Rocket Beans TV has to put employees on short-time work

The energy crisis is by no means confined to industry, utilities and the construction sector. In the entertainment sector, too, some people are having to pull the ripcord and at least cut back a bit. Now the popular Rocket Beans, probably Germany’s most famous streaming station, has also been hit. An economic imbalance now ensures that the broadcasting schedule is reduced and the staff must go into short-time work.

RBTV has to tighten its belt

German Web Video Award, German Television Award, a nomination for the Grimme Award, and and. The list of awards that Rocket Beans TV (RBTV) has been able to collect for itself is long. After the online station celebrated its eighth “birthday” just a few weeks ago, the heads behind the popular gaming station probably don’t feel much like celebrating at the moment. After all, due to economic problems, the station has to send many of its now over 120 employees into short-time work. In its own blog post, the company writes that those affected will only work 70 percent of their working hours for the time being.

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As an exception, they explicitly highlight the format “Game Two”, which is the spiritual successor of the MTV gaming show “Game One”. The reason for this is that it is a production for radio. Of course, the short-time work will also be felt in the broadcast schedule. So this is to experience some cuts. For example, RBTV no longer wants to broadcast its popular Beef Jr. format once a week, but instead show a new episode every two weeks. Furthermore, fans will have to do without the obligatory monthly event in February. Actually, a Saturday show lasting several hours takes place every month.

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“Energy crisis” and “tense economic situation”

From the very beginning, one thing above all had to be attested to the “beans”: Courage. After all, Germany’s first streaming channel was a grand experiment whose future was uncertain. Many assumed that the online station would only manage to finance itself for a few weeks. Thanks to the reliable and sometimes generous community, however, RBTV managed to hold out for eight years despite many skeptics. Even Corona was unable to harm the Internet station. But according to blog post, the “energy crisis and the resulting tense economic situation” now seem to have hit the company’s Achilles heel. It won’t just be the extremely high energy costs that are causing Rocket Beans’ economic woes right now.

On top of that, the otherwise reliable donations from the “Rocket Beans Supporters Club” and other loyal fans are likely to have dwindled. After all, just about everyone has to save money. Furthermore, many companies have cut their own advertising budgets in order to spend the money elsewhere. Since advertising is also a mainstay of RBTV’s financial base, the “beans” will feel that painfully as well. We hope that the likeable internet channel will be able to pick itself up again as soon as possible. Should you wish to lend support, you are welcome to take a look at the Rocket Beans Supporters Club (RBSC). This should become more attractive with new features in the near future.