RTL Deutschland Takes ntv live On Octopus As Newsroom Transformation Reaches Milestone

RTL Deutschland has reached a major milestone in its newsroom transformation after successfully moving national news channel ntv live onto Octopus Newsroom, as part of the broadcaster’s replacement of its legacy NC Power system.

The project is among the most technically sophisticated implementations in Octopus Newsroom's history and covers multiple regional news operations alongside ntv.

The long-term aim is to establish a unified production environment across RTL Deutschland while retaining the individual workflows and device configurations used at different locations.

RTL Deutschland had relied on NC Power for its newsroom operations for many years. The move to Octopus forms part of the broadcaster’s wider modernisation of its production infrastructure, with the new platform designed to support diverse regional workflows, advanced automation and integration with existing systems.

A key milestone was reached in May 2026 when ntv went live on Octopus Newsroom. Just days later, the new morning programme “Deutschland Am Morgen”, from ntv and RTL, also successfully launched using the platform.

Further rollout and integration work is continuing across the wider RTL Deutschland operation.

One of the most technically demanding elements of the project involved redesigning RTL Deutschland's integration with Mosart studio automation.

The broadcaster's previous workflow was based on a legacy third-party solution featuring highly customised production templates that had developed over many years and become embedded in day-to-day operations.

Rather than simply recreating the existing system, Octopus Newsroom re-engineered the workflow using its story template framework.

Automation objects, graphics, custom fields and other production elements can now be incorporated directly into the editorial workflow. This creates a story-centric production model in which editorial content and automation logic operate within the same environment.

The new approach also provides greater flexibility when converting templates, allowing production teams to adapt stories while maintaining consistency across different production scenarios.

Additional safeguards have been introduced to protect critical automation objects within stories, reducing the risk of essential production elements being accidentally modified or deleted during preparation.

The resulting workflow is intended to provide RTL Deutschland with a more scalable and adaptable connection between newsroom operations and studio automation, while retaining the reliability and production safeguards required for live broadcasting.

The project also represents a shift away from disconnected systems and highly specialised legacy templates by embedding production intelligence directly within the story.

RTL Deutschland operates multiple regional newsrooms, each with its own technical requirements, studio devices and production workflows.

The Octopus implementation has been designed to accommodate these differences through flexible configuration and integration planning. At the same time, the centralised Octopus core software and servers are hosted in Cologne, providing a common foundation for the broadcaster’s connected news operations.

The project is being delivered in partnership with LOGIC Media Solutions, which is acting as project manager, reseller, training provider and primary point of contact for RTL Deutschland.

The companies have worked together on technical workshops and the integration of third-party systems as part of the ntv launch and continuing rollout.

The replacement of NC Power with Octopus is enabling RTL Deutschland to standardise editorial workflows on a modern, story-centric platform while retaining the flexibility required across its national and regional operations.

The ntv launch marks a significant stage in the broadcaster’s wider newsroom transformation and provides the foundation for further integration across RTL Deutschland.

The project demonstrates how a combination of automation, flexible workflows and phased integration can be used to modernise complex broadcast environments while supporting the operational requirements of live news production.

octopus-news.com