FUTURE-PROOF PRODUCTION PROCESS How UFA designs its two Youtube channels. week 46 / 15 November M6 Web launches new comedy portal

Transcription

1 week 46 / 15 November 2012 FUTURE-PROOF PRODUCTION PROCESS How UFA designs its two Youtube channels Luxembourg RTL Group reports higher revenue and profit in the third quarter 2012 Germany Deutschland sucht den Superstar celebrates 10th anniversary France Viewers decide on Desperate Housewives finale France M6 Web launches new comedy portal

2 week 46 / 15 November 2012 FUTURE-PROOF OF PRODUCTION PROCESS How UFA designs its two Original Channels Youtube Luxembourg RTL Group reports higher revenues in the third quarter 2012 Germany Deutschland sucht den Superstar celebrates 10th anniversary France Viewers decide on Desperate Housewives finale France M6 Web launches new comedy portal Cover Montage showing the key visuals of UFA s two Youtube channels 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 RTL Group s EBITA up 5.8 per cent year-on-year RTL Group p.7 8 Deutschland sucht den Superstar turns ten RTL Television / Grundy Light Entertainment p. 9 Super RTL augments its mobile offerings Super RTL p. 10 TV viewers get the last word M6 p. 11 It s different from TV production UFA Lab (Germany) p. 4 6 M6 web s range of content expands M6 Web p. 12 Big Picture p. 13 SHORT NEWS p PEOPLE p.16 17

4 After FremantleMedia launched two Youtubefunded channels The Pet Collective and Thnkr its German production arm UFA is now following suit: Backstage introduces the two channels and the concepts behind them. IT S DIFFERENT FROM TV PRODUCTION Germany 15 November 2012 UFA Lab Jens-Uwe Bornemann, Vice President Digital Ventures & Innovations and Head of UFA Lab 4

5 Early this year, nearly 100 original-content video channels launched on Youtube s US platform. UFA s parent company FremantleMedia contributed two channels: Thnkr, created and run by the FremantleMedia subsidiary Radical Media, offers Youtube users access to remarkable people, stories and ideas that are changing the world for the better. FremantleMedia also launched the pet channel The Pet Collective, a channel devoted to pet-related formats produced exclusively for Youtube. The Pet Collective is a collaboration between FremantleMedia North America, FremantleMedia Enterprises and FremantleMedia Cross Platforms (FMX). In Germany, the big launch day is on 22 November, when two UFA channels will go live among others: Entr Berlin and Trigger. Jens-Uwe Bornemann, Vice President Digital Ventures & Innovation and Head of UFA Lab, says: Our present original-programming channel activities on Youtube are the continuation of our long years of close collaboration with Youtube. He added: Developing and producing the two Youtube channels and the formats that they will show corresponds precisely to our self-image as a lab for the creation of innovative content and production techniques for the new media, in combination with new business models. So we are very happy to be able to contribute our expertise and creativity to Youtube in this way once again. Youtube will provide start-up funding for the channels, which will eventually rely on advertising revenue. Youtube is responsible for marketing the channels, says Bornemann. After a certain point, the operators of the respective channels share in the advertising revenue, so it is clearly in our interests to win advertisers and get them excited about our programme line-up. Entr Berlin is a channel based in the pulsing heart of the German capital, straight from the trendy urban scene, at the heart of what s happening and giving an eye-level view of the protagonists. Entr Berlin lets its audience participate in Berlin s unique cultural appeal sometimes taking a critical line as well. Entr Berlin tells you about the people who live here, their recreational activities, the events they go to, unusual places you should get to know, and the global trends that make Berlin the current capital of urban living. Besides a German audience, the channel targets the global urban-lifestyle community that is at home in cities like New York, Sao Paulo and Shanghai. For this reason, the channel was designed to be bilingual from the start. The programme line-up is comprised of long-running formats lasting fi ve to 12 minutes supplemented by 30- to 90-second formats. Entr Berlin is presented by party promoter, rapper, actor, author and Flux FM presenter Yaneq, a connoisseur of Berlin s cultural scene; and model, fashion blogger, photographer and singer Bonnie Strange, known for her garish hair colour. Trigger is about everyday crime and its consequences. The channel portrays people whose lives have been thrown off course by crime, and presents experts and investigators dedicated to the prevention and detection of crime. At the same time the channel tries to clarify questions about various facets of crime. In formats developed especially for Trigger the audience is told the true stories of Udo Vetter crime victims. Udo Vetter, a lawyer known for his legal blog, provides tips and advice on everyday criminal law issues (Vetter s Law, a twice-weekly fi ve-minute format). In 2011, Vetter won the Grimme Online Award for his legal blog one of the most prestigious awards of the German online community. The idea for Trigger came from Jörg Winger, producer of one of Germany s most popular prime-time TV series, Soko Leipzig. There s quite a difference between producing for Youtube and for a TV channel, says Jens-Uwe Bornemann. First, Youtube doesn t have any editorial infl uence. You could say Youtube s editorial involvement ends with the selection of channels and partners who create content for the channels. UFA s goal with the launch of the new channels is to develop, produce and experiment with Youtube-specifi c forms of programming. Bornemann says transmedia approaches, where different forms of media are interlinked, are signifi cantly easier to realise online than on television, which is why their share of the programming will be higher. So our involvement is also about developing future-proof production processes that match the of course rather small available budget. Next > 5

6 And so there is another objective in trialling of the online formats: We will initially aim to produce content that is attractive in every respect, both visually and in terms of ratings. However, this is only one component in the online video sector. We also have a team exclusively dedicated to looking after social media marketing and community management, in order to create as much attention and traffi c as possible for our channels. Maniac Mind and Bonnie Strange present formats on Trigger and Entr Berlin respectively A BRIEF HISTORY OF UFA S NEW MEDIA ACTIVITIES: September 2005: With UFA Quiz, UFA unveils its first format for the DVB-H mobile TV standard. Viewers can directly participate in the quiz show. UFA Quiz is transmitted via the DVB-H network, while its interactivity is realised via SMS on the mobile communications network. August 2006: UFA founds the UFA Interactive unit to advise the UFA label in its new media activities and advance its own projects. December 2006: UFA and RTL Television jointly launch the digital pay-tv channel Passion, which broadcasts popular German daily soaps produced by Grundy UFA, such as Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten, Verbotene Liebe and Unter uns, as well as numerous internationally successful telenovelas and made-for-tv movies. October 2008: The web series Pietshow goes online, produced by Grundy UFA and Studi VZ. With over 2.5 million views including bonus material Pietshow is a popular online format. It is followed by other series with various partners. November 2009: UFA Lab is launched. April 2011: The TV part of the transmedia detective show Wer rettet Dina Foxx? is broadcast on ZDF on 20 April The subsequent interactive online search for the killers lasts three weeks and leads the user to 20 specially constructed websites and 30 social media profiles November 2012: Launch of the Youtube channels Trigger and Entr Berlin. November 2012: Launch of UFA Lab NRW in Cologne. 6

7 RTL GROUP S EBITA UP 5.8 PER CENT YEAR-ON-YEAR RTL Group Due to higher TV advertising sales from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and growing revenue at FremantleMedia, RTL Group reports higher revenues for the third quarter The Group s operating profi t was also up. Luxembourg 13 November 2012 In the third quarter of 2012, with higher TV advertising sales from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and growing revenue at FremantleMedia, RTL Group s reported revenue was up 5.5 per cent to 1,296 million (Q3/2011: 1,229 million). In an increasingly tough economic environment, almost all TV advertising markets across Europe decreased during the third quarter, while the German TV advertising market was estimated to be slightly up. RTL Group s reported EBITA increased by 5.8 per cent to 165 million (Q3/2011: 156 million), driven by the Group s content division FremantleMedia which, as anticipated at the half year, benefi tted from the phasing of productions and a one-off effect, resulting from the sale of a building in London, during the third quarter. RTL Group s reported EBITA margin was stable at 12.7 per cent. During the nine-month period January to September 2012 reported revenue grew by 4.0 per cent to 4,111 million (Q1 3/2011: 3,954 million). This mainly refl ects higher revenue from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and FremantleMedia, and exchange rate effects. Reported EBITA decreased by 9.8 per cent to 671 million (Q1 3/2011: 744 million), as a higher profi t contribution from the German TV operations was offset by challenging market conditions in other countries, higher investment in programming and portfolio effects such as the disposal of the Dutch radio stations. The reported EBITA margin for the fi rst nine months of the year was 16.3 per cent, compared to 18.8 per cent for the same period last year. The net cash position as of 30 September 2012 amounted to 769 million (30 September 2011: 970 million, 30 June 2012: 634 million). The operating cash conversion was 108 per cent (Q1 3/2011: 93 per cent). RTL Group re-confi rms the outlook given at the interim results presentation end of August 2012: for the full year 2012, RTL Group expects to deliver a solid level of EBITA, although not at the record level of

8 HIGHLIGHTS FROM RTL GROUP S OPERATIONS RTL Group has has defined three main investment areas core, content and digital and is making sound progress in all strategic fields: Core On-going investments in new TV channels: 1 September 2012: launch of digital children s channel RTL Telekids in the Netherlands 1 October 2012: launch of family entertainment cable channel RTL II in Hungary 5 November 2012: launch of action entertainment channel Big RTL Thrill in India, RTL Group s first broadcasting venture outside of Europe 12 December 2012 (planned): 6ter, Groupe M6 s new general entertainment channel for the whole family, to launch in France On 11 September 2012, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland announced an exclusive multi-year volume deal with Sony Pictures Television which includes German free-tv rights to motion pictures beginning in 2013, TV series beginning with the 2013/14 US TV season, and rights to popular library titles M6 in France had its best start into a new season since 2006, reaching an audience share of 17.5 per cent in the key commercial target group in September Content On 1 September 2012, Thom Beers took over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FremantleMedia North America (FMNA), reporting to Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia. Previously, Thom Beers had been CEO of Original Productions, a US subsidiary of FMNA Got Talent has now aired more than 50 local versions across the world, and was the world s top entertainment format for the second year running in 2011, according to Eurodata TV s report One TV Year In The World. Belgium s Got Talent on RTL-TVI is currently airing a very successful first season with total audience shares of up to 37.2 per cent The X Factor USA re-commissioned for a third season by Fox Digital RTL Group s online platforms and on-demand offers across Europe collectively generated more than 1.8 billion video views of professionally produced content in the first nine months of 2012 up 22 per cent year-on-year In September 2012, RTL Interactive and HD Plus, a subsidiary of satellite operator SES, announced a new video on demand cooperation. The catch-up TV services RTL Now, Vox Now and Super RTL Now will become part of the upcoming HD Plus Replay platform. This will enable viewers to watch programmes from these channels on their TV screens On 17 October 2012, RTL Nederland announced the acquisition of Videostrip, the Netherland s leading online video advertising network FremantleMedia s German subsidiary, UFA, will launch two Youtube channels with original content, Entr (urban life style) and Trigger (crime) on 22 November

9 DEUTSCHLAND SUCHT DEN SUPERSTAR TURNS TEN RTL Television / Grundy Light Entertainment Ten years ago Deutschland sucht den Superstar (Idols) began its impressive success story. The 10th season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar kicks off on RTL Television in January Germany 9 November 2012 The season one jury: Thomas M Stein, Shona Fraser, Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Bug (from left to right) When the Grundy Light Entertainment production fi rst launched on 9 November 2002, its four-strong jury consisted of pop titan Dieter Bohlen, radio presenter Thomas Bug, music journalist Shona Fraser and label boss Thomas M. Stein. 10,000 candidates had auditions for the fi rst season. The show became Germany s TV event of the year 2003 and has inspired and engrossed the nation s viewers ever since. The current jury: Dieter Bohlen, Bill and Tom of Tokio Hotel and Mateo from Culcha Candela (from left to right) Ten years on, Deutschland sucht den Superstar has racked up a considerable track record: million records sold, 23 gold and 10 platinum records, 23 number-one hits, 270,000 auditions, 84,000 people in the studio audience and numerous music and TV awards. Deutschland sucht the Superstar has been given a complete makeover for its anniversary year, with a new jury. The successful producer Dieter Bohlen is joined by Bill and Tom Kaulitz of Tokio Hotel, and Mateo, the founder and lead singer of Culcha Candela. Nazan Eckes will co-present the show series with Raúl Richter. This time around, 32,078 people auditioned; the fi rst seven episodes of Deutschland sucht den Superstar will consist of highlights from the auditions. Episodes will air Wednesdays and Saturdays starting on Saturday, 5 January 2013 at 20:15. Starting with the fi rst live show, the viewers alone get to decide by phoning in their votes who will become the 2013 Idol and win the 500,000 prize plus a recording contract with Universal Music Group. 9

10 SUPER RTL AUGMENTS ITS MOBILE OFFERINGS Super RTL Super RTL is expanding its mobile portfolio with a preschool app, a new game for smartphones, and new second-screen features. Germany 14 November 2012 Screenshot of the Toggolino App The new Toggolino app for preschoolers, available from November, is targeted at children aged 3 to 6 with the aim of teaching them how to handle mobile devices in a fun way. The family channel is also launching Babbel Jampa, a smartphone game that calls for hand-eye coordination as well as fast reflexes. Beyond this, innovative new second-screen features will be integrated in Super RTL s popular Toggo app (more than 200,000 downloads), which downloads additional information about the format currently being broadcast on TV, in real-time. Another novelty is an alert for specific programmes that can be customised using the app. Jan Paulus, Secretary General & Director New Media, explains the rationale behind the additions: By expanding our mobile activities, we make it possible for children and parents to use Super RTL s educational content together on mobile devices. Our aim is to make our many different offers equally attractive and ensure that they cater to our target demographics in an age-appropriate way. 10

11 TV VIEWERS GET THE LAST WORD M6 On 28 November 2012, M6 will be airing the last two episodes of the fi nal season of Desperate Housewives. On the programme: a special goodbye night with episodes that viewers can already vote for. France 13 November 2012 Susan, Lynette, Gaby, Bree, Edie, Katherine and Renée From the very fi rst episodes, Desperate Housewives met with global success, largely due to the heroines. Although very different, they form an unusual group of friends who, season after season, have had the whole world laughing, crying and desperately wanting more. On 28 November, after showing the last two episodes of the eighth and fi nal season, M6 will pay tribute to them by broadcasting each housewife s most memorable episode. M6 viewers will vote for the episode they want to see again for each one: Susan, Lynette, Gaby, Bree, Edie, Katherine and Renée. On the programme: seven women, seven characters and seven episodes for a farewell night. TV viewers can already vote on M6.fr through to 23 November. When fi rst aired in 2005, the series was a huge success in the States where it was nominated thirty times for the Emmy Awards, including eleven times the fi rst year. To the critics, it marked a revival in US TV drama. Desperate Housewives and Charmed, also broadcast on M6 from 1999 to 2006, are therefore the longest-showing drama series in which women play the leads. 11

12 M6 WEB S RANGE OF CONTENT EXPANDS M6 Web The digital subsidiary of Groupe M6 has just launched GoldenMoustache.com, a new comedy portal containing exclusive new and premium content. The programme offers a resolutely quirky selection of series, parodies, short programmes, cartoons, articles and photos. France 14 November 2012 GoldenMoustache advertising campaign Screenshot of Goldenmoustache.com This new platform was designed with the comedy stars of tomorrow with a view to gathering a veritable community centered on comedy. With each day of new features, off-beat news and a selection of the best humorous content, GoldenMoustache.com will be the medium of expression for a new generation of comedy talents. Internet users will fi nd videos, photos and articles put together by contemporary stars in French comedy such as Airnadette, Yacine, Dedo, Julfou, Vincent Tirel, Raphael Descraques, Flober and many more. They will also fi nd the web series La Dernière Série avant la fi n du Monde, which will debut on 3 December. For more information, visit GoldenMoustache.com 12

13 Wild wild west On 18 November, Formula 1 meets the Wild West. RTL Television s presenters Christian Danner, Kai Ebel, Heiko Wasser and Florian König pose for a special trailer to promote the eagerly awaited US Grand Prix, which makes its debut in Austin, Texas.

14 SHORT NEWS 1/2 Inquiry into criminal cases RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg On 11 November, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg began broadcasting DNA, a new programme that sheds new light on major criminal cases in Luxembourg. Luxembourg 9 November 2012 Big RTL Thrill uses BCE s Integrated TV Services BCE Big RTL Thrill, the joint venture channel of RTL Group and Reliance Broadcast Network, is using the turnkey TV solution over Internet from BCE, taking all the advantages of professional broadcasting with the fl exibility of cloud-based services. Luxembourg 12 November 2012 Johnny Hallyday confi des RTL Radio For the release of his 49th album L Attente on 12 November, Johnny Hallyday granted RTL Radio a special interview in France. France 12 November 2012 First general-interest radio station on Windows 8 RTL Net Since 26 October 2012, RTL Radio has its own exclusive application for Windows 8. It is now the only general-interest radio station in France to offer an application entirely dedicated to the latest version of the Microsoft operating system. France 13 November

15 SHORT NEWS 2/2 France s only number one radio station RTL Radio During the period from September to October 2012, RTL Radio in France boosted its ratings and established itself as the leader in all criteria, thus confi rming the success of its new schedule. The music station RTL2 set a new all-time record for audiences. France 15 November 2012 Added shareholders for Ad Audience IP Deutschland In July 2012, Ad Audience had announced that in addition to its founding shareholders IP Deutschland, G+ J EMS, Seven One Media and Tomorrow Focus Media, three more equal partners would be added: Axel Springer Media Impact, IQ Digital Media Marketing and OMS, which was now approved by Germany s Federal Cartel Offi ce. Germany 15 November 2012 CBC s Berlin studio now in HD CBC CBC has extensively modernised the production and control room technology at its 280m 2 studio in the immediate vicinity of the German Bundestag, so that High-Defi nition (HD) productions are now possible in Berlin as well. Germany 12 July

16 PEOPLE JÜRGEN SCHUSTER TO LEAVE UFA UFA Germany 13 November 2012 Jürgen Schuster, long-time Managing Director of various UFA companies, will be leaving the company after thirteen years. During this time, Schuster served as Managing Director of several UFA companies, including HDTV, UFA Fernsehproduktion and Phoenix Film. Above all, he oversaw the establishment and development of Teamworx as joint Managing Director and Producer alongside Nico Hofmann. In recent years, with some 300 fi lms, Nico Hofmann and Jürgen Schuster have turned Teamworx into a leading production company. Schuster was also involved as a Producer in more than 30 fi lms, including many award-winning productions such as Dresden, Tornado, Mogadischu, Die Flucht (March of Millions), Schicksalsjahre (Fateful Years), (The) Laconia, (The) Hindenburg and Rommel. He also supervised several cinematic projects during this time, including Dschungelkind (Jungle Child) and the popular children s fi lms Hanni & Nanni 1-3 (The O Sullivan Twins) and Teufelskicker (Devil Kickers). Having accompanied the reorganisation of UFA s drama department in particular with great personal effort and commitment in recent months, and after careful consideration and for personal reasons, Schuster will now turn his attention to new professional challenges. UFA CEO Wolf Bauer says: Jürgen Schuster is a deeply appreciated colleague and long-time companion. We are parting ways on the best of mutual terms and will maintain close ties with Mr Schuster. At Nico Hofmann s side, he made valuable contributions to our company, for which Mr Hofmann and I are very grateful to him. Jürgen Schuster Hofmann adds: For thirteen years, Jürgen Schuster was formative in building and developing Teamworx. Jürgen s sensitive business and negotiation skills in complex co-productions and his curiosity as a producer have made him an important partner. I have deep respect for Jürgen s new path of professional change outside UFA and will continue to maintain the friendliest of ties with him. 16

17 PEOPLE ISABELLE PIC RTL Radio France 14 November 2012 On 12 November 2012, Isabelle Pic was named Director of Human Resources for the RTL Radio in France division. This appointment follows the departure of Christophe Lhuillier, Secretary General in charge of the Organisation and Human Resources of RTL Radio. On this basis, Isabelle Pic becomes a member of RTL Radio s Executive Committee, and will work alongside Jean-Michel Kerdraon, Vice Chairman of the Management Board. Isabelle Pic Isabelle Pic, 39, holds a Master s diploma in private law and a professional certifi cate for the practice of law (CAPA) at the Paris bar. She began her career in charge of recruitment at Nouvelles Frontières in In 2000, she was named Head of Human Resources projects at Yves Rocher. She joined Groupe M6 in 2004, where she was in charge of Human Resources, working with M6 Thématique entities and diversifi cation activities, M6 Web, SND and M6 Interactions. In July 2011, she joined the RTL Radio sector as Assistant Director in Human Resources. 17

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