Gladiators, ready!
RTL and Prime Video are team to bring Gladiators back to Germany after three decades. Known locally as Gladiators – Die Show der Giganten (Gladiators – The Show of Giants), production on a German series will begin in spring 2026 at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center.
Gladiators was last on air in Germany, on RTL, between 1992 and 1994 as American Gladiators but is now having a comeback, which RTL Studios will produce. Amazon is set to relaunch the format on Prime Video in the U.S., while the BBC has found ratings success rebooting it in the UK.
The order marks the latest example of streamers and traditional networks teaming to get shows into production amid a challenging marketplace.
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Episodes will first launch on Prime Video before airing a month later on RTL’s free TV channel. RTL+, the broadcaster’s streaming service, will launch them slightly before their free-to-air debuts. Amazon MGM Studios owns the rights to the Gladiators format through its acquisition of MGM.
Christoph Schneider, Country Director of Prime Video Germany: “Through the collaboration between Prime Video and RTL, we are bringing back an iconic brand: Gladiators is returning to screens as a German adaptation of the popular U.S. hit format from the 1990s.
“This collaboration demonstrates how streaming and traditional TV can work together to breathe new life into beloved brands – with the goal of offering our customers the best entertainment.”
Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer of RTL Germany, added: “Gladiators stands for strength, endurance, emotion – and for television that packs a punch. Together with Prime Video, we are opening a new chapter for this iconic format. Through the collaboration of RTL, RTL+, and Prime Video, we are combining our strengths and bringing the spectacle back to screens in a fresh, contemporary production – more intense, more energetic, and with everything that defines Gladiators.”
RTL Studios will produce with exec producers Sabine Stark and Thorsten Gieselmann and head of production Sandra Wächtershäuser overseeing the editorial, under the direction of RTL Head of Entertainment Markus Küttner.
The format was created by Johnny C. Ferraro after he and Dan Carr came up with the original concept for the competition event. Each episode sees contestants going against each other and the ‘gladiators’ – usually bodybuilders and strength athletes – in events such as Hang Tough and Gauntlet before facing off for a final time in The Eliminator, a notoriously tricky obstacle course.