Editing RTL Group (section)

===Historical background===
The roots of RTL Group date back to the 1920s.<ref name="History">{{Cite web|title=The History|language=en|publisher=RTL Group|access-date=15 June 2020|url=https://www.rtlgroup.com/files/pdf3/2019-historychronology.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715130039/https://www.rtlgroup.com/files/pdf3/2019-historychronology.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> The company itself was established in 1931 as the Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Radiodiffusion (known as CLR for short). It was one of the world's first [[private broadcasting]] companies. After the [[World War II|Second World War]], the company ventured into the world of television broadcasting. It was renamed Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT) to reflect this new service in 1954. Under the name RTL (for [[Radio-Television Luxembourg|Radio Télévision Luxembourg]]), it went on to provide its private broadcasting services in several European countries.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Frank Sambeth|title=Das Corporate Center in der Medien- und Kommunikationsindustrie. Eine wertorientierte Analyse.|publisher=Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag|location=Wiesbaden|date=2003|isbn=978-3-322-81532-3|page=337|language=de}}</ref> When the European media markets were liberalised in the 1980s, television became increasingly important and started to overtake radio.<ref name="History" />

In the 1980s, Belgian and French media companies made up the majority of the shareholders of CLR and CLT.<ref>{{Cite book|language=de|editor=Hans J. Kleinsteuber, Torsten Rossmann|title=Europa als Kommunikationsraum. Akteure, Strukturen und Konfliktpotentiale.|publisher=Verlag Leske + Budrich|location=Opladen|date=1994|isbn=978-3-322-92529-9|page=159}}</ref> The following decades witnessed repeated conflicts for domination within the company and among its [[Subsidiary|subsidiaries]].<ref name="1995-08-09">{{Cite news|language=de|title=Machtkampf um Privatsender. RTL/CLT klagt gegen Burda und Bertelsmann.|newspaper=Handelsblatt|date=9 August 1995|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Sprung nach vorn|language=de|magazine=Der Spiegel|date=14 August 1995|access-date=15 June 2020|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9206622.html}}</ref> In the 1990s, Bertelsmann ultimately came out on top after having gradually increased its stake in the German television channel RTL.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Michael Rediske|title=Eurofernsehen aus Gütersloh|language=de|newspaper=Die Tageszeitung|date=4 April 1996|page=3}}</ref> Following a legal dispute with RTL/CLT,<ref>{{Cite magazine|language=de|title=Skurriler Streit|magazine=Der Spiegel|date=23 January 1995|access-date=15 June 2020|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9158406.html}}</ref><ref name="1995-08-09" /> Bertelsmann announced plans to merge the television businesses of [[UFA GmbH|UFA]] to form the joint venture CLT-UFA in April 1996.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Teuflisch intelligent|magazine=Der Spiegel|date=8 April 1996|access-date=15 June 2020|url=https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-8905730.html|language=de}}</ref> A merger agreement was signed on 8 July 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CLT-UFA: contract completed |url=http://www.bertelsmann.de:80/bag/englisch/news/news/news/080796.html |publisher=[[Bertelsmann]] |date=8 July 1996 |access-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970117041305/http://www.bertelsmann.de:80/bag/englisch/news/news/news/080796.html |archive-date=17 January 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was approved by the CLT board of directors on 5 December,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Approval of CLT-UFA Merger by CLT Board of Directors |url=http://www.bertelsmann.de/bag/englisch/news/news/news/clt051296.html |publisher=[[Bertelsmann]] |date=5 December 1996 |access-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970117042151/http://www.bertelsmann.de/bag/englisch/news/news/news/clt051296.html |archive-date=17 January 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the formation of CLT-UFA was completed on 14 January 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CLT-UFA: Largest European Entertainment Enterprise Officially Introduced |url=http://www.bertelsmann.de/bag/englisch/news/news/news/140197.html |publisher=[[Bertelsmann]] |date=14 January 1997 |access-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970117032628/http://www.bertelsmann.de/bag/englisch/news/news/news/140197.html |archive-date=17 January 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result, German television channels such as RTL Television and VOX and international broadcasting services, including M6 in France, were all brought together under one roof.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ein Wachstums-Schub für den Fernseh-Zwerg|newspaper=Saarbrücker Zeitung|language=de|date=9 July 1996}}</ref>