• by Fern Siegel , January 2, 2013

RLTV, the cable network targeting 50+ viewers, has teamed with Next Avenue, a PBS site focused on the same demographic, in a content-sharing arrangement.

Emmy-winning RLTV will select Next Avenue content for its Web site. In turn, Next Avenue will develop exclusive online content for RLTV.

Twin Cities Public Television launched Next Avenue earlier this year in partnership with PBS, APT and public television stations nationwide. St. Paul-based Next Avenue publishes original articles and blogs on a variety of topics ranging from health to relationships, retirement to aging parents. It curates content from its various partners, including MoneyTrack, NIH, Medline Plus and Rick Steves' Europe.

RLTV President and CEO Paul FitzPatrick stated that the partnership was “a synergistic, multiplatform opportunity" that would allow the cabler to "broaden its focus and provide a deeper, richer and more relevant experience for our viewers, advertisers and distributors.”

Next Avenue President Judy Diaz called the alliance, which serves the same audience, “a good alignment.”

In November, RLTV rebranded, with a new logo, graphics and color palette for all cross-platform content. The new tagline is “Experience Matters.” RLTV also signed a distribution deal with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. No subscriber numbers were offered, but Multichannel News reported that prior to the deal, RLTV was seen by 15 million subscribers.