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RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free TV channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49.[1] RTL 4 is a general entertainment channel with infotainment, television drama, talk shows, game shows, news and talent shows. It is owned by RTL Nederland, a subsidiary of RTL Group. The station has three sister TV channels: RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8, and four thematic TV channels: RTL Z, RTL Lounge, RTL Crime and RTL Telekids.
 | |
| Country | Netherlands Luxembourg |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Netherlands Luxembourg |
| Headquarters | Hilversum, Netherlands |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | RTL Group |
| Parent | RTL Nederland (2004-present) Holland Media Groep (1997-2004) RTL 4 S.A. (1990-1997) |
| Sister channels | RTL 5 RTL 7 RTL 8 RTL Z RTL Lounge RTL Crime RTL Telekids |
| History | |
| Launched | 2 October 1989 |
| Former names | RTL Véronique (1989-1990) RTL4 Veronique (1990) |
| Links | |
| Website | rtl4 |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digitenne | Channel 4 (HD) |
| DTT (Luxembourg) | 498 MHz (SD) |
| Streaming media | |
| Ziggo GO | ZiggoGO.tv (Europe only) |
| KPN iTV Online | Watch live (Europe only) |
Officially RTL 4 - along with RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8 - is headquartered in Hilversum, broadcasting under a Luxembourg TV license. This allows them to avoid more strict control by the Dutch media authorities as Luxembourg's television watchdog is less strict. Despite being intended for Dutch audiences, RTL 4 is encrypted on the Dutch DVB-T Digitenne platform but free-to-air in Luxembourg.
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It originally launched on the Astra 1A satellite as RTL Véronique on 2 October 1989,[2] before re-branding as RTL 4 the next year.[3] 1, 2 and 3 were already used by the Netherlands' public broadcasters. It was one of the first private commercial broadcaster in the Netherlands. Officially, it still broadcasts from Luxembourg. Private broadcasters were not allowed in the Netherlands until 1992.[4] The encryption system employed by both RTL 4 and 5 analogue services while on the Astra 1A and 1C satellites was Luxcrypt. This standard was employed to protect the distribution rights sold by foreign studios to RTL.[5]
RTL 4 broadcasts the first and the longest running soap of the Netherlands, Goede tijden, slechte tijden (since 1 October 1990).[6]
RTL 4's latest radical change of programming was on 18 August 2007 when RTL obtained the football rights (Eredivisie), but lost the rights to the NOS the following year. In 2008, RTL 4 went back to its roots as a family entertainment channel[7] with programmes such as Idols, X Factor, Dancing with the Stars and Dancing on Ice. That year RTL 4 also launched Ik hou van Holland, a quiz show around and about the Netherlands with Linda de Mol.[8]
From 2009, talent shows have played a major role in the programming of RTL 4, the X Factor has been rescheduled successfully to Friday night with higher ratings in Season 2 (2009) and Season 3 (2010) on Fridays. In 2010, RTL 4 bought the rights for broadcasting Holland's Got Talent from SBS 6[9] and created together with pioneer John de Mol their own talent show The Voice of Holland in the Autumn of that same year.[10] The Voice of Holland became a huge hit on Dutch television with ratings around 3 million viewers every Friday Night.[11] In 2012, yet another new talent show started, Beat the Best.[12]
RTL 4 also owns the rights for the soaps As the World Turns and The Bold and the Beautiful. In January 2007, RTL sold the rights for B&B to SBS6, but repurchased the rights in December 2010. With more money and space to buy other TV shows, RTL 4 bought the rights for the first season of the successful drama show Brothers & Sisters[13] and took over CSI: Miami from sister channel RTL 5.[14]
Television host Peter van der Vorst has been appointed Content and Marketing Director of RTL Nederland. He started on 1 March 2019.[15] In late 2024, RTL renamed the kids block that is since 2023 on RTL 4 to Videoland Kids, and then it shows programs such as Thomas and Friends, Efteling trilogy: the cgi late 2000s series Sprookjesboom, the 5 minute preschool program jokie, and Sprookjes van Klaas Vaak, and Ernst, Bobbie en de Rest, a late 90s adventure tv series based on the modern Ernst en Bobbie plays. The Fien en Teun universe, and the reboot of the show that is broadcast on NPO since 2010: Woozle and Pip
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From May 1991 until September 2006, the station has had several accompanying radio stations, such as RTL 4 Radio, RTL Radio, RTL Rock Radio, Happy RTL,[16] and RTL FM.[17] Between June 2007 and 1 January 2012 RTL Nederland owned Radio 538, one of the largest radio stations of the Netherlands.[18][19]
- Vivienne van den Assem (2018–present)
- Vivian Boelen (1991–2012)
- Carlo Boszhard (1993–present)
- Patty Brard (1989–1990, 1994, 2011–2013, 2018)
- Robert ten Brink (2006–present)
- Daphne Bunskoek (2005–2008, 2013, 2018–present)
- Pepijn Crone (2015–present)
- Nicolette van Dam (2008–2015)
- Wendy van Dijk (2006–2019)
- Marieke Elsinga (2016–present)
- Beau van Erven Dorens (1998–2005, 2007–2009, 2015–present)
- Natasja Froger (2010–present)
- Gordon (2007–2018)
- Angela Groothuizen (2009–present)
- Olcay Gulsen (2016–2019)
- John van den Heuvel (2001–present)
- Jan de Hoop (1989–present)
- Mariska Hulscher (200?–200?)
- Twan Huys (2018–2019)
- Luuk Ikink (2013–present)
- Chantal Janzen (2005–2006, 2011–present)
- Eva Jinek (2020–present)
- Nicolette Kluijver (2014–present)
- Jeroen van Koningsbrugge (2008–2019)
- Martijn Krabbé (1995–present)
- Pernille La Lau (2006–2008, 2010–present)
- Paul de Leeuw (2013–2014, 2018–present)
- Marc van der Linden (2003–present)
- Bridget Maasland (2007–2012, 2016–present)
- Char Margolis (2002–2008, 2010)
- Jaap van Meekren (1989–1993)
- Linda de Mol (2007–2019)
- Irene Moors (1989–2016)
- Ruben Nicolai (2015–present)
- Derek Ogilvie (2007–2013)
- Jeroen Pauw (1989–2000)
- Antoin Peeters (2002–present)
- Jur Raatjes (1989–1999)
- Art Rooijakkers (2018–present)
- Loretta Schrijver (1989–2007, 2010–present)
- Katja Schuurman (2018–present)
- Gaston Starreveld (1990–present)
- Humberto Tan (2007–2012, 2013–present)
- Caroline Tensen (1989–1999, 2019–present)
- Quinty Trustfull (2006, 2008–present)
- Rudolph van Veen (2000–2005, 2008–2011)
- Thomas Verhoef (2005–present)
- Peter van der Vorst (2006–2019)
- Peter R. de Vries (1995–1998, 2006–2010, 2013–2021)
- Frits Wester (1994–present)
- Merel Westrik (2014–2019)
- John Williams (1995–present)
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RTL 4 offered a teletext service which stopped on 1 April 2017. The pages 888/889 are still available for subtitles.[20]
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