week 26 / 25 June 2015 CUTTING-EDGE PRODUCTIONS How Info Network is repositioning itself for the digital world Germany Matthias Dang appointed new Chairman of the IP Network Board North America SpotXchange teams up with Device Atlas Luxembourg Enex expands its Latin American footprint
Germany North America Luxembourg week 26 / 25 June 2015 CUTTING-EDGE PRODUCTIONS How Info Network is repositioning itself for the digital world Matthias Dang appointed new Chairman of the IP Network Board SpotXchange teams up with Device Atlas Enex expands its Latin American footprint Cover Montage 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
QUICK VIEW Creating a competitive advantage RTL Group p.10 France s Higher Audiovisual Council will have to re-open the Paris Première dossier M6 / Paris Première p.11 Matthias Dang takes over from Walter Neuhauser as Chairman of the IP Network Board IP Network p.12 13 One-stop video and production expertise Everyday is different p.4 9 SpotXchange partners with Device Atlas SpotXchange p.14 Big Picture p.16 Expanding its Latin American footprint Enex p.15 SHORT NEWS p.17 18 PEOPLE p.19 20
ONE-STOP VIDEO AND PRODUCTION EXPERTISE Everyday is different Germany 25 June 2015 Info Network The Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland control room in Cologne 4
Info Network News and authentic stories are the passion that fuels Info Network, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s news and magazine production company. Its formats cover an enormous range from daily news programmes and investigative research. to lighter entertainment formats: RTL Aktuell, RTL Nachtjournal, Guten Morgen Deutschland, Punkt 12, Explosiv, Exclusiv, Extra Das RTL-Magazin, Vox News, Prominent!, Die 25, Christopher Posch Ich kämpfe für Ihr Recht, Helena Fürst Kämpferin aus Leidenschaft, Die Versicherungsdetektive, Goodbye Deutschland, Unser Traum vom Haus, Das Jenke-Experiment, Team Wallraff Reporter undercover and Undercover Deutschland. All these Info Network productions illustrate the diversity of the programme line-up on Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s channels, and the variety of stories Info Network tells. RTL Television Extra Das RTL-Magazin with Birgit Schrowange Viewers expectations are changing Although the television market is changing, Michael Wulf is sure there will always be news on TV. People need guidance and expert evaluation to know which news is relevant. Nevertheless, he is also aware that fragmentation and the dominance of mobile devices are changing people s consumption of news overall, and that storytellers are now faced with the need to reach and entertain viewers across many devices. Michael Wulf, Managing Director of Info Network Das Jenke-Experiment with Jenke von Wilmsdorff With 740 employees, Info Network has more staff than any other Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland company, and they work all over the world to provide information and entertainment for viewers. Things never get boring: Every day is different, says Michael Wulf, Managing Director of Info Network, and that s what keeps the work so exciting even after so many years. On average, Info Network produces up to six hours of programming a day just for the flagship channel RTL Television. A channel that has its own in-house production unit can respond much more flexibly and quickly to trends in planning its programmes, promote its own formats by covering them in the magazine shows, and so influence audience flow. With this in mind, last year Info Network revised its structures and adopted a new strategy that will allow it to operate as a successful, innovative content powerhouse, despite these changing habits in media use. A clear commitment to TV and high quality standards will continue to be Info Network s foundation, as it continues to deliver viewers information with added value. Furthermore, Info Network has set itself the goal of developing formats faster and thus meeting viewers need for innovation. Editors need better understanding of what the audience wants and what makes them tick. Next > 5
To do this, Info Network launched the Mitarbeiterwohnung (Staff Apartment) project this year. In collaboration with media research, it analysed in detail where and how the average viewer watches RTL programmes. They rented a flat in Duisburg where editors take turns living for two to three weeks at a time. We hope this will enable us to reach the audience quicker, and better understand the rapid changes brought about by digital. During this time, the reporters will document the daily life of Duisburgers: Where do they shop? How do they shop? How do they spend the evening? How do they watch TV? Secondly, the reporters will scout out local stories and get talking with the protagonists. The resulting reports will be aired in the Info Network portfolio, says Wulf, who believes the reports will work best on Guten Morgen Deutschland and Punkt 12. But he does not rule out that some of the footage may also end up being used on traditional news, for example, with audio clips of characters. RTL Television RTL Television Info Network is distinguished by its renowned faces RTL Aktuell with Peter Kloeppel In addition to strong formats, Info Network is distinguished by its renowned faces. They include Peter Kloeppel, Ilka Eßmüller, Katja Burkard, Nazan Eckes and Frauke Ludowig, who are among Germany s most popular television professionals. However, until now these faces have mainly represented the company s TV brands. Info Network wants to change this and establish these faces as strong multimedia brands that will keep audiences watching Info Network formats on other platforms as well. In addition, it is extremely important to keep establishing new faces and integrating reporters into the reports even more, so as to appeal to new audiences. RTL Television RTL Nachtjournal with Ilka Eßmüller Punkt 12 with Katja Burkard Next > RTL Television Explosiv with Nazan Eckes RTL Television Exclusiv Das Starmagazin with Frauke Ludowig 6
Digitisation is a learning process Online mobile everywhere the transformation of media is unstoppable and the audience wants to stay informed on various devices. However, the rules are different for online or mobile: classic TV reports especially entire news programmes won t work in the same way. While our programmes are available on our Now portals, for example, we notice that news programmes in particular quickly become obsolete and are therefore of no interest to users. So we will produce content specifically for other platforms as well, which means we need to develop it ourselves in the short-form sector, explains Wulf. News needs to be produced differently for tiny screens, and we re in the process of learning how to do this. In this context, during the fourth quarter of 2015, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland will launch RTL Next, a new platform for news and entertainment content deemed to be of general public interest. RTL Next will bundle together the biggest stories from Info Network s news and magazine formats as well as current topics and viral hits on the Web. This content will be complemented by our own videos. In principle, every story on the platform should have an accompanying video. RTL Next will thus combine trends in mobile, social and online videos and target a broad community of users intent on obtaining information wherever and whenever they need it. RTL Next will be jointly produced by RTL Interactive and Info Network. Info Network also closely monitors what the competition is up to, and is also in contact with online-only providers. Vice News is doing a great job because it has found a new form. Vice has even been producing reports for Explosiv, but when we see how they produce for TV, we realise that a different set of standards still applies for TV. But I take Vice very seriously and I think we can learn a lot from them for our digital path. Essentially, the idea is to have the best content, because that will prevail in future. And we have a great advantage here, as we ve been making television for decades and know how to work with pictures. The RTL School of Journalism, which has mainly trained its students for the TV business in the past, will continue to develop its training programme and integrate more strongly different platforms and options for creating reports. In addition, the Info Network Management Board will also occasionally launch projects to initiate developments even faster and more systematically. At the same, existing work processes have been revised to avoid unnecessary pooling of resources and so find more time for creativity. To do this, Info Network editors are working with a Microsoft Share Point-based communication and information tool (KIT). RTL Aktuell available on all devices Next > 7
POWERFUL IMAGES FROM AROUND THE WORLD Reporting events from around the world often means using powerful images that inspire or shock people or make them laugh. To be able to meet these high quality expectations, Info Network works with various agencies. In addition to AP, we work very closely with colleagues from CNN, CBS and Sky, but Enex has also become an important market for us, says Wulf. Enex has evolved from a pure technical service provider into a content provider, and it has a worldwide network we can use. Besides, our content makes us a good partner for the folks in Luxembourg, too. AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION RTL Stefan Gregorowius Team Wallraff Reporter undercover Last year, the Info Network production Team Wallraff Reporter undercover provoked much debate. Research by Günter Wallraff and his reporters uncovered inhumane conditions in nursing homes, as well as worrying unsanitary conditions in a fast-food chain. The format won the 2014 German Television Award for Best Reportage for these journalistic achievements. Next > 8
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY Info Network s team works with state-of-the-art technology provided by CBC, Medienguppe RTL Deutschland s technical company. In Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s broadcasting center, 34 control desks were built into the control rooms, sets, master control room, and playout 525 racks were installed in 24 equipment rooms and 52 data distribution rooms at the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland broadcasting centre. 257 large servers provide 3,300 clients and others with a wide range of applications. The Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland control room in Cologne 350 spotlights are installed in the two studios at the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland broadcasting center More than 150,000 hours of video are ingested in the content database. This corresponds to a storage capacity of about 4 petabytes. As a stack of CDs, it would be about 8 km high (1 petabyte = 1,000,000 gigabytes) The Network Operation Center can play out to as many as 15 TV channels via 5 playout units 9
CREATING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE RTL Group In an interview with the media trade TheVideoInk.com, Marcel Reichart, Executive Vice President RTL Digital Hub, talks about his strategy for RTL Group s newly created digital entity. Luxembourg 24 June 2015 In June 2015, RTL Group announced the foundation of the RTL Digital Hub, bundling its multi-channel network investments BroadbandTV and StyleHaul as well as the programmatic advertising platform SpotXchange. The RTL Digital Hub is the platform to bundle, support and leverage our global online video businesses for the next phase of expansion, says Marcel Reichart, explaining the strategic rationale to TheVideoInk.com. To do this, it has a dedicated resource team and a highly flexible organisation. At the same time, we will ensure the operational leadership of their businesses by the CEOs of our key investments a cornerstone of RTL Group s decentral and entrepreneurial DNA. Marcel Reichart, Executive Vice President RTL Digital Hub In the interview, Marcel Reichart states that online video is a global market which is reflected by the setup of the RTL Digital Hub. Building on the network of companies within RTL Group and Bertelsmann, Marcel Reichart aims to create a competitive advantage for our companies, talent and partners. We need to be on both sides of the Atlantic to achieve these goals. Operationally, Reichart highlights that the companies bundled in the Hub show very strong organic growth as well as technology, content, marketing-solution and talent capabilities. This means that investments and acquisitions are optional, Reichart says and explains Even so, investments are a way to expand into new markets and build up capabilities and attract top talent. We are in constant and close dialogue with the CEOs and their teams to discuss opportunities. Together, we look at the market development and at the needs of our creators, customers and partners. He declines to comment on specific acquisition targets, but says: If viable investment opportunities arise and if they meet our strict investment criteria, RTL Group will have the means to pursue them. We have a multi-year investment strategy. This is also reflected by Reichart s long-term outlook: I am looking forward to working with the impressive CEOs and founders and the strong team at the RTL Digital Hub. Our goal is that digital video, combined with potential additional investments, will reach such scale that it will become a significant growth driver and third pillar of RTL Group. Read the full interview 10
FRANCE S HIGHER AUDIOVISUAL COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO RE-OPEN THE PARIS PREMIÈRE DOSSIER M6 / Paris Première Citing procedural errors, the Council of State handed down a ruling annulling the Higher Audiovisual Council s (CSA) rejection of the applications by Paris Première and LCI to switch their status to free-to-air DTT channels. As a result, the CSA will now have to re-examine the two pay-tv channels applications. France 19 June 2015 The Council of State ruled that the regulatory authority had failed to observe the stipulated procedure by only publishing the economic impact assessments that led to the applications being rejected, at the same time as announcing their rejection on 29 July 2014. Proper procedure would have entailed publishing the impact assessments in advance to give all parties concerned an opportunity to respond to their contents. Consequently, the CSA will have to conduct fresh economic impact assessments after the summer holidays and announce its ruling within six months from now. Groupe M6 welcomed the Council of State s ruling. Paris Première itself is ready to cooperate with the CSA in its re-assessment and is confident about the outcome, its aim being to ensure that Paris Première is accessible to the largest possible number of viewers before it celebrates its 30 th anniversary. The Council of State s ruling on the case certainly underpinned that objective. Paris Première s management has reiterated its determination to continue investing in the channel, which occupies a very special place in the audiovisual landscape of France. 11
MATTHIAS DANG TAKES OVER FROM WALTER NEUHAUSER AS CHAIRMAN OF THE IP NETWORK BOARD IP Network IP Network is strengthening its position as the leading European media sales house, with senior executives from RTL Group s major sales houses joining its newly composed Board of Directors. Luxembourg 24 June 2015 From left to right: Andreas Fischer, Marc Schorestene, Ton Rozestraten, Matthias Dang, Walter Neuhauser, Denis Masquelier, David Larramendy, Rhys Noelke Matthias Dang, Managing Director of IP Deutschland, has been appointed the new Chairman of the IP Network Board with immediate effect. He succeeds Walter Neuhauser who chaired the Board since 1998. In addition, Ton Rozestraten (Chief Commercial Officer, RTL Nederland) and David Larramendy (Managing Director, M6 Publicité and M6 Interactions) will join the Board, while Hans Duiverman (Sales Director TV Spot, RTL Nederland) and Lou Scheider (Managing Director, IP Luxembourg) will leave the Board. Next > 12
Matthias Dang: I am delighted to take over this exciting role from my colleague of many years, Walter Neuhauser. He has done a terrific job, together with CEO Marc Schorestene, in bringing new international clients to our Group. I would like to thank Walter for his great enthusiasm and pioneering spirit in building IP Network. Today, IP Network has a unique position in our Group, offering advertising clients multi-market and cross-screen solutions. This will become increasingly important as digital and global advertising markets come together and grow. I am looking forward to developing IP Network s global presence together with my colleagues from the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Walter Neuhauser: It has been a great pleasure to build and grow IP Network to a European media sales house. Today, we are present in 12 markets, with 40 employees. Over the years I have really enjoyed working with my fellow Board members, and thank Hans Duiverman and Lou Scheider for their efforts and commitment. A special thank-you goes to my dear colleague Marc Schorestene, who together with his team has driven the business to what it is today. I am very pleased that Matthias Dang has taken over as Chairman of the IP Network Board in addition to his role at IP Deutschland and I m confident that he will keep up the pioneering spirit at IP Network, expanding the business in this fast-changing media landscape. Denis Masquelier (Managing Director, IP Belgium), Andreas Fischer (SVP Business Development & Emerging Markets, RTL Group) and Rhys Noelke (SVP Strategy, RTL Group) will continue to be members of the Board of Directors of IP Network. ABOUT... IP Network s portfolio comprises over 50 TV channels, 20 radio stations and more than 200 dedicated web platforms in 12 countries. This includes all of RTL Group s leading channels in Europe: RTL Television in Germany, M6 in France, RTL 4 in the Netherlands and RTL-TVI in Belgium. The company internationally represents ITV (UK), VTM (Belgium) and La 7 (Italy). IP Network is a fully owned subsidiary of RTL Group. 13
SPOTXCHANGE PARTNERS WITH DEVICE ATLAS SpotXchange Device Atlas is now powering all of SpotXchange s video ad requests ensuring that the right ads are delivered to the right audience, and campaign statistics are available at a device level. North America 22 June 2015 Increasing device fragmentation has made for a new online landscape in which users can access video content on all kinds of different devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, and smart TVs. These devices vary greatly in terms of screen sizes, network connectivity, input methods, user contexts and user posture. Accordingly, video advertising platforms, such as SpotXchange, must cater to the needs of advertisers willing to spend their video marketing budgets on device-targeted campaigns. This requires utilising a fast, accurate, and constantly updated device detection solution capable of handling billions of requests in real-time to ensure the right ads are delivered to the right audience, without any delay. This is where Device Atlas comes into play. Once the SpotXchange ad server registers a request, it will use Device Atlas to analyse the requesting browser and returns device type, such as low-end mobile phone, smartphone, tablet or Smart TV, as well as rich information on the device capabilities. The detections are underpinned by a constantly updated device database maintained by Device Atlas team of data experts. On average, Device Atlas handles some five billion mobile ad requests from SpotXchange every day. 14
EXPANDING ITS LATIN AMERICAN FOOTPRINT Enex Mega, one of Chile s leading privately-owned TV channels, is the latest signing for the international news provider Enex. Luxembourg 25 June 2015 As a result of the deal, Enex, RTL Group s international news video content and satellite provider, now has a total of 51 partners. Over the last three years Enex has grown rapidly in Latin America, where it currently has 12 partners. Jorge Cabezas, News Director of Mega Mega was founded in 1990 and was Chile s first private TV network. The channel has built a strong reputation for innovation in news and entertainment programming. Mega is planning further investments in its news content. The channel s News Director, Jorge Cabezas, recently visited Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s headquarters in Cologne to investigate the latest trends in newsgathering, as well as Enex s newsroom in Luxembourg. Mega news teams have already contributed material to the Enex video platform, including the recent eruptions of the Calbuco and Villarrica volcanoes. Adrian Wells, Managing Director of Enex, says: We re delighted to sign up another Latin American partner, especially as Chile is such an important territory. Jorge Cabezas, News Director of Mega, adds: We have total commitment to our new partnership with Enex. Our station is planning some great leaps in innovation which will benefit the Enex partnership group. 15
When men go on shopping... During the weeks of 15 and 22 June 2015 it was the turn of the men to take up the challenge in a special Les rois du shopping on M6 at 17:40. They had three hours to find an outfit to impress Cristina Cordula. The special edition started well attracting 1.3 million viewers on 17 June and reaching a peak audience of 1.5 million viewers. During the broadcast M6 was the leading show among housewives under 50 with a 20.6 per cent audience share the best ratings in this time slot since January. Frank Ferville / M6
SHORT NEWS 1/2 A family matter FremantleMedia North America Hosted by Steve Harvey, premiere episode of Celebrity Family Feud kicked off on Sunday 21 June with two games on ABC Television Network. The series premiere featured Toni Braxton family vs Anthony Anderson family. Among adults aged 18 to 49, the show scored TV s highest-rated summer series premiere in two years and equalled the highest unscripted summer debut in four years, since NBC s The Voice Results Show in June 2011. North America 22 June 2015 That s pretty fly! StyleHaul StyleHaul s first feature-length documentary Fresh Dressed premiered on 18 June 2015. In partnership with Samuel Goldwyn Films, it has acquired the North American rights. Click here to watch the trailer of this fascinating chronicle of hip-hop fashion. North America 22 June 2015 Accompanying kids on holiday RTL Telekids RTL Telekids launched its first scrapbook for children aged three to nine. The special holiday edition contains puzzles, quizzes and all sorts of educational games and is the best companion to get them through the summer. The Netherlands 24 June 2015 Strong partners, strong network BroadbandTV In a news article Tubefilter.com reports about three popular Youtubers who have recently joined BroadbandTV s network: Youtube personality Davey Wavey, electronic musical group Major Lazer and beauty guru Rachel Levin. Read the article here. North America 24 June 2015 17
SHORT NEWS 2/2 From online to Offline Divimove Dutch biggest Youtuber Enzo Knol belonging to the Divimove network takes lead role in the new feature film Offline. To be released in Dutch theatres in 2016, the comedy film sees an entire country being turned upside due to a major Internet black-out. Germany 25 June 2015 A highly-anticipated return FremantleMedia España After six years, the Guinness-World-Record-breaking hit format, Got Talent returns to Spain on TV channel Telecinco. Got Talent España will be created by Syco Entertainment and produced by FremantleMedia España. Spain 25 June 2015 18
PEOPLE REMMERT OOSTERLING RTL Nederland The Netherlands 24 June 2015 Remmert Oosterling has been named Manager Digital Trading at RTL Nederland. He replaces Elwin Gastelaars who is now Managing Director of SpotXchange Benelux and Nordics. After studying Business Administration and Economics in Amsterdam from 2001 to 2006, Remmert Oosterling started working as an Account Manager for Acromedia in 2007. A year later he joined Yieldr as a Publisher Manager and held different positions in the company until he joined RTL Nederland in May 2015. Before joining the RTL family he was Vice President Advisory Services & Licensing at Yieldr. RTL Digital Trading enables marketers to advertise programmatically across its network of desktop and mobile display inventory. This interdisciplinary team of sales, data science and yield management operates out of RTL Nederland s digital hub in the centre of Amsterdam. Remmert Oosterling, Manager Digital Trading at RTL Nederland 19
PEOPLE ANTOIN PEETERS RTL 4 The Netherlands 19 June 2015 Antoin Peeters, New Anchor for RTL Nieuws Since 15 May 2015, journalist Antoin Peeters is RTL Nieuws new permanent News Anchor, replacing Rick Nieman on RTL 4 s evening news bulletin, Half acht nieuws. In parallel he often covered international news, for instance, end of 2008 he reported from Chicago on the presidential election and in January 2009 was present at Barack Obama s inauguration in Washington. Together with Merel Westrik he will form one of the two permanent news anchor duos who front the Half acht nieuws, next to Daphne Lammers and Roelof Hemmen. He is taking over from Rick Nieman who decided in May 2015 to step down and explore new horizons (Backstage reported). Born in 1975, Antoin Peeters studied Journalism in Tilburg and Media and Culture in Rotterdam. He started his career as a reporter for the city of Venlo s TV channel. He then worked for other regional broadcasters. He has been working for RTL Nieuws since 2001, first as an anchor for RTL Z, then from 2002 presenting the Sunday news programme of RTL Nieuws. He also regularly filled in for the anchors from the evening news bulletin and occasionally also for the morning news colleagues. 20
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