Bertelsmann, the German media group, has always been a proud owner of RTL, Europe’s largest broadcaster. But it has long bemoaned the fact that its prize asset has a hole in its reach – any sizeable presence in the UK, one of the world’s biggest media markets.

To sit alongside 44 channels in 10 countries, RTL took over the UK channel Five in 2000, the newest and smallest of Britain’s free-to-air television services.