RTL Deutschland revolutionizes advertising with its own AI infrastructure!

RTL Deutschland revolutionizes advertising with its own AI infrastructure!

On October 16, 2025, RTL Deutschland announced great news: the development of a special high-performance AI infrastructure that leverages the innovative possibilities of Sidekicks platform from Smartclip will support. This new infrastructure, developed and hosted by RTL Technology, promises to enrich the media landscape in the long term. Why is that? Quite simple: It makes it possible to operate an agent-based AI platform without relying on external cloud services.

The Sidekicks platform, which was launched in July 2025 in collaboration with Realytics, integrates AI agents into the daily workflows of media professionals. The focus here is on efficient automation in campaign management and cross-media planning. According to Frank Penning, CIO of RTL Deutschland, creating this infrastructure is crucial for innovation and protecting the integrity of systems and data. This commitment to technological advances is not only significant, but also extremely necessary to remain competitive in the rapidly changing advertising market.

Technical refinements and independence

But what exactly characterizes this new infrastructure? It consists of a dedicated server cluster that offers advanced cooling systems and secure, isolated connections. This not only maximizes performance but also ensures data protection. This technical masterpiece operates independently of RTL Deutschland's main operating systems in order not to impact existing media services while at the same time enabling optimal operation of the AI ​​agents.

The initiative shows how RTL Deutschland and Smartclip work together at the interface between technology and media. As Thomas Servatius, co-CEO of Smartclip, emphasizes, the platform is specifically aimed at the practical needs of advertising professionals. This means that the agents not only take on simple tasks, but are also able to independently manage complex, multi-step processes such as content creation and campaign optimization. A development that, as experts predict, will fundamentally change processes in the media sector from 2025 onwards.

The pressure for automation and the future of advertising

Given the increasing complexity of the advertising industry, the pressure to automate is increasing. In fact, RTL Group recorded impressive digital advertising revenue growth of 27.1% to €230 million in the first half of 2025. At the same time, forward-looking studies report that by 2028, around 15% of everyday work decisions could be made automatically by AI agents. AI agents represent a significant advance here by acting as virtual editors and marketing managers and enabling hyper-personalized subscriptions and promotional strategies.

Smartclip and Realytics customers will be among the first to gain access to the innovative platform. Pilot integrations are being evaluated to test the effectiveness of the AI ​​agents in the real world of work. The development is also supported by the Bertelsmann AI Hub, which promotes the strategic direction and coordination of AI initiatives within the RTL Group.

The path to the future of advertising technology will be shaped not only by technical advances, but also by an increased focus on data protection and innovative business applications. RTL Deutschland not only remains a pioneer in the media landscape, but is also positioning itself as an attractive partner in a rapidly changing market.