week 42 / 17 October 2013 TESTING GROUNDS How in-house collaboration in the Netherlands creates international number one shows Germany / France Israeli show franchise Rising Star comes to RTL Television and M6 France Téva supports the Trophée Roses des Sables in Morocco Luxembourg Live! Planet People: RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg s new interactive talk show
Germany / France France Luxembourg week 42 / 17 October 2013 TESTING GROUNDS How in-house collaboration in the Netherlands creates international number one shows Israelis show franchise Rising Star comes to RTL Television and M6 Téva supports the Trophée Roses des Sables in Morocco Live! Planet People: RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg s new 2.0 talk show Cover The jury and presenter (far left) of Everybody Dance Now! 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 Israeli show franchise Rising Star comes to RTL Television and M6 RTL Television / M6 p. 8 Téva supports the Trophée Roses des Sables Téva p. 9 Sharing Experiences: How RTL Nederland and Blue Circle collaborated on Everybody Dance Now! RTL 4 p.4 7 Live! Planet People: RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg s new 2.0 talk show RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg p. 10 SHORT NEWS p. 11 PEOPLE p.12-13
Produced by FremantleMedia subsidiary Blue Circle, the first season of Everybody Dance Now! premiered on RTL 4 in February 2013 and became an instant hit with audiences. Backstage talked to Zehra Alp, Executive Producer at Blue Circle and Erland Galjaard, RTL Nederdand s Programme Director about bringing the dance contest to Dutch TV screens and beyond. SHARING EXPERIENCES The Netherlands 17 October 2013 RTL 4 Everybody Dance Now! finalists Dutch Soul Supply 4
Like the majority of talent shows, Everybody Dance Now! (EDN) involves several thousand contestants auditioning in front of a jury and competing for weeks in a bid to win the coveted prize in a suspense-filled final. Been there, done that? In an interview with World Screen in September, FremantleMedia CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz said: Our job as producers is to make sure our shows still feel relevant and surprise people, and make sure we find great talent, and that we re true to what the shows are about. Twelve-year-old Justen Beer, winner of Everybody Dance Now! season one Erland Galjaard, Programme Director at RTL Nederland The new show EDN clearly meets these criteria, as proven by its ratings. Throughout its first season, the show which aired on RTL 4 from February to April 2013 was watched by an average 1.4 million viewers every Friday evening and attracted 26 per cent of the key target group of shoppers aged 20 to 49. 1.9 million viewers tuned in for the finale. Despite having big shoes to fill - the Friday evening slot also features The Voice, The Voice Kids, The X Factor and Got Talent the dance contest did a great job keeping viewers interested week after week. EDN is an original format jointly developed by Blue Circle with RTL 4. As the channel was looking for a new family entertainment show for their key Friday evening slot, EDN seemed the perfect fit. Like all successful FremantleMedia formats, EDN is also travelling around the world now, says Executive Producer Alp. The contest is now being broadcast in Thailand. Italy will follow next year, and channels in Russia and Vietnam also expressed interest at Mipcom. Once again the Netherlands has proved to be a good testing market for formats. For Galjaard, RTL Nederland Programme Director: Not only are we a very well-known test market, but also a market that develops new formats. We launch a lot of new shows that we air in key timeslots with the aim of turning them into hit formats. EDN is a good example, as is The Voice of Holland, which we developed in cooperation with Talpa. Alp adds: Programmes destined for broadcast on RTL 4 during key timeslots have to be of exceptional quality. As the Dutch public is generally spoiled with good television, they have a very critical eye. The show s concept surely contributes to the Dutch public s fondness. Contestants are not professionals or semi-professionals. Anyone who believes they are a skilful dancer, whether ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, breakdancing, can audition; and there is no age limit. During the auditions and the live shows, if the jury likes the performance, the dance floor on which the contestants perform turns green, if the hopefuls fail to convince them, it turns red. Galjaard confirms: The show welcomes every type of dance talent and focuses mainly on storytelling. This is what makes it appealing for a broader audience. Zehra Alp adds: Everyone can try their luck, either as a solo or as a group, aged 5 or 82. We had ballroom dancers, free runners, folk dancers, rock n roll dancers just to name a few. This brings a large variety of contestants to the Next > 5
EVERYBODY DANCE NOW SEASON 1 The show was broadcast on RTL 4 in prime time from 22 February to 12 April 2013 Twelve-year-old Justen Beer beat competition from other talented dancers and won the coveted 25,000 prize Finalists Flexx N Squad stage, all with their own story, hopes and dream. For instance, one of the contestants, a 30-year-old baker named Andreas, always loved to dance but no one except his mother believed in him. When he arrived for auditions, nobody saw a dancer in this big-boned boy, and yet he wowed the jury and the audience. They all loved him and he was among the twelve who had the chance to make it to the finale. Besides EDN, Blue Circle and RTL Nederland collaborate on many other formats, among them Holland s Got Talent, RTL Late Night, Een Dubbeltje op z n Kant, 112 Ooggetuige and Take Me Out. So, does being part of the same Group ease the collaboration? It does, according to Zehra Alp: We have been producing prime-time formats for RTL for a very long time. We respect and trust each other, which contributes tremendously to our successful partnership. RTL Nederland s Programme Director concludes: Sharing our experiences as well as joining our efforts is crucial, as besides contributing to the renewal of our programming it allows us to constantly innovate and remain the market leader. The American producer/dancer/ choreographer Dan Karaty, familiar to audiences as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, actress/singer/ presenter Lieke van Lexmond, and actor/presenter/dancer Jan Kooijman make up the judging panel The show s host is Chantal Janzen Season 2 will be broadcast in 2014 Even though it bears the same name as a dance contest created in 2012 by FremantleMedia Australia, it is completely different from its Australian namesake Next > 6
DID YOU KNOW? Blue Circle is FremantleMedia s Dutch subsidiary and produces television shows for the Dutch market. The company specialises in entertainment, reality and infotainment After Blue Circle had operated as a subsidiary of the current RTL Nederland (formerly Holland Media Groep) for several years, HMG sold its shares (50 per cent) in Blue Circle (formerly Holland Media House) in 2004, and FremantleMedia became the sole shareholder Willem Zijlstra is the company s Managing Director More info 7
ISRAELI SHOW FRANCHISE RISING STAR COMES TO RTL TELEVISION AND M6 RTL Television / M6 RTL Television and M6 acquired the rights to the Rising Star franchise from Keshet International, the distribution and production arm of Israel s Keshet Media Group. Germany / France 14 October 2013 Rising Star was a surprise hit in Israel The popular prime time talent show with integrated social network links was the surprise hit in Israel (Channel 2), scoring audience shares of up to 49 per cent in September of this year. Viewer involvement via social networks in Israel was also impressive with more than 2.3 million votes via the second screen. Rising Star involves talented singers competing for a record deal and a great career. The concept combines all the elements of a classic music talent show what sets it apart is the unprecedented voting method. Instead of traditional telephone voting, TV viewers use a mobile app to cast their votes in real time during the performance visible to both the artist and the audience. The candidates begin their performance in front of a large LED wall that separates them from the audience and the judges. The profile photos of viewers or judges who vote for the candidate appear on this big screen. The more convincing a candidate s performance, the more faces of supporters he or she will see. Only when a certain percentage of votes is reached does the LED wall rise up, giving the candidate a clear view of the studio, the judges and the audience. Frank Hoffmann, Managing Director at RTL Television Frank Hoffmann, Managing Director at RTL Television, says: Rising Star has all the elements of a classic music talent show, but takes the familiar genre of talent shows to a new level. The new interactivity makes it more exciting, more emotional both for the candidates and for the audience. The viewers are part of the show and hence even closer to the action, thanks to the unprecedented social media integration. 8
TÉVA SUPPORTS THE TROPHÉE ROSES DES SABLES Téva Pauline Lefèvre and Marielle Fournier (right) The Trophée Roses des Sables (Roses of the Sands trophy), which is Europe s top rally reserved for women, is being held from 10 to 20 October 2013. For the 13th edition, Marielle Fournier, the presenter of Dossiers de Téva, decided to take part and is working alongside the actress Pauline Lefèvre. France 15 October 2013 Pauline Lefèvre Together for the first time, they are on board a dune-buggy, sharing their daily experiences of this major sporting adventure. For eight days they will have to make their way around the great southern desert of Morocco, with just a road book and a simple compass to guide them. The trials are not timed, as the goal is to cover the fewest kilometres possible between the start and end of the stage. Follow the girls adventure These two adventuresses at heart, Marielle Fournier and Pauline Lefèvre, are contributing their support to children in southern Morocco through the Enfants du Désert association, for which Trophée Roses des Sables participants will hand out sanitation and child-rearing equipment. Marielle and Pauline are also standing up for the Cancer du sein parlons-en! association, of which Téva is also a partner. 9
LIVE! PLANET PEOPLE: RTL TÉLÉ LËTZEBUERG S NEW 2.0 TALK SHOW RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg Monica Semedo (above) and Dan Spogen alternate hosting the show Live! Planet People is THE new programme kicking off the season on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg. Airing in access prime time, the talk show features Luxembourgish personalities and, for the first time, offers viewers the chance to interact during the broadcast. Luxembourg 16 October 2013 In addition to the legislative elections and the enrichment of its news programmes, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg this season is betting on the renewal of its access prime time. Live! Planet People replaces the magazine programme 20 vir Planet magazin, which registered good ratings last season, explains RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg s Programme Director Steve Schmit. Faced with growing competition from foreign channels, however, we ve decided to put this programme forward and modernise its concept in order to capture the attention of viewers earlier in the 19:00 to 20:00 time slot and maintain our monopoly in prime time. On the set of Live! Planet People, each day presenters Dan Spogen and Monica Semedo alternate hosting two Luxembourgish personalities who are in the news. Together with their columnists, they invite their guests to share their experiences. The innovative character of this programme lies in the interaction between the viewers, who can ask the guests questions and react live to the content in the show. To make this possible, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg and its digital entity RTL New Media launched RTL Plus a second-screen functionality available on the channel s website and integrated in the applications of RTL.lu. When viewers are equipped with a computer, tablet or smartphone, they can interact with the programme. RTL Plus a second-screen functionality that allows viewers to interact with the programme In contrast to other second-screen applications, RTL Plus is presented more like a chat with the station, explains Steve Schmit. The early utilisation figures are encouraging and they reflect our viewers loyalty. And so, new functionalities via RTL Plus will soon be available to enhance the content of other programmes. Among other things, it will allow users to send photos and take part in live surveys. Live! Planet People, live Monday to Friday from 18:30 to 19:00, on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg. 10
SHORT NEWS 1/1 Fun Radio launches a multi-media campaign Fun Radio In early October, Fun Radio launched a new multi-media campaign promoting the station as the most socially and digitally connected radio station in France, including a TV spot. France 11 October 2013 Antena 3 joins the fight against child poverty Antena 3 The Spanish TV channel Antena 3 has joined forces with the humanitarian organisation Aldeas Infantiles SOS (SOS Children s Villages) to combat child poverty. The initiative is part of Atresmedia s corporate social responsibility programme. Spain 11 October 2013 RTL Television and UFA Fiction develop a historical mini-series RTL Television / UFA Fiction A detective inspector who investigates cases his own way, Berlin during the Weimar Republic and a world that is falling apart all this provides material for the historical miniseries with the working title Killing Berlin, which RTL Television and UFA Fiction are jointly developing. Germany 16 October 2013 RTL CBS Entertainment HD launches in the Philippines RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network Sky Cable Corporation and RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network announce a carriage deal that brings the newly launched RTL CBS Entertainment HD channel to the Philippines. The Philippines 17 October 2013 New licenses to celebrate cherished classic property FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment The 30th anniversary of the Bafta and Emmy award-winning movie The Wind in the Willows falls on 27 December this year, and FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment is looking to support the anniversary across 2013/14. United Kingdom 17 October 2013 11
PEOPLE FREMANTLEMEDIA AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES SENIOR PROMOTIONS FremantleMedia Australia Australia 11 October 2013 FremantleMedia Australia (FMA) and Asia Pacific have announced senior management promotions. The branded content division, Spring, will also be integrated into FMA. Simon Rabbitt, previously Finance Director, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of FMA. Rabbitt will oversee the company s finance, legal & business affairs, HR, and business operations, which previously reported to FMA CEO Ian Hogg. Greg Woods, previously Financial Controller, has been promoted to Head of Finance and will report to Rabbitt. In addition, the branded content division Spring will be integrated into FMA, in a move designed to create more domestic synergies and bring the division more closely in line with FremantleMedia s broader global structure. Ian Hogg, CEO of FremantleMedia Australia, made the announcement This reorganisation will see Spring General Manager Zara Curtis promoted to General Manager, Spring and Brand Partnerships, with expanded responsibility for FremantleMedia licensing and all third-party commercial partnerships. Spring will continue to create content ideas for programmes with high audience appeal and brandfriendly sponsor opportunities. Spring is working on several content partnerships that span television, social media, mobile and Youtube. Ian Hogg, FMA CEO, comments: I am delighted that we have the right talent in-house to make this reorganisation seamless for the business. Both Simon and Zara have excelled in their current roles and were the obvious choice for expanded remits in a new structure. Spring is only two years young and has already established itself as a profitable division, driven by revenue diversification through creativity and a strong customer focus. It is a natural progression for both Spring and our licensing division to join forces and work even more closely with networks and brands to bring best practice to our formats and brand partners here in Australia. 12
PEOPLE MARKUS BRAUCKMANN RTL Interactive Germany 15 October 2013 Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland has appointed Markus Brauckmann as the new Managing Editor Entertainment at RTL Interactive, effective immediately, in a move that strengthens its online editorial desk. Markus Brauckmann, a political sciences graduate and journalist by training, is in charge of Entertainment content for the company s Web platforms from now on. In his new role, he will devote himself to creating stronger content links between the websites (RTL.de and Vox.de) and second-screen offerings (RTL Inside) with Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s TV formats. Markus Brauckmann, Managing Director Entertainment at RTL Interactive Frank Müller, Chief Editor at RTL Interactive, says: For over two years now, we have increasingly provided simultaneous online and mobile accompaniment to our TV formats for interactive use. I believe that with Markus Brauckmann, we can extend Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland s TV formats into the online realm even better and provide interactive accompaniments to them for our viewers. After stints at RTL Television, Pro Sieben and AZ Media, Brauckmann worked as a consultant on international video projects, most recently managing the video site CDU.tv for German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the CDU party s election campaign team. 13
PEOPLE NEW FACES ON THE AIR RTL Belgium Belgium 16 October 2013 RTL-TVI injects some fresh blood into the station. The Belgian channel welcomes two new personalities to the family: Georges Huercano as Director of the magazine programmes and David Dehenauw as weather presenter. David Dehenauw, RTL TVI / JM Clajot Georges Huercano, RTL TVI / JM Clajot On 1 November 2013, Georges Huercano will joins RTL Belgium, where he assumes the management of the magazine programmes. Known for his creativity, competence and vast experience, he has been working with the RTL-TVI team for several years already through productions by Keynews, the channel s partner, and through his increasing involvement in television programmes and on Bel RTL. Director of Television Stéphane Rosenblatt explains: George s arrival shows the strategic importance of RTL to continue to produce and strengthen its magazine. These are an essential element in our policy of being grounded in French-speaking Belgium, and they will be even more so tomorrow. With his experience and his passion for this profession, Georges Huercano will contribute immensely in helping us achieve our objectives. Georges Huercano will be in charge of hosting, managing and developing all of the Belgian channel s policies with regard to magazines. His work will also be transversal, as he will be called upon to provide insight into all the platforms, and he will continue to present the magazine Indices and host On refait le monde on radio as well as on television. At the same time, RTL-TVI welcomes a new weather presenter, meteorologist and head of operations at the Institut Royal de Météorologie. Already in charge of the weather on the Flemish-language channel VTM since 2003 and on VRT s Radio 2 since 2000, David Dehenauw is a specialist in general, maritime and aeronautical weather. He will join a team that already includes Sabrina Jacobs, Audrey Leunens, Stephan Van Bellinghen and Daniela Prepeliuc. David Dehenauw will provide additional expertise through his experience in the meteorological field, while continuing to carry out his functions at VTM, IRM and VRT. He will become the first meteorologist to present the weather at the national level in both languages. Stéphane Rosenblatt explains: The audience counts on the weather forecast as an essential source of information. Seriousness, precision and scientific legitimacy are the important factors that help to give the weather forecast overall credibility. David s arrival is invaluable, as he will serve to guarantee the quality of our forecasts. We re happy to welcome him. 14
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