week 17 / 25 April 2013 IT S STILL ALL ABOUT TELLING A GREAT STORY Cécile Frot-Coutaz on her first months as CEO of FremantleMedia Germany TV Wirkungstag celebrates 10th anniversary The Netherlands RTL Ventures acquires stake in Squla Belgium / Luxembourg More than 8.7 million for Télévie Hungary RTL Group s cable channels on the rise
week 17 / 25 April 2013 IT S STILL ALL ABOUT TELLING A GREAT STORY Cécile Frot-Coutaz on her rst months as CEO of FremantleMedia Germany TV Wirkungstag celebrates 10th anniversary The Netherlands RTL Ventures acquires stake in Squla Belgium / Luxembourg More than 8.7 million for Télévie Hungary RTL Group s cable channels on the rise Cover Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia 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 TV Wirkungstag celebrates 10th anniversary IP Deutschland p. 8 9 Strengthening TV as the leading medium IP Deutschland p. 10 11 RTL Ventures acquires a stake in Squla RTL Nederland p. 12 More than 8.7 million for Télévie RTL Belgium/ Luxembourg p. 13 14 Back to the roots A conversation with Cécile Frot-Coutaz FremantleMedia p.4 7 The Hungarian market in Q1/2013 RTL Klub p. 15 Big Picture p.16 SHORT NEWS p. 17 18 PEOPLE p.19
In July 2012, Cécile Frot-Coutaz became CEO of FremantleMedia. Backstage took a trip to London to talk about her first months in the new job and to discuss the future strategy of RTL Group s content production arm. BACK TO THE ROOTS United Kingdom 25 April 2013 FremantleMedia Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia 4
The jury of America s Got Talent: Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel (from left to right). A TV executive with vast expertise and experience, Cécile Frot-Coutaz clearly has TV in her blood especially the large-scale shows such as Idols, Got Talent and X Factor. Stepping into her Stephen Street offi ce that looks out over London, one thing is obvious right away: this is a place where TV history is alive. The walls are decorated with American Idol posters, press covers of magazines with the format s headlines: One of them: Simon and Paula Secretly in Love? The decoration is not about chasing good old times, you can feel that the spirit of the shows is alive within these walls. It s been one of the most fun things I have done, and one of the hardest at the same time, Cécile Frot-Coutaz says. But when you work on shows, no matter what size or scale they are, the end product makes it all worthwhile. On the other side of the room just opposite Cécile s desk there is a large TV screen, fl anked by two Emmy awards she has won for American Idol. I m still a little bit involved with the US shows, she says as she hangs up the phone a call from Los Angeles. American Idol was the fi rst show I was involved to this degree. It became a complete cultural phenomenon within a couple of years. When you work on something that has such a huge impact, something that totally changes the game, you feel very privileged. Getting the chance to do it all again on America s Got Talent and The X Factor US has been incredible. It s not so easy to abandon your babies. And yes, these shows are still my babies. Cécile continues: When I was running the US business, I was very hands-on. We spent a lot of time doing development meetings, being in the studio, and looking at shows. And, of course, the job at the helm of FremantleMedia North America taught her not only how to combine creativity and business, but also how to handle partners, clients and maybe most importantly, the big stars of the industry. When Cécile was awarded the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award in 2012, Simon Cowell came up with an unusual portrayal of Cécile Frot-Coutaz: What happens when you merge a kitten with a shark? If they ever had a baby, it would be Cécile. She s kind of cute, but then she bites you. IT FEELS LIKE GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS: YOU NEED YOUR BUSINESS EDUCATION, AND IT S MORE ABOUT STRATEGY: MAKING SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE Cécile Frot Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia Her new role is different, less operational. It feels like going back to my roots: you need your business education, and it s more about strategy: making sure you have the right people in the right place. I miss the going to the studio part, though. But that s really it. Making the move from Los Angeles to London has been great, she tells aside from the difference in the weather: Of course, as CEO of FremantleMedia North America, I had less of a view of the rest of the business. Nevertheless, the company is not new to me the successes aren t new, the challenges aren t new. Cécile Frot-Coutaz joined the company when it was still Pearson and has been with the company for 19 years since. When Pearson purchased the assets of Grundy Television, Cécile was named Corporate Strategy Executive for the newly created Pearson Television and then spearheaded the subsequent acquisition and integration of All-American Fremantle into The Pearson Television Group. 5
Since becoming CEO of FremantleMedia North America in 2005, she has been on the Operating Board of FremantleMedia, which gave her insights of what was happening at the company worldwide. Cécile Frot-Coutaz took offi ce as the new CEO of FremantleMedia in London in July 2012, overseeing one of the largest production companies in the world. She says: The fi rst few months here in London were about validating my experiences and getting a better understanding of the parts of the company that I was less familiar with. Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEO of RTL Group, underlines: FremantleMedia is one of the jewels of our portfolio. Cécile has the vision and leadership that are needed to further grow FremantleMedia. She brings expertise and drive from the largest TV market in the world and combines her creative skills as a producer with a sharp business perspective. Thomas Rabe, CEO of Bertelsmann, has a similar view as he told the Media Guardian ahead of Bertelsmann s 2012 results presentation: FremantleMedia is one of our so-called growth platforms. I am interested in building and growing it organically and through acquisitions. Rob Clark, has been appointed Director of Global Entertainment Development in 2012. Cécile says his job is to make sure we have the right kinds of shows, the right quality, and that we bring enough investment to where we need the money. One of Cécile s plans to foster growth: expanding the company s footprint in drama. Drama has always been a big part of our business, she says. I have ambitions for this company to be more present in the drama genre. The question is just how to go about it. We are pursuing many options: from making acquisitions to growing organically. FremantleMedia already has a quite prominent drama business in Germany through its subsidiary UFA, in Australia and across Europe, but the company wants to establish and expand its drama footprint in other countries as well. Says Frot-Coutaz: It s a clear objective of ours to have a presence in the UK by the end of this year. The company s UK arm, FremantleMedia UK, recently launched Newman Street, a label focussed on drama. Development lead times are much longer than in entertainment, unless you acquire a company that already has a slate. DRAMA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PART OF OUR BUSINESS. I HAVE AMBITIONS FOR THIS COMPANY TO BE MORE PRESENT IN THE DRAMA GENRE Cécile Frot Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia At the same time, FremantleMedia is scaling up investment in the creative pipeline and format development. In 2012, Cécile Frot-Coutaz created the new position of Director of Global Entertainment Development and appointed Rob Clark to the role. His task is to manage the pipeline creatively as well as managing and prioritising resources and investments. His job is to make sure we have the right kinds of shows, the right quality, and that we bring enough investment to where we need the money, she says. Rob is focusing on big, broad entertainment shows. She says: When developing a new format, it takes about three years before you see any form of result. If a format stays too local, there is the danger that it is under-scaled. Separate from that, our production companies do local development and that s fi ne, and that should continue. They might not travel, but they might do very good business locally. That is also an important part of what we do. In early February, FremantleMedia announced a strategic realignment, reviewing its Enterprises arm, to create a new, stand-alone, global division focused on distribution and kids & family entertainment. All remaining digital, licensing, sponsorship and other ancillary activities previously undertaken by FremantleMedia Enterprises will be housed within FremantleMedia s regional production operations. In addition, a new Digital & Branded Entertainment division has been created to focus on the company s global digital and branded entertainment activities. This is a very powerful 6
The jury of American Idol: Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, host Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban (from left to right) shift in our company s structure that we believe will signifi cantly strengthen our core business activities, while also better positioning us to capitalise on growth opportunities for the future, says Frot-Coutaz. Still, the market environment is changing thanks to ongoing digitisation. While the business is changing, the emotional core of what we do isn t that different from what it was ten years ago, says Frot-Coutaz. We are a content provider. Our job is still about our narrative, which is based on video entertainment. You tell stories in different ways and on different distribution platforms, but it s still all about telling a great story with great characters that hasn t changed. In a nutshell: Technological advances have led to changed economics and production processes, but the core remains. Frot-Coutaz explains: It has obviously led to some innovation, you can now turn around things much quicker than you used to. You can produce cheaper than you used to. This way you can service smaller channels with programming which you otherwise would not have been able to, 12 years ago. Technology allows us to tell stories a bit differently, and may be a bit quicker. It opens up a lot of avenues. But ultimately, we sell to all distribution platforms. In 2012, FremantleMedia became Youtube s largest traditional TV partner, with 101 channels generating 4.5 billion views last year. The Youtube channels for the UK versions of X Factor and Got Talent have scored well over a billion hits around the world and in addition to its established TV format brands, FremantleMedia launched four Youtube-funded channels with original content in 2012. She adds: We are fortunate that we produce and manage some of the biggest brands in TV. But, a lot of things that were new ten years ago, are not new anymore. Viewers are used to it. And yet, some of the shows like X Factor or Idols are doing well after all these years, but we re incredibly focussed on new development, and on new IP. So what s the key to future success? I think it s a mix of maintaining successful existing brands, and pipeline development, Cécile says. Overall, she sees coming to the CEO chair from an operational position as a big advantage. When I talk to someone who runs one of our local businesses, I understand what they re going through, because I was that person a few months ago. And I know what it s like have a bad day on a production, to get the fi rst ratings and they are better than expected; or when you get a rough cut and you feel this might become a hit. YOU TELL STORIES IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND ON DIFFERENT DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS, BUT IT S STILL ALL ABOUT TELLING A GREAT STORY WITH GREAT CHARACTERS THAT HASN T CHANGED Cécile Frot Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia 7
TV WIRKUNGSTAG CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY IP Deutschland On 18 April the 10th TV Wirkungstag (TV Effectiveness Day), the foremost industry meet for TV ad sales agents and advertisers in Germany, took place in Dusseldorf. Germany 22 April 2013 Gerhard Zeiler Wolfram Kons Anniversaries, premieres, and lots of reunions with old acquaintances The event was simultaneously an anniversary and a premiere, given that this year s TV Wirkungstag was organised for the fi rst time by Wirkstoff TV, the joint genre initiative that unites nine major marketing agents and whose establishment was announced last year. Reason enough for many professionals from the industry to gather at the Maritim Hotel at Düsseldorf Airport: the organisers reported record attendance of 1,400 participants. The motto: Multiscreen: It s all television isn t it? The 10th TV Effectiveness Day opened with a keynote by Gerhard Zeiler, President of Turner Broadcasting System International and former CEO of RTL Group. He said his speech was a plea of optimism for the television industry a staunch cultural optimist, he sees his views confi rmed by the latest fi gures, which show that average daily TV viewing time around the world climbed to a new record high last year. The lack of a convergence currency in many countries means that there is large incidence of unrecorded non-linear TV consumption, which only serves to further underline the acceptance of the medium. Zeiler also left no doubt that the TV business is a mainstay if not THE mainstay for international media corporations and will remain so for the foreseeable future. He mentioned this with explicit reference to Bertelsmann and RTL Group. Above and beyond this, he said, broadcasters also need to be aware of the value and positioning of their own brand. In this context, he mentioned the channel Vox as a positive example in Germany. Multiscreen from the perspective of the others Afterwards, Manfred Kluge, Director Germany at the Omnicom Media Group, spoke about the role of television and video in the digital world from an agency perspective, and exhorted the audience not to get too caught up in the hype about multi-screen offers. Advertisers in particular need to be aware that the overstimulation by the multitude of simultaneously used screens interferes with the effectiveness of messages. TV is still the only reliably measurable genre. Martin Krapf and Jan Kühl (right) Tej Rehki, Director of Innovation Strategy at DG in the UK, demonstrated what second-screen applications can do for advertisers and marketers and concluded that video in general and television in particular can captivate and involve the audience longer than any other genre. This was further underlined by a best-case presentation by Mirja Schneider, Head of Media at 8
Volkswagen, and Oliver Blecken, COO of MediaCom: the One Thing campaign for last year s launch of the Golf seven. Creativity and TV advertising: The underlying science Things got highly scientifi c in the next part, when neuroscientist Kai Fehse of the University of Munich debunked some traditional conceptions about the subconscious human mind, and explained how the brain responds to creative stimuli. Professor Werner Reinartz of the University of Cologne then established the link between spot creation and sales success. Finally, Professor Raimund Wildner of GFK, a non-profi t organization dedicated to promoting market research, provided evidence of the long-term contribution television advertising makes to sales success. Mathias Dang, Managing Director of IP Deutschland Ute Biernat Peter Kloeppel Politics, sports, music who cares as long as it s content? Two panel discussions were scheduled for the early evening. In discussing the question Will content remain king?, Ute Biernat, CEO of Grundy Light Entertainment, expressed her disappointment that entertainment is still neglected in programme development and said that this is one reason she still sees the multi-screen strategy in second place behind the development of strong formats for linear television. Wolfgang Schlünzen of the Monheim Institute pointed out that the linear programme plays a considerable role in structuring people s everyday lives, and that too many non-linear offers can also mean tremendous stress. Kai Uwe Wedlich from the Medien-Institut said that the ever-growing range of channels, generally referred to as fragmentation, also leads to viewers being overwhelmed. Biernat agreed that with all due respect for the courage shown by the channel bosses, the sustained perseverance of all stakeholders may very well turn out to be a problem in the multi-channel world. Her conclusion: TV will remain most effective if it stays the way it is: not overly serious and without an excessive mandate to educate its informed viewers. The end of the offi cial part offered a panel discussion between Kloeppel, Editor-in-chief of RTL Television, Michael Brycz, Managing Director of Marketing Central Europe at Warner Music Group, and Christian Seifert, CEO of the German Football League and vice president of the German Football Federal, discussed the television as a platform for sports, music and politics, and the interactions between species and content. A lot of awards and an announcement The event, moderated by the RTL Television presenter Wolfram Kons in his usual unfl appable style, was good for a few surprises as well: under the slogan Things that money can t buy, ten prizes donated by the organizers were raffl ed off among all participants, including exclusive invitations to sports and music events and after-show parties, a peek behind the scenes of TV production, or a day on the Alarm für Cobra 11 shoot. The awards not only had Kons s cell phone buzzing under the onslaught of incoming SMS for the would-be winners, but also the host sweating as he sprinted through the audience to present the envelopes containing the vouchers. Right at the beginning of the event, Wirkstoff TV was pleased to announce that former IP Deutschland boss Martin Krapf is taking over as Chairman of the genre initiative. Before the assembled crowd, he symbolically accepted the baton from his predecessor Jan Kühl, who had voluntarily headed Wirkstoff TV since its establishment. 9
STRENGTHENING TV AS THE LEADING MEDIUM IP Deutschland At TV Wirkungstag (TV Effectiveness Day) in Dusseldorf on 18 April 2013, Backstage and Jan Isenbart, Director of Research at IP Deutschland, took a look at the ten-year history of the event and also looked ahead into the future: the convergence currency is coming. Germany 23 April 2012 Jan Isenbart, Director of Research at IP Deutschland How was TV Wirkungstag brought into being? Our Managing Director Martin Krapf gave the impetus at the time. When we worked with our research colleagues at Seven One Media to launch the day in 2004, we wanted to strengthen TV as the leading medium. Our approach was initially very research-intensive, with the aim of providing market partners with new relevant information for planning and evaluating TV. But soon, in addition to pure facts, we also set out to show in an entertaining way that TV is the highest-reach and most emotional medium, which makes it the most effective platform for brand management. Presenter Wolfram Kons, who does a great job of hosting the Day every year, plays a very central role here. How has TV Wirkungstag developed over the years? Our baby has grown enormously over the years. We started with two organisers; now there are nine, who represent around 95 percent of the German TV advertising market. The number of participants has more than tripled. And in terms of content, the day has also evolved signifi cantly, from a research conference to a major event dedicated to TV, one that highlights many facets of television and advertising, from media use and future trends to spot creation, of TV s contribution to sales of brand-name products. With 1,400 participants at last count, TV Wirkungstag is a fi xture in the media industry s annual calendar and also serves as a popular meeting point. What do the participating airtime marketers gain from TV Wirkungstag? Together we create a great event for discussing television, and by joining forces and pooling costs we can reach more customers and also get more industry attention than we would with individual events by a single marketers. Away from the daily business we can talk about things programmatically, and delve into relevant topics such as second screen, programme quality and video. IP Deutschland is one of the advertising sales houses with the most salespeople at the event, and through our active role in the organisation we have a big infl uence on the programme. 10
In a few sentences, can you tell us why is television the most effective medium for advertisers? Television reaches virtually all audiences quickly and widely. It is used the most intensively, provides by far the hardest usage data and, with its options for a multi-sensory approach and emotional brand presentation, keeps proving its effectiveness and effi ciency on a daily basis. Can you tell us a bit more about the planned convergence currency? The AGF convergence currency will consistently and comparably track the usage of In Stream services for programmes and for advertising, irrespective of the device used. It is a highly complex construct technically, methodically, and not least politically, but the course has been set and we are expecting initial fi gures from AGF for on-demand use soon. This ensures that comparables are measured and evaluated in a comparable way and that television is not made to look bad using questionable apples-andoranges comparisons! 11
RTL VENTURES ACQUIRES A STAKE IN SQULA RTL Nederland RTL Nederland s new business division RTL Ventures has decided to invest in an online educational portal. The division has now a 20.3 per cent interest in Squla. The Netherlands 18 April 2013 Squla specialises in online education and gamification Nicolas Eglau (left) and André Haardt signing the agreement MORE ON RTL VENTURES RTL Ventures is the investment branch of RTL Nederland and focuses on seizing new business opportunities in a range of consumer markets. Other holdings in the RTL Ventures portfolio are the mobile provider Sizz (in collaboration with Vodafone), the dating site Pepper, the restaurant reservations system Couverts, and the online fashion platform Miinto (a joint venture with Miinto International). RTLVentures.nl Squla, which was launched in 2010 and counts 33,000 members, enables primary school children to practice what they are learning in school while having fun at the same time. The online platform is modeled on children s perceptions of the world around them and provides interesting and educational quizzes, games and instructional fi lms that are compatible with all the standard teaching methods. The activities were created by educational specialists and game developers. Squla is also working with Cito one of the world s leading testing and assessment companies to develop a number of quizzes based on the questions used in the Cito tests. André Haardt, CEO and founder of Squla, comments on the investment: We want to see Squla grow and expand, and not just in the Netherlands. We also want to continue developing what we can offer, including our range of mobile apps. The investment made by RTL Ventures will make this possible. RTL understands what the interests of families and children are and is a trendsetter in entertainment for this target group. Squla specialises in online education and gamifi cation. This synergy makes us a strong partnership for making education fun. Nicolas Eglau, Managing Director Ventures at RTL Nederland, adds: Using mobile devices to learn is becoming increasingly popular, even among children. The position that Squla has attained in today s education and in such a short period of time is impressive. This, along with the fact that the company is demonstrating rapid growth and has a proven business model, makes it a perfect addition to the RTL Ventures portfolio. We see a lot of synergy between our brands since we focus on children and their parents and on providing appealing education within a secure environment. Squla is a highly innovative concept that our partnership can make even bigger. 12
MORE THAN 8.7 MILLION FOR TÉLÉVIE RTL Belgium / RTL Lëtzebuerg On Saturday 20 April, Télévie 2013 s grand evening event aired on RTL Belgium and RTL Lëtzebuerg. A total of more than 8.7 million ( 8,723,655 to be exact) was raised, which is about 320,000 more than in 2012. Belgium / Luxembourg 23 April 2013 Grand evening event live from the RTL-TVI studios RTL Belgium In Belgium, starting at 19:45, a special programme led by French singer Patrick Bruel was broadcast live from the RTL-TVI studios. Scientifi c reports, testimonials and performances alternated between the cheques coming in from Télévie s local committees and partners. At the end of this 25th edition, RTL Belgium s CEO Philippe Delusinne declared: The results of Télévie 2013 are exceptional. Motivation has remained intact and we know that as long as people who are stricken with cancer are not healed, we will always be there. For Arsène Burny, President of the Télévie commission of the Fonds national de la recherche scientifi que (FNRS): This new record means that 30 additional grants can be handed out. A result like this is very encouraging for the researchers. There are 180 of them at the moment, and there will be 210 of them next year. French singer Patrick Bruel on RTL-TVI RTL Belgium 13
Josée Klein, Télévie Challenge organiser; Romain Mannelli; Carol Bragança-Kayser and Esther Pierard, Télévie Challenge organiser (from left to right) ABOUT TÉLÉVIE: Télévie is a chain of solidarity forged in 1989 by RTL-TVI in Belgium and in 2001 in Luxembourg by RTL Lëtzebuerg. Since its creation, the sum of 133,868,776 has been raised in Belgium and Luxembourg. In Belgium, the diagnosis of cancer continues to affect 60,000 individuals each year. In Luxembourg, the figure stands at 2,000. This grand closing day started at 9:30 with Les disques d or, live from the Bel RTL studios. It was followed by Les amis du Télévie, live from the pledge centre set up at the Charleroi train station. Journalists and RTL Belgium hosts welcomed thousands of volunteers who had worked all year long to organise activities benefi tting Télévie. Also supporting the cause was Les enchères du Télévie, which offered the sale of exclusive objects from artists and personalities. In Luxembourg, the counter was offi cially launched on Friday night. That evening, at RTL Group headquarters, the Télévie Challenge was held in the company s fi tness centre, raising 55,000. All day long on Saturday, four pledge centres were open, featuring a variety of activities, shows and games to raise money for Télévie. The charity event came to an end at 22:00 with a special programme live from RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg s grand studio. The sum of 1,153,928 was added to the Belgian counter (versus 925,384 in 2012). The money collected by Télévie is handed over to the FNRS. In 2012, 107 research projects have been launched in laboratories in Belgium and Luxembourg. Grand evening event live from the RTL Lëtzebuerg studios 14
THE HUNGARIAN TV MARKET IN Q1/2013 RTL Klub RTL Group s Hungarian family of channels continued to strengthen their market position in the fi rst quarter of 2013. The Hungarian family of channels attracted 30 percent of the country s 18- to 49-year old audience up 0.8 percentage points compared to 2012. Hungary 24 April 2013 Hungarian cable channels further increased their lead in Q1/2013 Overall the RTL Group cable channels in Hungary increased their audience share in the 18- to 49-year old demographic by 14 per cent (from 12.1 per cent to 13.8 per cent), and their total audience share by 17 per cent (from 9.8 per cent to 11.5 per cent). In the fi rst quarter of 2013, Film Plusz improved its ratings among 18- to 49-year olds from its 4.5 per cent score in 2012 to 5.1 per cent, as did Prizma, with a share of 0.7 per cent (0.6 in 2012), and Sorozat Plusz with 0.6 per cent (0.4 in 2012). The music channel Muzsika TV attracted 0.6 percent of the audience during the fi rst quarter of 2013 twice the value seen in 2012. Éjjel-nappal Budapest (Budapest Day and Night) RTL 3 The RTL 3 package was introduced on 1 January 2013 and has fully lived up to expectations. The offer includes the three channels, Cool, Film Plusz and RTL II. Offering the Group s three main channels in one package like this has substantially changed competition on the Hungarian TV market. For some weeks now, RTL 3 has been ahead of TV 2 in the weekend prime-time ratings among viewers aged 18 to 49. In its 13th week, RTL 3 reached an audience share of 13.2 per cent in the target group (RTL II: 2.1 per cent, Cool: 5.1 per cent, Film Plusz: 6.0 per cent) the package s best audience share to date. The big winners of the fi rst quarter of 2013 were Barátok közt (Between Friends) and Szombat esti láz (Saturday Night Fever) and a new local favourite, Budapest Day & Night. Barátok közt was the top local production broadcast on fl agship channel RTL Klub. By the end of the fi rst quarter of 2013, the new daily series Budapest Day & Night on RTL Klub had passed the 30 per cent average weekly audience share. The most successful programme on the second-generation channel RTL II was Szombat esti láz on Saturday nights, and the most viewed episode was the fi nale on 13 April 2013, with an audience share of 11.8 per cent. 15
Sniffing out crime From 25 April, RTL Television will air the exciting thriller Mantrailer Spuren des Verbrechens. Mantrailing is a method used to fi ght crime: using a specifi c sniffi ng technique, dogs can distinguish between minimal nuances of a scent. Since dogs communicate what they have found out in different ways, handlers need to be able to read the body language of their individual dog it takes an experienced team to use the clues.
SHORT NEWS 1/2 A facelift for N-TV.de N-TV The news portal N-TV.de has a new look. Its facelift frees up more space for headline news and videos. Germany 19 April 2013 The quest for Prince Charming charms W9 viewers W9 The second season of La Belle et ses princes presque charmants (The Beauty and her almost charming princes) made its prime-time debut. Like the previous season, the programme was full of surprises and humour, and, like the fi rst season, it captured audiences: 1.7 million viewers tuned in on 23 April. France 19 April 2013 Our planet honoured on 6ter 6ter To mark international Earth Day on 22 April 2013, 6ter dismissed its regular programme schedule and launched its first day entirely dedicated to a single theme a first for a television channel in France. France 22 April 2013 Fun Radio VIP Club sparks great interest Fun Radio Fun Radio launched a new innovative listener loyalty programme called Fun Radio VIP Club a more hip, social and fun way of rewarding loyal listeners. France 22 April 2013 Introducing social shopping RTL Interactive RTL Interactive is launching an offer for bargain hunting on the internet with integrated links to social networks. Germany 24 April 2013 17
SHORT NEWS 2/2 The Prix Talent Tout 9 chooses its fi rst winner W9 On 18 April 2013, the fi rst Prix Talent tout 9 ceremony was held to reward a talented young performer on the French music scene. Of the ten performers who were selected, it was Rover who won over the jury, which was presided over by the singer Cali. France 24 April 2013 Atresmedia publishes fi rst quarter results Atresmedia On 25 April 2013, Atresmedia published its financials for the fi rst quarter of 2013. While the Spanish TV advertising continued to decline signifi cantly, Atresmedia outperformed the market and increased its advertising market share and revenues, while EBITDA was down year-on-year. Spain 25 April 2013 FremantleMedia adds French licensees FremantleMedia FremantleMedia announced a number of new licensees for its television and fashion brands in France. France 25 April 2013 A release in support of a good cause Groupe M6 Distributed in cinemas by the Groupe M6 subsidiary SND, The Impossible sold almost 600,000 tickets. As a result of this success, the fi lm is being released in DVD, Blu Ray and VOD in partnership with the French Red Cross. France 25 April 2013 18
PEOPLE VOLKER WASMUTH LEAVES N-TV N-TV Germany 23 April 2013 N-TV Editor-in-Chief Volker Wasmuth is leaving the news channel; N-TV s Managing Director Hans Demmel will take over the duties of Editor-in-Chief. Hans Demmel, Managing Director of N-TV: Volker Wasmuth stands for reliable, reputable and credible television news. I accept his decision to seek a new challenge after ten years at N-TV, and wish him all the best for his professional and personal future. Volker Wasmuth: I ve had an exciting and fascinating time in the N-TV newsroom. Our success was made possible by the fact I had an impressive team behind me who brought passion and expertise to making the news. I m proud to have led such an editorial team for seven years. Volker Wasmuth Volker Wasmuth has been Editor-in-Chief of N-TV since 2006, after having served as the channel s head of news and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Born in Dortmund, he has worked on a variety of TV formats: from 1989 to 1991 he was an editor and presenter at RTL-Frühstücks- Fernsehen Luxembourg and then joined RTL Aktuell in Cologne as Managing Editor and presenter. In 1994, he developed RTL-Nachtjournal together with Heiner Bremer, as Managing Editor and Deputy Editorial Director. Hans Demmel will take over the duties of Editor-in-Chief. Like his predecessor, Demmel is a journalist by training. He was a reporter and editor at Bayerisches Fernsehen, Managing Editor and Editorial Director at Sat1 News and from 1992 was Sat1 s US correspondent. Demmel has worked at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland since 1994: he was a reporter for the magazine show Extra, and its Editorial Director from 1999. In early 2002 he became Editor-in-Chief of Vox. In April 2005, he returned to RTL Television as head of magazines. Demmel has been Managing Director of N-TV since September 2007. 19
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