RTL 8

RTL 8

Country	Netherlands Luxembourg
Broadcast area	Netherlands Luxembourg
Headquarters	Hilversum, Netherlands
Programming
Picture format	1080p HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	DPG Media
Parent	RTL Nederland
Sister channels	RTL 4 RTL 5 RTL 7 RTL Z RTL Lounge RTL Crime RTL Telekids
History
Launched	18 August 2007; 16 years ago (2007-08-18)
Replaced	Talpa (2005-2006) Tien (2006-2007)
Links
Website	rtl8.nl
Availability
Terrestrial
Digitenne	Channel 10 (HD)
DTT (Luxembourg)	191.5 MHz (SD)
Streaming media
Ziggo GO	ZiggoGO.tv (Europe only)
KPN iTV Online	Watch live (Europe only)

RTL 8 is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel that was launched on 18 August 2007 replacing Tien, previously known as Talpa. RTL 8's main target audience consists of women.^[1] It broadcasts soap operas, talk shows, films and reruns of programmes from its sister RTL channels. In the mornings and late afternoons children's channel RTL Telekids is broadcasting on RTL 8. Officially RTL 8, along with all other Dutch RTL channels, is broadcasting under a Luxembourg television license. Therefore, the channel is also headquartered in Luxembourg. By doing this RTL can avoid more severe control by the Dutch media authorities, as Luxembourg does not have a strict authority that regulates its broadcasters.^[2] Dutch citizens need a subscription to a cable, satellite, IPTV, or DVB-T provider to view the channel. All providers include the channel in their base package.

History

The channel started as Talpa, later rebranded as Tien, which was launched by media tycoon John de Mol in August 2005. In 2007 John de Mol's Talpa Media assets were amalgamated with RTL Nederland. In exchange, John de Mol obtained a 26.3% share in RTL Nederland.^[3]

RTL Nederland revealed that Tien would be rebranded as RTL 8. Fons van Westerloo, director of RTL Nederland explained that the name of the new RTL channel was chosen as not to conflict with the second largest Dutch commercial television channel, SBS6.^[4] RTL 7 got a makeover as well. RTL 8 got The Oprah Winfrey Show, As the World Turns, and the popular Dutch program Gooische Vrouwen. Furthermore, RTL 8 is going to repeat the popular programmes of the other RTL-channels, previously done by RTL 7.^[5]

On 18 August 2007 Tien ceased to exist and was taken over by RTL 8.^[6]

On 15 October 2009 RTL Nederland started simulcasting their RTL 7 and RTL 8 channels in 1080i high-definition.^[7]

Programming

Domestic

• Goede tijden, slechte tijden (reruns)

Imported

• Agatha Christie's Poirot
• The Bold and the Beautiful
• Coppers
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• CSI: Miami
• ER
• The Flying Doctors
• Grey's Anatomy
• House
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• The Real Housewives
• Silent Witness

Former

All imported series and shows

• 'Til Death
• Aliens in America
• Ally McBeal
• Army Wives
• As the World Turns
• Beautiful People
• Being Human
• Boston Legal
• Brothers & Sisters (part of series 1)
• Camelot
• Charlie's Angels
• Columbo
• Cougar Town
• Doctor Who
• Dr. Phil
• Drop Dead Diva
• Ellen
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• The Ex List
• Fashion House
• Friday Night Lights
• The Glades (series 1)
• The Game
• Gavin & Stacey
• Gay, Straight or Taken?
• Harper's Island
• How Clean Is Your House?
• Inspector Morse
• In Plain Sight (series 4)
• In Treatment
• It's Not Easy Being Green
• Joan of Arcadia
• Judge Judy
• Kidnapped
• The L Word
• LAX
• Living with Fran
• Love Bites
• Material Girl
• McLeod's Daughters
• The Middle
• Missing
• Muddling Through
• Murder, She Wrote
• My Boys
• The Nanny
• The New Adventures of Old Christine
• The Night Shift
• Nurse Jackie
• The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Parenthood
• Prime Suspect 1973
• Reba
• Secret Diary of a Call Girl
• Sons of Tucson
• Standoff
• Style By Jury
• The Tudors
• The Unusuals
• Vanished
• Vermist
• Weeds
• What Not to Wear
• The Young and the Restless

Children's (RTL Telekids Block)

• The Adventures of Chuck and Friends
• Barbie Dreamtopia: The Series
• Chloe's Closet
• Chuggington
• Dinotrux
• Ella the Elephant
• Fireman Sam
• Florrie's Dragons
• The Koala Brothers
• Lego City Adventures
• Little People
• Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own
• Miss Moon
• Molang
• Monchhichis
• Mr. Bean
• Musti
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
• Oggy and the Cockroaches
• Om Nom
• Piet Piraat (Belgian)
• Polly Pocket
• Robin Hood's Great Adventure
• Robocar Poli
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Super 4
• Super Wings
• Tashi
• Tee and Mo
• Thomas & Friends
• Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy
• Tumble Leaf
• The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill
• Wissper
• Wizzy & Woppy
• Zafari
• Zigby

Teletext

RTL 8 offered a teletext service which stopped on 1 April 2017. The pages 888/889 are still available for subtitles.^[8]

Logos

References