VARIETY RTL GROUP HONOURS. Co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch receive Achievement in International Television Award

Transcription

1 week 15 / 10 April 2014 VARIETY HONOURS RTL GROUP Co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch receive Achievement in International Television Award United Kingdom FremantleMedia and Vice Media launch Munchies platform North America Style Haul continues to build executive bench Belgium Snap your best TV moments

2 United Kingdom North America Belgium week 15 / 10 April 2014 VARIETY HONOURS RTL GROUP Co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch receive Achievement in International Television Award FremantleMedia and Vice Media launch Munchies platform Style Haul continues to build executive bench Snap your best TV moments Cover Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEOs of RTL Group Publisher RTL Group 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg Editor, Design, Production RTL Group Corporate Communications & Marketing Think before you print backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de

3 QUICK VIEW Radio Luxembourg made itself known 90 years ago RTL Group p.9 10 FremantleMedia has the Munchies FremantleMedia p Style Haul continues to build executive bench Style Haul p.13 A passion for content combined with a long term strategic approach RTL Group p. 4 8 Snap your best TV moments RTL Belgium p.14 Big Picture p.15 SHORT NEWS p. 16

4 In the 1 April edition of weekly American entertainment-trade magazine, Variety, RTL Group and its subsidiaries are presented centre-stage, with a 15-page feature. The piece was published in the run-up to Variety s inaugural Achievement in International Television Award, which was granted to RTL Group s Co-CEOs, Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, during the 51 st Mip TV in Cannes. A PASSION FOR CONTENT COMBINED WITH A LONG-TERM STRATEGIC APPROACH Luxembourg 10 April 2014 RTL Group Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEOs of RTL Group, receiving the award in Cannes 4

5 The award reception in Cannes The reception was held at the Bâoli Beach Bar in Cannes Donna Pennestri, Associate Publisher at Variety, said: The Achievement in International Television Award is given to individuals who exhibit leadership, creativity and innovation in the global television marketplace. As Co-CEOs, Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch have been the driving force behind RTL Group s incredible performance over the past couple of years and its recent expansion in online video. Their passion for content combined with a long-term strategic approach has boldly led RTL Group to tremendous success. Anke and Guillaume are clearly very well-deserving of this honour. The award reception which german media trade magazine DWDL.de dubbed the most relaxed award ceremony in the TV industry ever was attended by more than 160 industry executives, producers and distributors, who have worked with RTL Group over the years. Anke Schäferkordt said upon receiving the Award: It s a special moment for us, here in Cannes during the Mip TV where you can feel the heartbeat of the industry. TV is a team sport so we would like to thank Variety, our long-term business partners and colleagues from RTL Group for being here for this Award. And Guillaume, I d like to thank you it s fun working with you! Guillaume de Posch extended, referring to the fact that the two Co-CEOs were actually competitors some years ago: If someone had told me three years ago, that the two of us would get such an Award here from Variety, I wouldn t have believed it. Everybody told us that it was not in the management books to have Co-CEOs, and that it wouldn t work. Anke and I braced ourselves, and said: Maybe it won t work, but we ll try to make it work. And I think that most of you will recognise that it has been working, and it has been a great tandem that has brought this group to the level that it is at, with a record year in At the beginning of the week leading up to the reception, Steven Gaydos, Variety Executive Editor, explained in a statement why the magazine had launched the new award: Variety is thrilled to expand our International Achievement editorial franchise from fi lm to television. Having profi led major fi lm fi rms such as Constantin Film and StudioCanal, we were committed to honoring excellence with our fi rst-ever Achievement in International Television Award. There is literally no one more impactful than RTL Group in the international television market. They remain Europe s largest broadcast network with interests in 56 TV channels and own FremantleMedia, the producers and distributors of Idol, Got Talent and X Factor franchises. The feature on RTL Group With numerous congratulatory ads from RTL Group s partners, subsidiaries and industry peers spread throughout the 1 April Variety edition, it clearly shows the presence and recognition that the Group and its management already hold in the international TV market. Next > 5

6 Wrong. RTL is pursuing a different strategy focused on online video. It is time the market recognised this. In the articles that follow, RTL Group s subsidiaries are presented. RTL Group s German division, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, continues to perform solidly with the right mixture of hit scripted fare, both home-grown and imported, and hugely popular entertainment and formats, reads the opening line of the feature s article dedicated to the Group s German business. The article focuses on reliable hits on fl agship channel RTL Television such as Ich bin ein Star Holt mich hier raus (I m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!), which consistently delivers outstanding ratings, as well as home-grown docu-soap Berlin Tag und Nacht on RTL II. The piece also acknowledges the consistent popularity of local versions of FremantleMedia formats; Bauer sucht Frau (Farmer Wants a Wife), Deutschland sucht den Superstar (Idols) and Das Supertalent (Got Talent). The fi rst page of the feature introduces Co-CEOS Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch In the feature s opening piece, RTL Group s history, strong fi nancials and dedication to quality programming are explained in an interview with Co-CEOs Schäferkordt and de Posch, acknowledging the company s leading position on the European media landscape. RTL Group s Co-CEOs explain the key to the Group s long-lasting success: great programming and remaining close to the audience. It s all about the programming. The distribution is secondary to the quality, the appeal and the unique selling point of your programme, says de Posch. Once the content is secure, then a close, reliable relationship with viewers is paramount. We are there where our audiences want to watch our content: whenever, wherever and on whatever device, explains Schäferkordt. Both CEOs hail RTL Group s decentralised frame, particularly the subsidiaries talented and reliable management: We are a decentralised group. Some formats travel but large parts of the business are local, and this is why it is really important for us to have strong CEOs running the companies in each country, explains Schäferkordt. In an interview with Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Executive Board of Groupe M6, the persistence and tenacity of RTL Group s French TV business, is presented: The DTT market has been intensely competitive; yet Groupe M6 still managed to register the biggest growth among all free-to-air channels with an audience share of 14 per cent, says de Tavernost. In the digital realm, the article acknowledges Groupe M6 s leading approach; citing examples such as M6 Web s comedy channel Golden Moustache, which has 1.1 million subscriptions. M6 has been on the forefront of digital trends. De Tavernost promises, M6 will continue to launch digital content to get ahead of new trends and discover emerging talent, that s what has made the strength of M6 for the past 25 years. On page two of Variety s RTL Group feature, media analysts give their insights on the Group s performance under the dual-leadership. Laurie Davison from Deutsche Bank, comments on the company s digital strategy: RTL Group is head and shoulders above its Euro peers Market perception is that RTL lacks a digital strategy, outshone by ProSieben Digital & Adjacent growth. Strong Gallic accent : The article dedicated to Groupe M6 Next > Next > 6

7 A piece on the Group s Dutch business, meanwhile, focuses on RTL Nederland moving fast in digital delivery, with the rollout of VOD platforms, Videoland Unlimited and NL Ziet. RTL Nederland CEO Bert Habets explains in the article that he is not concerned with Netfl ix taking audience share away from RTL Nederland s core channels. The piece acknowledges Videoland s competitive edge in its broad offering of Dutch content since RTL Nederland has rights to local fi lms and series in which it invests, Netfl ix ( ) will face a serious competitor once RTL expands Videoland onto a larger array of connected devices, predicts Variety. On the content side of things, the Variety piece explains how RTL Group s production arm FremantleMedia is so much more than the talent franchises it is most well-known for. One of the main focuses for growth is drama. FremantleMedia CEO wants to grow the share of revenue coming from scripted shows from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, Variety says. Drama is important because it occupies a big part of broadcasters schedules, and because it is channel defi ning, says Cécile Frot-Coutaz. The Variety feature concludes with an article on RTL Group s expansion into South and East Asia Network. In 2013, the Group teamed up with CBS Studios International in Southeast Asia and brought RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network to the market. The venture, headquartered in Singapore, now has two channels on the air in territories between Taiwan in the North and Indonesia in the South. Dramatic Drive : The article dedicated to FremantleMedia Scan to read the full feature online (Please wait few seconds while the page loads) FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE... For those interested, hard copies of the 1 April Variety issue are available in the Corporate Centre in Luxembourg or by sending an to Cordula Eilts (cordula.eilts@rtlgroup.com) Next page s captions 01. Andreas Rudas, Guillaume de Posch, RTL Hungary s Gitka Pap and Peter Kolosi settle into the venue in Cannes 02. Anke Schäferkordt catches up with Thom Beers 03. Time to mingle: Bert Habets, Bernd Reichart and Eduardo Zulueta toast to RTL Group s success 04. Donna Pennestri and Andreas Rudas pose for a photo 05. Experts in great content, Matthias Scholten and Cécile Frot-Coutaz toast to Anke and Guillaume 06. Hard work is rewarded: Guillaume de Posch and Anke Schäferkordt accept their award 07. After a long day at MipTV, Keith Hindle, Eduardo Zulueta and Bernd Reichart wind down 08. Joe Lucas, Jonas Engwall and Andreas Rudas absorb the Cannes rays 09. Two creative minds, Wolf Bauer and Thom Beers, catch up in the evening sun 10. RTL Television colleagues, Tom Sänger and Frank Hoffmann at the venue in Cannes 11. The stars of the show: Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch with their Achievement in International Television awards 7

8 THE MOST RELAXED AWARD CEREMONY IN THE TV INDUSTRY Captions: see page

9 RADIO LUXEMBOURG MADE ITSELF KNOWN 90 YEARS AGO RTL Group Exactly 90 years ago, on 10 April 1924, the French press announced that programmes from Luxembourg could be picked up for the fi rst time, on a medium wave frequency between 1,300 khz and 1,500 khz every evening from 22:00 to 23:00. The anniversary is an opportunity to review the perseverance and audacity of the pioneering Anen family. Luxembourg 10 April 2014 Advertisement appearing in the Luxembourgish press in 1925 Young François Anen, along with his brothers Marcel and Aloyse, ran a photographic supply shop and wireless telephone station at rue Beaumont in the heart of Luxembourg City. Not content to only sell radios, the brothers began building wireless receiving devices, as seen in advertisements of that era. Notice appearing in the Luxembourgish press in 1924 It was mainly François, a member of the Grand Duchy s Friends of the Wireless association, who fell under the spell of radio and crossed a new threshold in With the help of his brother Marcel, he installed his own wireless transmitter (50 watts of power and a 200-meter range) in the attic of the building at rue Beaumont. To François Anen, and judging by the abundance of letters he received from amateur radio operators across Europe, it was one of the best amateur transmitting stations on the continent. Anen even succeeded in being the fi rst European amateur radio operator to communicate by wireless with the United States. This took place on the night of December Next > 9

10 Luxembourg s first radio station is born The young amateur radio operator did not stop at exchanging conversation with his peers. In 1924 he set out to broadcast spoken programmes, music and plays. He received confi rmation that his programmes were being picked up clearly, particularly in Nice and Geneva. The broadcasting of genuine programmes marked the transition from amateur radio to radio broadcasting. The fi rst Luxembourgish radio station was born! François Anen s telephone transmitter as described in the magazine Luxembourger Illustrierte of 19 February 1925 As sellers and builders of radio receivers, the Anen brothers must have realised that in order to sell radios, they would have to produce programmes that people wanted to listen to. This modest station was named Radio-Luxembourg and its power was increased to 150 watts in On medium waves, it broadcast military concerts live from Place d Armes and music played by the house orchestra in the attic of rue Beaumont as well as plays. The speakers, who included August Donnen and Léon Moulin, spoke in Luxembourgish as well as French, German and English. The fi rst radio adverts made their debut soon afterward. This pioneering station also sowed the seeds of what would characterise the major international commercial station that broadcast its programmes on long waves in No one could have predicted such a development 90 years ago when the French press announced for the fi rst time that one could pick up radio programmes from Luxembourg every evening. Also see the documentary film and the brochure Always close to the audience that the website Tuner.be has just rated as a little jewel that is available for free. The receiving station and, behind it, QSL cards (replies or acknowledgement of signal reception, in postcard format, which were exchanged by amateur radio operators) Watch the little jewel directly on your mobile or tablet 10

11 FREMANTLEMEDIA HAS THE MUNCHIES FremantleMedia FremantleMedia and Vice Media launched their multi-channel food platform Munchies, in beta, at Mip TV United Kingdom 9 April 2014 Named after Vice Media s existing fl agship food show, Munchies is a new, video-driven online platform that will combine the bold style and approach Vice Media is known for with the production capability and global reach of FremantleMedia. Screenshot of the Munchies.tv homepage Through engaging tongue-in-cheek home cooking, compelling editorial features, do-it-yourself, world travel and exclusive events, Munchies will offer an alternative to the almost non-existent food-related channels catering to millennial audiences. Other longer-term projects include: experiential activities such as festivals and tastings; apps and a food locator concierge service; Facebook integration and UGC reviews and contributions; and licensed merchandise. Keith Hindle, CEO Digital & Branded Entertainment, FremantleMedia comments: Munchies programming brings the bold and compelling aesthetic of Vice to the hugely important area of food and its place in our daily lives. We re really proud of it and look forward to developing more great content both for online and for broadcasters around the world. Keith Hindle A total of fi ve titles were unveiled at Mip TV 2014 for the Munchies vertical with more content forthcoming throughout the month. Next > 11

12 5 TITLES FROM MUNCHIES MUNCHIES: CHEF S NIGHT OUT Munchies profiles famous chefs as they hit the town to enjoy a night of boisterous eating and drinking at their favourite restaurants and bars. You ll get an insider s guide to the best restaurants and bars around the world, and witness the chefs return to the kitchen to cook up late-night snacks after a long evening of drinking. FRESH OFF THE BOAT Food travel shows hosted by Eddie Huang. Florida-born, Taiwanese-American, retired lawyer, hip-hop aficionado, and pork bun proprietor, Huang dives deep into dissecting social issues that lay beneath the surface of the universal language of food. GIRL EATS FOOD Joanna Fuertes-Knight is an open-minded home-cook-meets-cynical-food-host who takes viewers on an investigative journey through Britain s contemporary food trends. BEING FRANK Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo are two humbly successful restaurant partners from Queens, New York. Even though their neighbourhood restaurants are not considered part of the fine dining scene, the Franks rub elbows with billionaires, the culinary elite and the likes of Martha Stewart, and provide a gateway into the private world of the global culinary scene and ground-breaking players on the international food stage. F*CK, THAT S DELICIOUS Chef turned rapper, Action Bronson is a globe-trotting musician who finds the time to cook homemade lamb burgers when he s not jotting down rap lyrics in the recording studio. Between his onstage antics of distributing shopping bags full of steaks to fans and cooking in some of the world s best kitchens before concerts, F*ck, That s Delicious highlights the performer s intimate knowledge of global cuisine. 12

13 STYLE HAUL CONTINUES TO BUILD EXECUTIVE BENCH Style Haul The multi-channel fashion and beauty network expands its senior headquarters and original content programming strategy. North America 21 November 2011 Mia Goldwyn, Style Haul Chief Content Offi cer Style Haul has recently announced the appointment of Mia Goldwyn, former VP, Paramount Studios, as the company s new Chief Content Offi cer. Goldwyn will assume her post in Style Haul s Los Angeles headquarters and report directly to Stephanie Horbaczewski, president and CEO, Style Haul. Goldwyn will oversee the company s original content programming strategy, including production and expansion into new digital mediums. Goldwyn will also lead Style Haul s partnership with FremantleMedia to develop 10 original content programmes over the next two years. Stephanie Horbaczewski says: As we continue to expand our portfolio of branded content, creative and premium production programming, we are hiring executives who bring a unique expertise and global insight to the industry and our partners. Giles Drew, Vice President Strategy at RTL Group, concludes: Mia s extensive international experience will help drive Style Haul s development into a global media brand. One of Style Haul s current Youtube fashion celebrities: DulceCandy87 About Mia Goldwyn Goldwyn was Vice President of Business Development, Digital and Insurge at Paramount Pictures. During her 13-year tenure with the studio, Goldwyn worked across multiple business groups, including digital, business development and strategy, licensing, and home media both in the U.S. and abroad. Goldwyn most recently helped re-launch Paramount Digital Entertainment, the studio behind the Emmy nominated hit digital series, Burning Love, produced by Red Hour s Ben Stiller, as well as led third party distribution and brand sponsorship deals. 13

14 SNAP YOUR BEST TV MOMENTS RTL Belgium RTL NewMedia in Belgium is launching Snap TV, an application viewers can use to share their favourite TV moments from RTL Belgium channels with friends and family. Belgium 7 April 2014 Launched on 1 April 2014, this new application enables viewers to send their friends a video clip they ve just seen on RTL-TVI, Club RTL or Plug RTL via , Twitter or Facebook. Users can share clips of up to 30 seconds, drawn from the last fi ve minutes aired on one of the three channels. Snap TV RTL Nearly all programmes on RTL Belgium channels can be Snapped. According to Apple, this is the fi rst time a television channel has offered this kind of tool on such a broad scale. Previously, only some television content was available for sharing. Users can access their shares within the app (via the menu) or on RTL.be/Snap Snap can be downloaded free of charge for Android and ios (Apple) smartphones and tablets 14

15 Diana Buddingh Director of Global Entertainment Production, FremantleMedia George Levendis Head of International Production, Syco Entertainment Rob Molloy Director of Global TV Content and Sales, Guinness World Records Guinness World Record for Got Talent! An international ratings-phenomenon, FremantleMedia and Syco Entertainment talent show breaks the Guinness World Records title for the highest number of adaptations 59 becoming the world s Most Successful Reality TV Format.

16 SHORT NEWS 1/1 The Dutch TV Market in March 2014 RTL Nederland In March, RTL Nederland achieved a combined audience share of 33.8 per cent in the commercial target group of shoppers aged 20 to 49 a 4 per cent increase compared to February (32.4 per cent) and ahead of the public service broadcasters (24.9 per cent) and the SBS Group (20.8 per cent). The Netherlands 4 April 2014 RTL.fr ratings for February 2014 RTL Radio The web ratings for February 2014 have just been published, with RTL.fr totting up nearly 2.9 million unique visitors. France 7 April 2014 FremantleMedia s line-up at Mip TV 2014 FremantleMedia FremantleMedia was set for this year s Mip TV trade fair in Cannes, offering a slate of new formats being to broadcasters and producers around the world. United Kingdom 7 April 2014 UFA Fiction starts shooting Nackt unter Wölfen UFA Fiction Based on the novel of the same name, the fi lm portrays the rescue of a Jewish infant from the Buchenwald concentration camp. Both the book (1958) and the movie (1962) became icons of anti-fascist resistance in the former GDR. Germany 7 April 2014 DJ Awards Fun Radio On April , Fun Radio organised the Fun Radio European DJ Awards at a ceremony in Madrid. On this occasion, several French, European and international artists were rewarded, among them, Garrix Martin, Calvin Harris, Avicii. France 8 April

17 More about Backstage BACKSTAGE IS AVAILABLE IN THREE LANGUAGES You can read Backstage in your preferred language in English, German or French. DAILY NEWS FROM ACROSS THE GROUP DIRECTLY IN YOUR INBOX In addition to the weekly newsletter we offer to registered users a daily newsletter available in three languages. AT RTL GROUP, WE CARE RTL Group is committed to effectively combine business success with socially responsible actions towards local communities and to protect the environment. Visit the Corporate Responsibility news section on Backstage (CR news) and fi nd out how RTL Group aims to improve the societies in which we operate. backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de For more information, don t hesitate to contact the editorial team: Backstage@rtlgroup.com