. The deal ended roughly 30 years of RTL Group ownership of the Belgian channels and placed Club RTL under the control of two Belgian media companies. The channel continued as part of the RTL Belgium group rather than becoming an independently identified broadcaster in the available source material. The channel’s name changed from Club RTL to RTL Club on 28 March 2023. Around the same period, RTL Belgium’s channels ended their Luxembourgish status in March 2023 and became fully Belgian services. This regulatory and corporate repositioning affected cross-border terrestrial availability: RTL Club lost its terrestrial licence in Luxembourg and stopped transmitting from the Dudelange transmitter on 29 February 2024. The channel consequently remained available through its Belgian broadcasting and distribution arrangements, but no longer retained the same Luxembourg terrestrial status. RTL Club’s documented history is therefore defined by schedule specialization, movement of selected programmes within the RTL Belgium portfolio, a major ownership transition, rebranding, and a change from cross-border Luxembourg transmission toward a fully Belgian regulatory identity. The supplied references do not provide a separate legal incorporation date, current leadership roster, financial results, or detailed audience data beyond the cited performance of The Simpsons in 2016.
- 2024
Dudelange transmission ends
[1]RTL Club ceased transmission from Luxembourg’s Dudelange transmitter on 29 February after losing its terrestrial licence.
- 2024
Antenne TV distribution ends
[1]Distribution through TV Vlaanderen’s Antenne TV service ended on 1 September.
- 2023
Club RTL becomes RTL Club
[1]The channel adopted the name RTL Club on 28 March.
- 2023
Luxembourgish status ends
[1]RTL Belgium’s channels ended their Luxembourgish status and became fully Belgian services in March.
- 2022
RTL Belgium changes ownership
[1]DPG Media and Groupe Rossel acquired RTL Belgium on 31 March, ending RTL Group’s ownership of the Belgian RTL channels.
- 2017
Antenne TV distribution begins
[1]The RTL Belgium channels began appearing on TV Vlaanderen’s Flemish pay digital terrestrial service, Antenne TV, in December.
- 2016
The Simpsons moves to RTL Plug
[1]Club RTL stopped airing The Simpsons on 1 February after reported low ratings, and the series moved to RTL Plug.
Products and positioning
A French-language general-entertainment channel combining children’s programming in the morning with sports and imported American series in the evening.
Broadcast television
RTL Club television channel
RTL Club is a French-language general-entertainment channel within RTL Belgium. Its schedule has combined morning cartoons and children’s series with adult-oriented evening programming, particularly sports and American television series. The service has been distributed in Belgium and Luxembourg, with later regulatory changes making it a fully Belgian channel. It has appeared through terrestrial and pay-TV distribution systems, including TV Vlaanderen’s Antenne TV service.
Brand decisions
2024
End of Luxembourg terrestrial transmissionStrategyBackground
After becoming a fully Belgian service, RTL Club no longer held the relevant Luxembourg terrestrial licence.
Action taken
The channel stopped transmitting from the Dudelange transmitter on 29 February.
Aftermath
The channel’s Luxembourg terrestrial distribution ended, while its Belgian broadcasting and other distribution arrangements continued.
2023
Rebrand and regulatory repositioningStrategyBackground
The channel had operated under the Club RTL name and had been transmitted in both Belgium and Luxembourg.
Action taken
The service was renamed RTL Club on 28 March, while RTL Belgium’s channels ended their Luxembourgish status and became fully Belgian services in March.
Aftermath
The regulatory change led to the loss of RTL Club’s terrestrial licence in Luxembourg and preceded the end of transmission from Dudelange.
2022
Sale of RTL BelgiumM&ABackground
RTL Group had owned the Belgian RTL channels for approximately 30 years.
Action taken
DPG Media and Groupe Rossel acquired RTL Belgium on 31 March.
Aftermath
RTL Club became part of the Belgian media groups’ RTL Belgium portfolio, ending its direct association with RTL Group ownership.
2016
Move The Simpsons to RTL PlugStrategyBackground
The Simpsons had been broadcast on Club RTL for about two decades, but the programme reportedly delivered a 2 percent audience share.
Action taken
RTL Belgium removed the series from Club RTL effective 1 February and transferred it to RTL Plug.
Aftermath
Club RTL no longer carried the series, while RTL Belgium continued its relationship with the production company through annual negotiations concerning older episodes.
Sources2 sources
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