RTL brings AI on air with German free-TV premiere
September 3, 2026 10.38 Europe/London By Jörn Krieger


Left: Original episode. Right: Real actor integrated into the original episode using AI.

RTL Deutschland is bringing generative artificial intelligence into German free-to-air television for the first time, with five episodes of Ulrich Wetzel – Das Strafgericht scheduled to air from 7 September at 15:55 CEST.
Produced in collaboration with Constantin Entertainment, the episodes use AI to creatively develop existing episodes of the court drama into new stories. The project follows RTL’s previously announced “RTL bringt KI on Air” initiative and is intended to demonstrate how generative AI can be used in television storytelling and production.

The five episodes were created through a multi-stage production process in which characters, plot developments and verdicts from previously produced episodes were reworked. Technologies including image editing, voice synthesis and lip-sync adaptation were used to create new versions of the stories.

The changes include a previously acquitted defendant becoming a convicted perpetrator, a mother-son relationship being transformed into a sibling relationship, and a different perpetrator confessing to a crime and thereby changing the verdict. One episode uses a complete gender swap of the main character to offer a different perspective on the story.

“We are showing for the first time in our daily programming what generative AI can already achieve today and what it means for the future of storytelling. With Das Strafgericht, we are deliberately taking a first open-minded step and making the possibilities of AI directly tangible for our audience. At the same time, we are very clear that good stories will continue to be created through ideas, experience and editorial responsibility. Technology expands our creative tools. The aim is to enable us to produce content more quickly and efficiently in the future and release it for streaming and broadcast,” said Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland.

Max Orgonyi, Chief Transformation & AI Officer at RTL Deutschland, added: “At RTL, our goal is to be a leader in the use of AI in the media industry. By 2030, we will generate more than €150 million in value through AI. This will create new business models – both for us as a broadcaster and streamer and for creatives and production partners. The pilot with Constantin Entertainment is a great example: it creates something between a new episode and a repeat. And we are only at the beginning of the possibilities offered by this new technology.”

The project also marks a new approach to repurposing existing television content, with RTL and Constantin Entertainment testing how AI can create additional exploitation opportunities from previously produced episodes.

“We have broken new technical and creative ground with these five episodes that has not existed in this form in German broadcast and streaming before. Developing a completely new story from an existing episode with new characters, new twists and, in some cases, even a complete gender swap of the main character is a milestone for the production industry. At the same time, we have learned a great deal about how quality, creative ideas and new technology can best be combined. We are proud to have taken this step first together with RTL Deutschland,” said Otto Steiner, Managing Director of Constantin Entertainment.

According to RTL, the necessary rights had been cleared with the participating talent. Editorial responsibility, rights clearance and quality control remain with human staff throughout the process.

The five episodes are intended as a practical test under real production and programming conditions. RTL and Constantin Entertainment will use the project to assess how AI can be integrated into content production while maintaining editorial and legal safeguards.

The project forms the latest visible step in RTL’s broader AI strategy. The company is already using AI in areas including AI-supported post-production, virtual production, its child protection AI Merm:ai:d, support for journalists through its Newsroom of the Future, marketing and on-air elements.