[1] Private television began operations in the Federal Republic of Germany on January 1, 1984 with the two-year Ludwigshafen cable pilot project (Kabelpilotprojekt).

The unusual broadcast start took place in a small studio in Bertrange with the following scene: Chief doctor Rainer Holbe delivered a television with the RTL-plus logo in a delivery room with his obstetricians.

The first RTL broadcast after the starting signal was the news 7 vor 7 with Hans Meiser and Geert Müller-Gerbes.

Deals with Cannon and Universal Studios finally provided more high-profile films for the channel.

[3] In July 2015, the channel introduced the slogan Willkommen zuhause (Welcome home) to complement Mein RTL, and launched its biggest advertising campaign in 20 years.