Media revolutionary Helmut Thoma (86) dies surprisingly in Vienna!

Media revolutionary Helmut Thoma (86) dies surprisingly in Vienna!

Wien, Österreich - On May 3, 2025, the Austrian media manager Dr. Helmut Thoma surprisingly in Vienna at the age of 86 in Vienna, as his family reported. Thoma, who was born in Vienna in 1939, is considered one of the most influential heads in the German -speaking television landscape. His life path began modestly after he had broken off the high school and initially worked in a dairy. He later caught up with the Matura and studied law at the University of Vienna, where he received his doctorate in 1962.

Thoma began his media career at ORF, where he headed the legal department in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His rise in the industry continued when he moved to Radio Luxemburg in 1982, where he took over RTL's management in 1984. Under his leadership, RTL developed from a small “25-man company” to one of the leading television channels in Europe. He also introduced the advertising-relevant target group of 14- to 49-year-olds in German-speaking countries, which significantly influenced the program design.

successful formats and records

Thoma was instrumental in creating many success formats, including the Daily Soap "Good times, bad times" and the first late night show with Thomas Gottschalk. In the sports area, too, RTL celebrated successes with broadcasts of Formula 1, Champions League and boxing matches. Due to its success, RTL achieved annual markets of over 17 percent in the 1990s and became the most successful and most profitable television station in Europe in 1993.

his innovative strength and his commitment did not remain unnoticed. In the course of his career, he received numerous awards, including the "Golden Camera" (1989), the "Bambi" (1990) and the "International Emmy Award" (1994). Thoma often commented critically about the development of private television, which he referred to as the "catastrophe", and in 1998 withdrew from the RTL management after an involuntary handover of his post to Gerhard Zeiler.

a legacy in the media world

After retreating RTL, Thoma worked as the media officer of the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and was involved in numerous supervisory boards to pass on his expertise. His views of the media landscape, which he often considered fragmentation and stagnating in their development, show the challenges that private television faced each other in the past two decades. The rise of the Internet and the associated decline in traditional advertising revenue have changed the classic television landscape.

dr. Helmut Thoma leaves his third wife Danièle Thoma and his son Harald from his first marriage. His visionary thinking and his contributions to the media landscape will be remembered forever. The history of private television, which he shaped, shows how economic and political interests changed over the years, with Thoma playing a key role in this dynamic. Sources like the impressively document his career and the effects of its work on the industry. In addition, the karsten page interesting insights into the development of private television in Germany and the associated challenges.