RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg
Encyclopedia
RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg is the main television
channel in Luxembourg
, broadcasting in Luxembourgish
.
The small television market in Luxembourg led to a unique system in Europe
: Luxembourg remains the only country in the world to run television stations in both the PAL
and SECAM
formats. Originally, both channels carried the same signal- Tele Luxembourg. Later, the signals were split in the two independent stations RTL-TVI (PAL, system G, on channel 27, the "i" stand for independent), targeting the French-speaking part of Belgium
and RTL Télévision (SECAM, system L, on channel 21), targeting France
. Both stations initially continued to carry a lot of the same programming, with regards to foreign series and movies, but produced news and game shows for their target audience.
As restrictions on operating commercial television stations in Europe were relaxed in the mid-80s, RTL-TVI moved entirely to Brussels
, while the popularity of RTL Télévision was somewhat diminished by the success of M6
. RTL Télévision was renamed RTL 9 and, even though its original terrestrial frequency in Luxembourg remains, it is now primarily a cable station for France.
In 1984, German language
RTL Plus (now RTL Television
) was added on channel E7 (PAL-B).
All these stations carried a program in Luxembourgish, called Hei Elei, Kuck Elei. The main purpose was to show these stations were essentially broadcasters from Luxembourg and not aiming to be commercial stations in Belgium
, France
and Germany
. When the stations were licensed in their intended broadcasting regions, this program was dropped.
RTL Tele Letzebuerg carries programming from RTL Shop
and Super RTL
in German, and magazine and news in Luxembourgish.
For a few years the station's only competitor is Tango TV
, operated by Tele2
from 2002 to 2007. All other TV stations in Luxembourg only broadcast on a local level (Nordliicht TV in the north or Uelzecht Kanal in the south of the country) or only during certain hours a day (DOK)
Viewers in Luxembourg can also tune into RTL 4
(channel 41), RTL 5
and RTL 7, which are intended for the Dutch
market. Since all these stations have their broadcast licences in Luxembourg, they are available as terrestrial channels. Like television channels in the Netherlands, they show all foreign programming in the original language with subtitles, rather than dubbed
.
Since the switch to digital television
which was implemented overnight on 1 September 2006, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg and den 2ten RTL share channel 27, M6 is on channel 7, and RTL TVI, Club RTL, Plug TV and the three Dutch channels are on channel 24.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channel in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, broadcasting in Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish language
Luxembourgish is a High German language spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 320,000 people worldwide speak Luxembourgish.-Language family:...
.
The small television market in Luxembourg led to a unique system in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: Luxembourg remains the only country in the world to run television stations in both the PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
and SECAM
SECAM
SECAM, also written SÉCAM , is an analog color television system first used in France....
formats. Originally, both channels carried the same signal- Tele Luxembourg. Later, the signals were split in the two independent stations RTL-TVI (PAL, system G, on channel 27, the "i" stand for independent), targeting the French-speaking part of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and RTL Télévision (SECAM, system L, on channel 21), targeting France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Both stations initially continued to carry a lot of the same programming, with regards to foreign series and movies, but produced news and game shows for their target audience.
As restrictions on operating commercial television stations in Europe were relaxed in the mid-80s, RTL-TVI moved entirely to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, while the popularity of RTL Télévision was somewhat diminished by the success of M6
Métropole 6
M6, also known as Metropole television, is the most profitable private national French TV channel and the third most watched television network in the French-speaking world...
. RTL Télévision was renamed RTL 9 and, even though its original terrestrial frequency in Luxembourg remains, it is now primarily a cable station for France.
In 1984, German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
RTL Plus (now RTL Television
RTL Television
Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
) was added on channel E7 (PAL-B).
All these stations carried a program in Luxembourgish, called Hei Elei, Kuck Elei. The main purpose was to show these stations were essentially broadcasters from Luxembourg and not aiming to be commercial stations in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. When the stations were licensed in their intended broadcasting regions, this program was dropped.
RTL Tele Letzebuerg carries programming from RTL Shop
RTL Shop
Channel 21, formerly known as RTL Shop, is a German cable and satellite shopping network based in Hanover. The network was part of Europe's largest media company RTL Group and supplies programming to more than 20 German language stations. RTL Group is a unit of the in Germany based media company...
and Super RTL
Super RTL
Super RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the second German television channel aimed mostly at children...
in German, and magazine and news in Luxembourgish.
For a few years the station's only competitor is Tango TV
Tango TV (Luxembourg)
T.TV is a Luxembourgian satellite, cable, internet, and mobile television channel. It was launched on 2 February 2002 as a competitor to the de facto national broadcaster RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg...
, operated by Tele2
Tele2
Tele2 AB is a major European telecommunications operator, with about 34 million customers in 11 countries. It serves as a fixed-line telephone operator, cable television provider, mobile phone operator and Internet service provider.- Overview :...
from 2002 to 2007. All other TV stations in Luxembourg only broadcast on a local level (Nordliicht TV in the north or Uelzecht Kanal in the south of the country) or only during certain hours a day (DOK)
Viewers in Luxembourg can also tune into RTL 4
RTL 4
RTL 4 is a commercial television station in the Netherlands. It is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. The station has three sister tv channels: RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8...
(channel 41), RTL 5
RTL 5
RTL 5 is the 2nd channel of the RTL Group in the Netherlands. The channel mainly broadcasts American films and hit series but also local productions including Jensen! and Holland's Next Top Model, a Dutch version of America's Next Top Model. RTL 5 recently started airing the Dutch version of...
and RTL 7, which are intended for the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
market. Since all these stations have their broadcast licences in Luxembourg, they are available as terrestrial channels. Like television channels in the Netherlands, they show all foreign programming in the original language with subtitles, rather than dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
.
Since the switch to digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
which was implemented overnight on 1 September 2006, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg and den 2ten RTL share channel 27, M6 is on channel 7, and RTL TVI, Club RTL, Plug TV and the three Dutch channels are on channel 24.