Sportainment rules - RTL Group · In terms of tennis, RTL Belgium covers two weeks of Wimbledon,...

Russia

RTL Group becomes shareholderin National Media Group

Belgium

ACT underlines importance of commercial broadcasters at the Digital Assembly

The Netherlands

Rochelle has the X Factor

Belgium

IP Belgium reviewsimpact of advertisingon sales during crisis

week 24

16 June 2011

Sportainment rulesHow RTL Television produces TV events from sports competitions

the RTL Group intranetweek 24

Cover: Montage with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko (right) and Manfred Loppe (bubble).

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At the beginning of June 2011, Bernd Bönte, CEO of the Klitschko Management Group (KMG) and RTL Television Sports Director Manfred Loppe signed a TV contract in the Austrian town of Going. The contract extension continues the highly successful partnership of almost five years between KMG and RTL Television. It includes a package of five more fights featuring the brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. WBC champion Vitali Klitschko’s first fight under the new contract is on 10 September in Wroclaw, Poland, against Tomasz Adamek. Backstage spoke with Manfred Loppe about boxing and Formula One in the channel’s programming.

What makes boxing so interesting for RTL Television? A clear distinction must be made between boxing as a sport in general and Klitschko fights on RTL Television. The two brothers have a very special audience appeal: their aesthetics, their looks and their presence convey an age-old ideal of strength and invincibility. On the other hand, they are incredibly nice people. This mixture, together with their authenticity – they are honest, friendly and untainted by scandal – gives them great viewer appeal. The Klitschko brothers are beacons of professional sport and serve as role models to society. Their success with among in particular is phenomenal: up to 47 per cent of the

people who watch Klitschko fights are female. At the same time, their position as multiple world champion heavyweight title winners is of course very valuable and commands a lot of respect from men. This puts a TV channel in an excellent position.

“Added value from scarcity” With the contract extension for broadcasting their fights, the Klitschko brothers will continue to be a strong sporting event on RTL Television. Backstage spoke with Manfred Loppe about the contract extension, Formula 1 racing and other sports. Germany - 16 June 2011

Manfred Loppe

Manfred Loppe, Wladimir Klitschko and his Manager Bernd Bönte


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Where did your reputation as a boxing channel originate? The Klitschko brothers’ boxing matches on RTL Television are “sportainment“ and are celebrated as major events. From the promotion to the fight itself, everything is scripted, including the dialogue and dramatic staging. RTL Television is the channel that launched boxing on its way to becoming the TV event as we know it today, and has continued to further develop it over the years. It all started with Henry Maske; today it’s the Klitschko brothers. And oddly enough – according to survey results – we continued to be perceived as the top boxing channel even when boxing wasn’t part of our programming.

What is the underlying strategy? In a nutshell, we generate added value from scarcity. We turn the sport into a TV event. RTL Television viewers know exactly what to expect. High quality pre-coverage, the event itself as a special show, followed by correspondingly intensive and up-to-date monitoring and analysis.

What other types of sport would be interesting? In Germany, there are three sports that work year-round: football, Formula 1 and boxing. Two of these three are firmly anchored in our port-folio. But that doesn’t exclude football as a sub-ject for us – witness our World Cup coverage in 2006 and 2010. We always act according to the dictates of profitability: if the expected audience figures don’t justify the price for the television rights, we leave it alone.

Major tournaments are the pinnacle of the sports landscape. If you are involved as a commercial broadcaster and show what you can do, and then win multiple awards for your coverage, then the team has done a great job. The viewers are happy, the channel and the team are happy. What more could you want?

Why do viewers love these three sports above all? German viewers focus on heroes – outstanding figures in football, and in boxing, the Klitschko brothers. In Formula One it was Michael Schumacher for a long time. In the three years after his career ended, we nevertheless stuck by the sport and rebuilt from scratch. We believed in the highly promising next generation of German drivers, focusing mainly on Vettel and Rosberg. Even

when Michael Schumacher announced his return, we stuck to this approach and have been rewarded. At the dream final last season, Vettel drove his way straight into the viewers’ hearts. People are talking about Formula One once more and have a hero again. Last but not least, the rule changes this season did their part: races are really action-packed and exciting, and sometimes are decided on the last lap.

Like the one last weekend in Canada?Exactly. So much can happen in a race like that: weather changes, strategy changes, crashes, overtaking manoeuvres – and then the race termination with a re-start after two hours. You really have to be able to improvise in such cases. Ours is a very well rehearsed, veteran team and can really rev up their skills in a situation like that. Believe it or not, these are the big opportunities in this job – ones that we enjoy and for which there are fortunately rewards. As many as 7.78 million viewers watched the broadcast and stayed with it despite the interruption for rain.

Sebastian Vettel


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Other Sport highlights on RTL Group’s channels FranceM6 focuses mainly on football and broadcasts some of the away matches of the French National Team – for example against Bosnia and Herzegowina in September 2010 or against Luxembourg in March 2011. The next match to be broadcast is against Romania on 6 September 2011. Apart from that M6 covers the French Trophée des Champions and the finale of the Europa League. On Paris Première viewers can enjoy the Tennis Masters Series of Paris Bercy as well as European and World Championships in Ballroom Dancing.

The NetherlandsRTL 7 is the second biggest football TV station of the Netherlands, broadcasting the UEFA Europa League and Jupiler League competitions, but also football talkshows like Voetbal International, which is the most watched programme of RTL 7, and Barend&Barend. Also, other football related programmes like Voetbalfans (football fans) and Seat Mooiste Goals Ooit (overview of the best goals). In terms of motorsports, RTL 7 has the platform RTL GP. The best known disciplines broadcast are: Formula One and the Dakar Rally. Since January 2011, RTL 7 has all the PDC Darts tournaments, including its own tournament in Holland, the “RTL 7 Darts International Masters”. On July 2 RTL 7 will air a boxing match live for the first time: Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye. It’s the first time a world heavyweight title fight is live broadcast on a free network in Holland in more than 10 years.

BelgiumRTL Belgium focuses on three major sports: Football, Tennis and motorsport. In terms of football, RTL Belgium has rights to the Champions League for 33 evenings, the finale of the UEFA Super Cup and the matches of the French National Team, the Diables Rouges (Red Devils) for friendly matches and the qualification for the European Championship 2012. In terms of tennis, RTL Belgium covers two weeks of Wimbledon, the WTA Brussels Open, the Tennis Legends: ATP Champions Tour from Knokke and the “Best of Belgium” match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams. In motorsports, RTL Belgium covers the Moto GP, the Moto 2 and the 24 hours of Spa.

HungaryRTL Klub puts its main focus on the Formula One races. Apart from that RTL Klub broadcasts some major events of the Hungarian national team and of the national leagues of handball as well as waterpolo. Occasionally, the channel also broadcasts World Championship fights of Hungarian professional boxers.

GreeceAlpha broadcasts the Formula One races live.

LuxembourgRTL Télé Lëtzebuerg is an official broadcaster of the Tour de France until 2013 and broadcasts the emblematic Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Flèche Wallonne. Additionnally, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg broadcasts the games of the Luxembourgish National Football Team.


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As part of an agreement with the current shareholders of National Media Group (NMG), RTL Group will swap its 30 per cent shareholding in the Russian TV channel Ren TV for a 7.5 per cent shareholding in National Media Group.

Andreas Rudas, Executive Vice President Regional Operations & Business Development Central and Eastern Europe at RTL Group, says: “RTL Group has swapped its minority share in one single broadcaster for another minority share in the rapidly expanding media group NMG. Through this agreement, RTL Group has interests in three major TV channels in Russia.”

National Media Group was founded in 2008 and acquired its 68 per cent majority stake in Ren TV in the same year. Since then, the company has become one of the leading media groups in Russia, with holdings in the following assets: Ren TV (68 per cent), Channel 5 St. Petersburg (72 per cent), the Russian market leader Channel One (25 per cent) and the daily newspaper Isvestija (50.19 per cent).

RTL Group entered the Russian market in 2005. By acquiring a 30 per cent shareholding in Ren TV from the founders Iren Lesnevskaya and Dmitry Lesnevsky, RTL Group became the first substantial foreign investor in the Russian general-interest TV broadcaster.

Share swap in RussiaRTL Group becomes minority shareholder in the Russian media company National Media Group, the majority owner of Ren TV.Russia - 10 June 2011


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In this context, Philippe Delusinne, ACT President & CEO RTL Belgium, said: “We fully agree with the Digital Agenda’s aim to ‘make every European digital’. Commercial broadcasters are key players in this process and take financial risks in order to offer new and innovative services to viewers across Europe – on whatever platform and whenever they want. Recent studies have pegged the revenues generated by the European television sector at € 91.7 billion, and up to 50 per cent of our revenue is reinvested in content. By the end of 2011, twenty European countries will have switched off analogue television. This shows our strong commitment to new technologies and our important role in the creation of professional content”.

As recently pointed out by the European Commission, creative industries are “among the most dynamic sectors in the EU”. The Association of Commercial Television in Europe underlined that employment is increasing in this sector and copyright-driven creative industries – including music and film – contribute 3.3 per cent to the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The audiovisual industry employs more than a million people. The explosion of new channels, programmes and services and their distribu-tion on all kinds of platforms – whether via TV sets, laptops, tablet devices or mobile phones – shows how well commercial TV has responded to technological change and used the existing copyright framework to develop new online services. Cross-border distribution of audiovisual content is already a reality in several markets and is provided where there is viewer demand and economic feasibility.

At the same time it is important to ensure a strong copyright protection on all platforms, the ACT said. It emphasised that the fight against the illegal downloading of content plays a central role in this respect, given that losses caused by counterfeiting and piracy could reduce the EU GDP by € 8 billion annually as indicated in recent studies. The protection of broadcasters’ rights (signal) at international level is also a key concern for the industry. Existing international treaties within the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Council of Europe need to be brought up to date, and ACT members fully support any progress in this respect.

Key issues for the EU Digital AssemblyIn the lead-up to the start of the EU Digital Assembly in Brussels, the Association of Commercial Television in Europe has stressed the contribution of commercial broadcasters to growth and competitiveness in Europe.Belgium - 16 June 2011

Philippe Delusinne


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They look like stars, dance like stars and even sing like stars, but no one knows them – yet. In My Name Is, a panel of celebrity judges consisting of pop singer Michelle, model Alessandra Pocher and Ex-Sony BMG Europe boss Maarten Steinkamp look for Germany’s top impersonator. On 15 June, 8.8 per cent of the viewers aged 14 to 49 tuned in to the first show – above the channel’s average audience share. True to the show’s motto “Be your star“ they encounter a lot of glittering personalities and big talent. For instance, 71-year-old Liselotte from Bremen, who did her best to convince the judges she’s Daniela Katzenberger. The RTL II show is presented by Pete Dwojak and Nadine Vasta on Wednesday evenings.

At Dusseldorf’s Capitol Theatre, the candidates will each give a live performance of a song. It’s not enough to look like the star you’re impersonating – the candidates also have to be able to sing and dance. Scores are given for all three aspects and determine whether they move on to the next round. There is no age limit: 71-year-old Liselotte is joined by 6-year-old Jila mimicking Shakira. Nor does it matter whether candidates perform solo, as a duo or as a band. The important thing is to win the judges over with the whole impersonation package.

RTL II broadcasts My Name is – Wer wird Deutschlands singender Imitator? (Germany’s Top Singing Impersonator) Wednesdays at 20:15. The show is produced by Grundy Light Entertainment.

Looking for impersonatorsRTL II aired the debut episode of the new Grundy Light Entertainment production, My Name is – Wer wird Deutschlands bester singender Imitator?Germany - 15 June 2011

The show’s motto is: “Be your star”

The jury of My Name Is with Maarten Steinkamp, Michelle and Alessandra Pocher(from left to right)


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The finale of the fourth season of X Factor came to an end on 10 June 2011 after twenty weeks of auditions and live shows. In the race there was still the trio Adlicious and singer Rochelle who beat competition of several thousand participants and made it to the final to have a chance to land the coveted recording contract and win the car. Both parties gave all they had and towards the end of the night, the votes gave 19 year old Rochelle Perts as the 2011 winner of the X Factor.

The final was followed by 1,934,000 people on Friday night, the most watched show on Dutch television. As for the results show they were 1,682,000 people to tune in and see the rock/soul singer from Eindhoven, that com-peted in the 15-25 year-olds category claim the X Factor crown with her song No air. After the announcement of the results a surprised Rochelle said:” I can’t believe that I won”.

Runner-ups Adlicious who also impressed the jury and the audience were the first group ever to make it to the final of the X Factor. They also released a single which is titled Maniac.

Both No Air and Maniac are now available for download.

Rochelle got the X FactorAfter a national search that lasted 20 weeks, the Netherlands finally found the artist that has the X Factor: Rochelle.Netherlands - 14 June 2011

Rochelle, new winner of the X Factor


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Belgian advertisers had been asking themselves this question for some time: What influence does TV advertising have on Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sales? To satisfy their curiosity, Nielsen’s Watch & Buy department carried out an innovative study at IP’s request focusing on the theme of the positive impact of TV advertising on sales of FCMG in Belgium.

This study shows that the brands that increased their TV Gross Rating Points (GRP) since 2010 have seen higher growth in their sales figures in general. Thus, as compared to previous years, advertisers have seen their sales figures increase an average of 3.6 per cent, while adver-tisers who decreased their TV GRP have seen their sales figures drop an average of 0.5 per cent. Advertisers who do not invest in TV have seen an average decrease in the order of 2.1 per cent.

By the same token, an increase in TV GRP by the brand had a positive impact on sales, no matter the size of the brand. A focus on these brands that increased their TV GRP in 2010 also shows us that, among 80 per cent of them, it is matched by an increase in their market share.

Another interesting fact that was emphasised was that TV GRP that is balanced according population distribution between the country’s two regions is more than beneficial to advertisers.

The study, which was obviously very thorough, again quantifies the effect of in-store promotion and shows the capacity of TV investment to add a significant impact to the results of the promo-tional activity. Advertisers who increased their TV GRP in 2010 saw a large increase in their sales figures, as much with an increased promo

share (plus 3.1 per cent) as a decreased promo share (plus 2.5 per cent). On the other hand, brands that reduced their TV GRP, or who have no TV GRP, saw a rise in sales figures of less than one per cent by increasing their share of promotional sales.

The results that were obtained also show a strong correlation between Private Labels development and the effort made by advertisers in TV advertising in their category. Thus, the brands have succeeded in maintaining their competitive position in relation to Private Labels, in market shares as well as in terms of price.

Finally, the study shows that in a market under pressure in a period of crisis, advertis-ing on television has a positive impact on sales figures.

To arrive at these conclusions, the methodology employed by The Nielsen Company consisted of the analysis of all FCMG achieving sales figures of at least € 500,000 in the food world of The Nielsen Company (superstores, supermarkets, discounters and convenience stores). The study compared the year 2010 to the two previous years and is based on the results of the Scan Track Strategic Planner as well as the number of advertising contacts generated by TV campaigns and measured in part by The Nielsen Company’s Arianna software.

Positive impact of advertising A recent study carried out by The Nielsen Company for IP Belgium, the Belgian subsidiary of RTL Group’s international advertising service, showed how TV advertising had a positive impact on sales of consumer goods.Belgium - 14 June 2011


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The new drama series, Ruža vjetrova (Wind Rose) opens with shots of a stormy sea and a boat fighting its way through the waves. On the first day of shooting, the production team had prepared special effects to simulate a summer storm, which proved unnecessary in the end as the weather was harsh and obligingly provided a real storm.

Nor did the two stars of the series, Anja Alac and Matko Knešaurek, have doubles or stuntmen for the opening scenes. “I’ve never seen actors as brave as those two,” remarks Mladen Dizdar, director of Ruža vjetrova.

Until mid-June, when the team begins shooting in a purpose-built studio in the city of Split, they will continue on location outside. The set is be-ing built by a team with vast international experi-ence: the Dutch set designer Huub van Gestel, Rade Mihajlovic, who has worked on several Hollywood productions, and Branka Juras, an architect from Split.

Shooting now underway on the Adriatic This autumn, RTL Televizija will begin broadcasting a new drama series produced by FremantleMedia: Ruža vjetrova. Croatia - 10 June 2011

In Ruža vjetrova, the actors defy the ocean

The farmers are back

The season premiere of ‘L’amour est dans

le pré’ (Farmer wants a wife) broadcast on

13 June 2011 on M6 was followed by 6.3

millions viewers, that’s a total audience

share of 25.1 per cent – the best audience

figure ever for the show presented by

Karine Le Marchand, who helps farmers

like Jean-Michel (picture) with their search

for love. The premiere of season six

gained 1.6 million viewers compared

to the premiere of season 5.


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Rallying to send children on holidayFrom 11 to 17 June 2011, Radio Contact in cooperation with the Belgian Red Cross is holding a fundraising campaign to send 100 children on holiday to the North Sea.Belgium - 10 June 2011

Pilot for Der Lehrer now shootingShooting on the pilot for the new series Der Lehrer began on 10 June 2011 in Cologne.Germany - 14 June 2011

Fourth cooperation agreedFundación Antena 3 and Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña signed a five-year cooperation agreement to develop a multimedia degree specifically for people with disabilities.Spain - 16 June 2011

Inform above all, but also to helpWith the approach of summer and the end of the school year, parents as well as students have many questions about their academic future and summer jobs. RTL Radio devoted an entire day to lighting the way for them in their efforts.France - 10 June 2011


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People

Rhys NoelkeLuxembourg - 15 June 2011

Rhys Noelke has been promoted from Executive Assistant to RTL Group’s CEO Gerhard Zeiler to Vice President Business Development.

In his new role, Rhys will focus on developing projects decided by the Executive Committee that drive growth and innovation to the core busi-nesses of RTL Group. He will report to Elmar Heggen, CFO and Head of the Corporate Centre of RTL Group.

Before Rhys started working for Gerhard Zeiler in 2007, he was based in Cologne at RTL Interactive. Here, he supported the Managing Director on several diversification projects, e.g. building the video-on-demand platform RTL Now. He first worked for RTL Television in 1999: while studying Political Science, History and History of Art at the University of Cologne, Rhys worked at Punkt 12, RTL Television’s lunchtime news magazine.

Rhys Noelke

People

Robert ten BrinkNetherlands - 16 June 2011

On 14 June 2011, Robert ten Brink signed a new contract with RTL 4 that extends his presenter job at the TV channel for another three years. Ten Brink is currently the presenter of programmes including All You Need Is Love, De Bachelor, Holland’s Got Talent, and starting this autumn will present a new reality show called Wie Trouwt Mijn Zoon? (Who will marry my son?).

Erland Galjaard, Programme Director at RTL 4, says: “Robert’s versatility makes him an excel-lent match for RTL 4. Apart from the fact that Robert and the subject of love are intricately related, he proved in Holland’s Got Talent that he is really an integral part of the channel. This is one good reason to sign this agreement for the coming years with him.”

Robert ten Brink adds: “After a successful sea-son of Holland’s Got Talent and All You Need Is Love, I’m delighted to continue our collaboration. I definitely can see myself continuing to work hard to make new programmes for RTL 4 in the future.”

Robert ten Brink


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Christophe Dechavanne co-hosts La Bonne Touche with Jean-Pierre Foucault. He is replacing Cyril Hanouna, who is leaving the station.

La Bonne Touche, on RTL Radio every day from 11:30 to 12:30, is a show that offers pure entertainment with a common thread – the game: a series of stages to pass through with good humour, that allows listeners to win up to € 10,000. Who better than Christophe Dechavanne to co-host, with Jean-Pierre Foucault, a show that brings laughter, challenges and mischievousness all together?

Starting on 14 June and until the end of the season, RTL Radio listeners will find both of them together on the air. On the programme: everything that is the essence of La Bonne Touche, spiced up with the usual games, including the exceptional Cash key. In 30 seconds, the contestant has to give a verdict on the accuracy of the troublemaker’s answers to finally win – if all answers are correct, the amount in the game. Originality, liveliness and a touch of madness are the ingredients in this show dedicated to good humour, comedy and complicity.

The programme, on the air since September 2006, is the most listened to radio show in France in this time slot. Up until now the show has been co-hosted by Cyril Hanouna, who has decided to join another radio station. La Bonne Touche will air twice a week starting in September.

For personal reasons, Jean-Pierre Foucault asked management at RTL Radio last month that La Bonne Touche no longer be a daily show. RTL Radio’s management, who is very satisfied with this programme’s excellent ratings, responded favourably.

People

Christophe DechavanneFrance - 16 June 2011

Jean-Pierre Foucault and Christophe Dechavanne


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People

Evelyne PagèsFrance - 15 June 2011

One of RTL Radio’s golden voices has been silenced. Evelyne Pagès, who was notably the presenter of the programmes Disques d’or, Joyeux anniversaire, Stop ou encore and Grand format, died on 13 June 2011 at the age of 69. She started on RTL in 1965, where she presented Tirlipot, then worked with Philippe Bouvard on the programme RTL non Stop (1971), where she presented a column on televison. She then worked on Appelez, on est là with Léon Zitrone (1976), and was also a television presenter and producer, notably presenting Aujourd’hui Madame on the second channel of the ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française). In 2002, she was elected a municipal counsellor in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

RTL paid tribute to Evelyne Pagès on Tuesday, 14 June 2011, on a special programme dedicated to her from 22:00 to 23:00. It featured testimonies from her friends as well as station archives. A guest book has been opened on the RTL.fr website for listeners to post their messages in her honour.

Evelyne Pagès

http://backstage.rtlgroup.frhttp://backstage.rtlgroup.comhttp://backstage.rtlgroup.de

PublisherRTL Group

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