A new, exciting digital world

2 October 2008
week
Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal:
“A new, exciting
digital world”
This
This year’s
year’s Royal
Royal Television
Televisiio
on Society
Society conference
conference delivered
delivered
an
an optimistic
op
ptimistic message
message for
for the
the TV
TV industry
industry
France
The Netherlands
RTL Radio and Renault at the
Paris Motorshow
RTL Nederland announces new
organisation structure
Germany
United Kingdom
New ratings measurement in
2009
Virtual concert on Youtube
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2 October 2008
week
40
COVER:
Jeff Zucker, CEO NBC Universal
Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal:
“A new, exciting
digital world”
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“A new, exciting digital
world”
Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of RTL Group
and chair of the RTS conference
When the ‘Who’s Who’ of the UK television industry congregates in one room, it is most probably for
an event hosted by the distinguished Royal
Television Society (RTS). Under the headline “The
digital land grab is on – Everyone can be a player”
this year’s international conference, chaired by RTL
Group CEO Gerhard Zeiler, turned into an intensive, one-day “digital workout” highlighting the
opportunities of the TV industry in the digital age.
Last Friday’s conference was attended by 220
delegates and lined up an unrivalled range of
serious players from the US and continental
Europe as well as the UK – among them Jeff
Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal,
Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the
Management Board of Groupe M6, Ynon Kreiz, the
newly appointed CEO of the international TV production group Endemol, Andy Burnham, the
Secretary of State for Culture, Media, Sport, and
the heads of all the major UK broadcasters.
Of course, such a high-level group of keynote
speakers and panel debaters does not come together by itself. Chaired by Gerhard Zeiler, a 23 people strong planning committee prepared since
February 2008 this conference. “In my planning
committee, I had some of the most talented executives in British Television who helped me to put
today’s programme together”, said Zeiler in his
opening remarks. Only in the UK would it be possible for sworn media competitors to sit in a room
together for hours every single month to discuss
the future, and to debate issues ranging from which
of them will dominate the new digital space, who
will be commercially successful, and who should
get public money. Zeiler, with a smile: “In Germany,
the cartel authorities would automatically declare
this a conspiracy and ban it, and we’d all have had
to pay a huge fine.”
Instructive keynotes, passionate debates –
the Royal Television Society’s International
Conference delivered an optimistic message for
the TV industry.
United Kingdom - 26 September 2008
The overarching optimistic tone of the conference
was set by the international keynote “Out of Eden:
the dawn of the digital age”. Jeff Zucker of NBC
Universal said: “I’d like to deliver an optimistic message about our own new time of ubiquitous information, the democratisation of knowledge and the
tremendous opportunities that await those who are
smart enough to move decisively.” Zucker explored five key trends affecting how consumers receive content, namely:
-the rise of multi-tasking,
-fragmentation,
-the increasing pace of change in consumer
behaviour, driven by new technologies,
-the web becoming increasingly an
entertainment medium and finally
-an increasing interest among consumers
for content on demand or time-shifted viewing.
Zucker’s response to these trends was clear and
simple: “We do what we’ve always done. We
concentrate on making great content, distributing it
and selling audiences to advertisers.”
Zucker then used the 2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing as a recent and informative case study to
illustrate NBC Universal’s strategy. “What we learned about consumer behaviour in a multiplatform
world was extraordinary. It gave us a real glimpse
into the future.” He said NBC Universal’s emerging
“single-source data,” which shows how viewers
were using different media platforms, indicated that
99 per cent of online Olympics viewers were using
internet and mobile viewing as an add-on and
catch-up service to television broadcasting. “For
an event like the Olympic games the internet does
not cannibalise TV viewing but in fact supports and
supplements it.” Describing single-source data as
the “Holy Grail” of television research, he said “we
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have a lot to do” before the data can be used as an
advertising currency. “A new, exciting digital world
is all before us. The fact is, opportunities far outweigh the challenge,” he ended his keynote.
In the afternoon, three representatives from three
rival camps – broadcasters, independent production companies and talent – debated where the
money is in today’s TV landscape. Nicolas de
Tavernost opened the discussion by presenting
ways to diversify revenue streams, from e-commerce and distant-selling activities to mobile phones, games and credit cards. Groupe M6 is even
capable of running a profitable football club: in the
past four years, Girondins de Bordeaux contributed EUR 20 million to Groupe M6’s operating profit. Ynon Kreiz, who was only named CEO of
Endemol in May 2008, announced during his first
public appearance at a major conference that his
company will expand in scripted programming and
in the production of sports programmes. Finally,
top Hollywood agent Arie Emmanuel – founder of
the Endeavour agency and the man who makes
the moves with Martin Scorsese, Aaron Sorkin, and
Michael Moore – left no doubt about his intent to
cash in on the rising value of on-air and off-air
talent. Addressing Nicolas de Tavernost, he said:
“You can build as many distribution channels as
you want. You need ‘A’ programmes. And I’m in the
‘A’ business.” But de Tavernost made it clear that
the value of talent is created primarily by the promotion power of TV and that he is not willing to pay
any price demanded. “When one of the presenters
of our highly successful information magazines
wanted to set up his own production company
because he wanted more money, we said no and
replaced him – with no negative effect on the
ratings.”
Of course, the RTS also addressed specific UKrelated topics. In this respect, the discussion about
the future of public-service broadcasting (PSB)
clearly dominated the debates, especially as media
regulator Ofcom announced a range of proposals
on Thursday to help commercial broadcasters fund
the production of public-service content such as
children’s television and local news. Andy
Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media
and Sport, came straight from the Labour Party
Annual Conference in Manchester to deliver the UK
keynote of the RTS conference. He indicated that
the British government would work quickly to help
the country’s broadcast industry agree a new PSB
model to see it through the digital switchover and
advertising downturn. “It clearly is a priority for the
government because we recognise that these are
The “crown jewel” debate (from left to right):
Peter Bazalgette (Chairman), Mark Thompson (BBC),
Andy Duncan (Channel 4), Mike Darcey (BSkyB) and
Michael Grade (ITV)
Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Management Board
of Groupe M6
Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture (Media and Sport)
and Gerhard Zeiler
urgent questions that they’re facing. We’re also
saying that this is an incredibly important industry
to our country. So the government is very clearly
signalling that we’ll need to be swift,” Burnham told
journalists on the sidelines of the conference.
Asked by Gerhard Zeiler about the different regulations standards for TV and the internet, Burnham
said the time has come for a different approach to
the internet and that he would like to “tighten up”
online content and services and “lighten up” some
regulatory burdens on the TV industry.
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The issue of the future of PSB was picked up in the
last session – considered the “crown jewel” debate of the day – when Jeff Randall from The Daily
Telegraph and communications professor Steven
Barnett probed four key UK broadcasting executives: Mike Darcey (Chief Operating Officer at
BSkyB), Andy Duncan (CEO of Channel 4), Michael
Grade (Executive Chairman of ITV) and Mark
Thompson (Director General of the BBC). With
concise and provocative questions fired at the
debaters, the fast-paced session became a very
challenging exercise even for these highly experienced TV executives, while the audience clearly
enjoyed a very informative and entertaining discussion.
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conferences in the past, is the bold optimism we
have felt today. There is no one who points at a
doomsday scenario for our industry anymore. And
the second important learning at least I take with
me is that despite all the importance of money and
resources, in the end it comes down to creativity at
the most important factor of success.”
RTL Group was the principal sponsor of the conference. In its information package, the RTS also
handed out a copy of RTL Group’s new brochure
TV or Not To BE (Backstage reported) to every
delegate at the conference.
Gerhard Zeiler ended the conference summarising
the day’s keynotes and debates: “What has been
striking for me and what is contrary to some other
About the Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is Britain’s leading forum for television issues. Membership is
open to everyone with an interest in the medium.
The RTS was granted its Royal title in 1966 and HRH The Prince of Wales became Patron of
the Society in 1997. The RTS brings together people to exchange ideas, debate and explore
key issues. The RTS Awards are an internationally recognised hallmark for quality and originality.
For more than 80 years, the RTS has provided the UK’s main platform for debate about the
future of television. Its lectures, events and publications make a substantial contribution to
developing standards and to raising standards. The RTS organises dinners with influential
speakers, lectures, monthly sessions on current issues, and the world famous biennial
Cambridge Convention sets the agenda for the future.
Television, the leading UK monthly on television issues and broadcasting policy, is distributed
free to members. Separate RTS Awards events cover Programme Making, Television
Journalism, Craft and Design, Education, Students and Innovation.
There are 13 regional centres in the UK, and a Republic of Ireland Centre located in Dublin.
Each Centre provides a mix of programme, technical, and craft events.
The Society is an educational charity, embracing all aspects of television, including
the creative community, broadcasting, equipment manufacture, professional consultancy,
journalism, design, research and development, cable, satellite, video and interactivity.
The Society relies for its future on the contributions of individual members and corporate
Patrons. Individual membership is available from GBP 65.00 per year.
www.rts.org.uk
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“Teenage kicks”
The panel of youth gurus (from left to right):
Sue Unerman (Mediacom), Danny Cohen (BBC three) and
Melissa Lavigne (The Intelligence Group)
One of the panel discussions of the 2008 RTS
International Conference, called “Teenage
kicks”, explored how the TV audiences of
tomorrow are creating and consuming media
content today. They examined a series of
myths and misconceptions about today’s
youth: decline in consumption, interactivity,
mobile consumption, user-generated content,
channels and brands.
According to a recent UK survey by Human
Capital on behalf of the RTS, 68 per cent of the
18- to 24-year-olds have never uploaded own
video content to an online site such as
MySpace.com or YouTube.com and 35 per
cent of them never even watch original usergenerated content online. When asked about
the two activities they love most, TV remains –
in all age groups – by far the most popular
medium, outstripped only by “meeting up with
my friends” (see graph).
The RTS conference revealed surprising
insights into the media consumption of 18- to
24-year-olds in the UK.
United Kingdom - 26 August 2008
Figures behind the myths
A survey by Human Capital gives insights
into the media cosumption of 18- to 24year-olds in the UK:
76 per cent have never phoned or texted
a TV show or channel (e.g. to request a
music video)
68 per cent have never uploaded own
content to an online site
65 per cent have never voted for the
result of a TV show
35 per cent have never watched original
user-generated content online
Source: Human Capital on behalf of the RTS
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RTL Radio France and Renault’s digital radio
association
Renault and RTL Radio will be previewing the “Renault Koleos RTL Numérique”
during the Mondial de l’Automobile Motor Show. The new vehicle will be fully
equipped with a perfectly integrated digital car radio.
France - 2 October 2008
Radio will go digital in France in 2009. RTL
Radio, a forerunner in this field, turned to the
Internet in 2007 (after partnering with the sports
newspaper L’Equipe) to launch RTL L’Equipe, a
new digital radio station for sport and news.
This week, the RTL Group’s French radio group
also filed an application for another digital station: Radio 128, a young, urban station.
At the French motor show, which Paris will be
hosting from 4 October to 19 October, RTL
Radio and Renault invite the public to discover
all the innovations the digital radio has to offer:
improved sound quality, associated features
like traffic information, automatic radio station
selection by name, a wider range of stations,
localised visual content, etc.
For the duration of the motor show, RTL Radio
will broadcast in real conditions an overview of
the programmes the Group is developing for its
digital radio using the “Renault Koleos RTL
Numérique,” which will be on show on its
stand. RTL Radio will also present a digital
radio receiver developed in partnership with the
company CAMEON. Renault will benefit from
its experience in the Korean market where it
already markets vehicles equipped with digital
car radios implementing the DMB standard, the
standard also endorsed in France.
Renault Koleos
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Injunction denied
Former Tagesthemen anchor Ulrich Wickert’s company UWP will not receive ‘thirdparty provider’ broadcasting rights on RTL Television.
Germany - 1 October 2008
Germany’s Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Interstate
Treaty on Broadcasting) stipulates that, to
ensure diversity, commercial TV broadcasters
like RTL Television must grant independent
third parties broadcasting slots in their programming. After talks with the broadcaster, the
State Media Authority decides who gets to fill
these broadcasting slots. RTL Television has
two such timeslots. Ulrich Wickert’s company
UWP and its rival DCTP, a company run by
media entrepreneur and filmmaker Alexander
Kluge, had both applied for the first of these
two broadcasting slots. In the past five years,
Wickert’s rival Kluge had broadcast Spiegel TV
and Stern TV among others during this slot.
The Lower Saxony State Media Authority and
RTL Television had decided that DCTP can
continue broadcasting both in the next five
years. On 30 September, the Hannover administrative court denied an injunction filed by
Wickert. The court ruled that the Lower Saxony
State Media Authority’s award procedure had
been carried out in proper form. Wickert had
filed the injunction hoping to prevent the RTL
Television ‘window broadcast’ license from
being awarded to DCTP again.
Wickert’s company UWP can still appeal to the
Higher Administrative Court, and the ruling is
now being reviewed in a principal proceedings
as well. However, says Tobias Schmid, head of
RTL’s media policy department: “We feel that
the court’s very unambiguous explanatory statement confirms our understanding of the law
and are confident that the ruling in the main
proceedings will be the same.”
New Ratings Measurement System
Early this week, Germany’s TV Research Workgroup AGF presented its new measuring system, called ‘TC Score’. Starting 1 July 2009, it will record not only TV use,
but also time-shifted viewing of TV content on digital video recorders.
Germany - 1 October 2008
Other news: also starting in 2009, it will be possible to measure video consumption on the
Internet and on DVB-H. The latter has already
undergone successful testing. For purposes of
measuring Internet views, the AGF is in talks
with the AGOF (Online Research Workgroup) to
develop a universal method of measurement.
Claudia Dubrau, head of committees, methodology and cooperations at IP Deutschland,
says: “Current methods of measurement only
record part of actual TV consumption. These
days, television isn’t just found on living room
TV sets, but also on the Internet, on mobiles
and PCs. We have to better reflect this in our
reach figures in future. When this happens, it
will become obvious that TV use actually hasn’t
declined - it is merely taking place on other
devices.”
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Less management, more
action
Bert Habets, CEO of RTL Nederland
In order to strengthen its market leadership,
RTL Nederland has decided to focus fully on its
core activities of television and radio. In addition, the company will devote itself to new
media, such as the further development of digital and mobile media, cross-media products
and services. Moreover, the organisation of RTL
Nederland will be modified in order to respond
promptly and efficiently to the need for distinct
communication concepts amongst advertisers.
RTL Nederland plans to outsource the technical support services of its Broadcast
Operations division.
Bert Habets, CEO of RTL Nederland explains:
“The media market is changing rapidly. Our viewers and listeners, as well as advertisers, now
have different requirements. In response, we
are rationalising our organisation so that we are
able to fully focus on television, radio, and new
media. We intend to manage less and do more,
we are going to strengthen and expand our
new media division. We will also outsource
activities which are no longer part of our core
activities.”
Earlier this year, the RTL Nederland board
announced a new strategy for the coming
years. Strengthening the core activities of television, radio and new media, building a broadcaster family, growth through diversification of
income and ensuring an up-to-date and distinct product offering for advertisers are the
main aims of the strategy. In order to achieve
these aims, structural changes in the organisation were announced today.
RTL Nederland announces new organisation
structure.
The Netherlands - 1 October 2008
The new set-up promotes entrepreneurship;
the focus is on creativity, talent development
and innovation. The new RTL Nederland will
become a flatter and more responsive organisation, with clear-cut choices regarding operational activities, as well as talent in suitable
posts. In the new organisation, integral responsibility will be vested within the business units
of television and new media, and functions
which support them directly will form part of
these units. A considerable number of management and coordinating jobs will disappear. On
the other hand, new jobs will be created and
talent will be encouraged to aim for promotion.
The changes in the organisation mean that the
jobs of approximately 50 employees will disappear. A small number amongst them will be
offered a new job, or greater responsibilities.
Broadcast Operation’s technical support services will be moved to an external party, namely
market leader DutchView, a company offering
the same services as Broadcast Operations.
DutchView will employ the majority of the
Broadcast Operations staff, approximately 80
employees, as of 1 January 2009.
The staff council and the unions involved have
been informed about the proposed reorganisation. The managers and staff in question will be
helping to flesh out the details of the new organisation over the coming period.
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Virtual concert on
YouTube
Toyboize, the Talkback Thames produced web
comedy series posted on YouTube between May
and July 2008 proves to be successful. Now the
band Toyboize performed a virtual concert in
front of a virtual audience of YouTube-viewers.
Toyboize’s virtual concert
United Kingdom - 30 September 2008
The web series is about Toyboize, 1988’s greatest childband, who decide to reform twenty
years later despite being out of shape, balding
and without their lead singer. Every week a five
minute ‘webisode’ appeared on the ‘Toyboize
channel’, supported by daily video diary clips,
band profiles and excerpts from music promos.
During this time it became YouTube’s most
subscribed comedy channel in the UK as well
as racking up the most views in Comedy. It was
also featured on YouTube’s global front page in
the number one slot and to date has had over
three-quarters of a million views.
Earlier this month the Toyboize decided to
stage a virtual gig. They asked Youtube users
to send in clips of themselves enjoying a
Toyboize concert. These clips were then edited
into footage of the Toyboize performing in their
front room. The result is a truly original interactive experience with fans of the series finding
themselves at the heart of the show itself.
.com/
e
b
u
t
u
o
www.y
e
toyboiz
Toyboize
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Web sites for all enthusiasts
M6 Web is boosting its thematic portals offering and launching a new version of
Turbo.fr, the site dedicated to motor cars.
France - 25 September 2008
The new editorial team at Turbo.fr will, in collaboration with the Turbo programme on M6,
provide comprehensive reporting from the
world of the automobile. On Turbo.fr car enthusiasts will find not only practical advice about
buying, selling and maintaining their cars, but
also the largest catalogue of car tests and a
detailed presentation of almost 3,000 cars with
photos, video clips and technical details.
Turbo.fr benefits from the expertise and
content of 20 years of Turbo programmes on
M6. As of now, Internet users can have an
exclusive viewing of the announcements and
concepts cars to be presented during the Paris
Motor Show on Turbo.fr.
For M6 Web general manager Valéry Gerfaud,
“The launch of the new generation Turbo.fr is
the first step in this new season which is full of
innovations for the Groupe M6 sites. We want
to offer Internet users portals that meet their
expectations in terms of content and services.
To do this, we are combining the quality of the
content and the awareness of the Groupe M6
brands with the expertise of the Cyréalis group,
an Internet pure-player, that we recently integrated.”
visit
urbo.fr
t
.
w
w
w
www.turbo.fr
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Sponsoring Children’s and
Young Adult Film Festival
Actor Jürgen Vogel
26 September marked the beginning of the 6th
Michel Festival of Children’s and Young Adult
Films in Hamburg. As in previous years, Super RTL
sponsors the renowned festival.
Germany - 25 September 2008
From 26 September to 2 October, young
cineastes were treated to an extensive spectrum of films ranging from a semi-documentary
movie from the Brazilian hinterland to an
Australian teen comedy. Nine motion pictures
and an animated film competed for the 5,000
EUR “Michel” prize endowed by the DVD vendor Universal Pictures Germany and awarded
by a panel of judges comprised entirely of children.
On 26 September, the famous German actor
Jürgen Vogel opened the 6th Children’s and
Young Adult Film Festival in his capacity as its
patron. “The movies are a great thing whenever
the big screen allows you to experience new
adventures and stories and travel to places you
didn’t know before,” says Vogel, whose priority
lies on helping children to access their feelings
and imagination.
The multifaceted, sophisticated and exciting
screening programme featuring top-notch
international productions aims to kindle enthusiasm for the big screen among children and
teens. In addition, numerous workshops on film
props and technology, a script reading and a
guided tour of a film location will enable children to take a peek behind the scenes of filmmaking.
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A crazy family
Starting 13 October, a new French fictional series hits the screen in prime time
on M6. Les Bougon means guaranteed belly laughs while watching what promises to
be a hilarious caricature of “Downstairs” French society taking on those “Upstairs”.
France - 30 September 2008
Les Bougon (The Grumpies family) is the story
of a rebel family in modern times. Lunatic, dirty,
rude, dishonest, grouchy, ignorant... yet united,
happy and endearing, the Bougon family members are masters in the art of the quick fix. Total
social anti-heroes, they have turned resourcefulness into a personal religion, and their favourite pastime consists in finding the cracks in the
system that has rejected them. Like Paul, the
clan chief with his dog named Ben Laden, the
Bougons are contemporary outlaws who only
live by their motto: “Work less to earn more!”
For instance, with Les Bougon you can find out
how to take advantage of a sick leave while not
working and not being sick, and also how to
take up the internship schemes provided by the
Job Centre while being assured not to get a
job! You can also learn how to take the dole for
the National Bank and so on.
The original series came from Quebec where it
was broadcast on francophone public TV between January 2004 and May 2006, with an
average audience share of 1.7 million viewers
peaking at over 2.2 million on 11 February 2007
(a 58 per cent audience share). Says Sam
Karmann, director of the French version, about
Les Bougon: “When I saw the original series, I
found it hard to believe that a TV channel in
France would ever dare show such a series. I
have never yet seen on a general-interest channel such a funny, bold and politically-incorrect
fictional programme.”
It must be said that the subject matter of a profiteering family is far from having gained
consensus, for it even caused a debate in
Quebec. Sam Karmann comments: “I believe
that TV viewers are also citizens, that they are
adult and responsible. Let’s give them the kind
of shows where you don’t just see that ‘Jessica
wonders whether Kevin will come to Celia’s
party’.” As for the issue whether it might be
immoral to cheat on the system, he responds:
“Cheating on the system? Is that blocking
one’s electricity meter (...) or is it getting a golden parachute despite poor results (...)?”
Let us not forget the main thing: Les Bougon is
above all a comedy – a highly scathing comedy, to be sure, but above all a comedy.
Les Bougon
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The animal-lover channel
To mark the international day for animal rights
on Saturday, 5 October, RTL-TVI will be broadcasting two special programmes to make
Belgian viewers more aware of the issues
concerning our pets.
Belgium - 26 September 2008
First of all, Friday, 4 October at 19:45,
Reporters will be tackling the theme of “To our
dearly departed”. Is there life after death for a
pet? Some owners are grief-stricken following
the loss of their best four-legged friend. They
decide to do everything they can to pay their
last respects. Reporters has investigated.
Then on Sunday, 5 October at 20:15, RTL-TVI
will be showing a second special programme
honouring man’s best friend. In the company of
numerous guests, Marylène Bergmann and
Sabine Mathus will be presenting some astonishing animals. The programme will include a
number of stories and viewers will discover
some heroes who are afraid of nothing, animals
with extraordinary talents and, also, sometimes
very peculiar friendships.
Sabine Mathus and Marylène Bergmann will
also investigate the too frequent cases of cruelty to animals. The programme is out to inform
viewers and will not shun cases of violence that
are far too often hushed up.
Marylène Bergmann
Well known people will be present – singers
and TV and cinema stars – as well as Belgian
politicians who wanted to participate in this
programme (including Joëlle Millequet, Didier
Reynders, Elio Di Rupo). All testify to their love
of the animal world.
This programme will also serve to launch a
major solidarity campaign throughout Wallonia.
Marylène and Sabine will be making an appeal
to viewers on behalf of the vastly overcrowded
kennels where hundreds of dogs and cats are
taken in and given shelter. The RTL-TVI presenters will also be active in various kennels in the
different provinces and offering viewers the
chance to adopt an animal.
Sabine Mathus
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Smart and quick
Grundy Light Entertainment will partner with
the comedy popular-science show Dr. Ankos
365 to develop and produce video clips exclusively for the Internet.
Christian Ankowitsch
Germany - 29 September 2008
Starting 6 October, the first 20 episodes of the
three-minute show will be served daily to the
heavily trafficked websites of the Bild and
Welt newspapers, and to Wissen.de and
sevenload.de.
In Dr. Ankos 365, historical events of the day
are explained by bestselling author Christian
Ankowitsch in an easily understood, entertaining way. The inauguration of the Statue of
Liberty, the first-ever Schulmädchenreport (a
book of interviews with young women about
their sexual habits), or the completion of the
Cologne Cathedral – these ‘history quickies’
are a perfect blend of humour and historical
expertise. ‘365’ stands for the everyday nature
of world history. Ankowitsch, a
science journalist and book
author who holds a doctorate
in art history, manages to present historical facts in entertaining anecdotes.
question have their core competencies in different areas - entertainment, news, general education and popular science – yet all of them
offer a suitable platform for Dr. Ankos 365.
Grundy Light Entertainment CEO Ute Biernat
says: “Our core competency is producing good
entertainment. We’ve already proven this on TV.
The increasing demand for online video content
now gives us a chance to extend our business
beyond the TV medium. Dr. Ankos 365 is our
first attempt to reach out to a target group that
is new for us – Internet users. We are delighted
that we were able to win over such thematically appropriate and popular portals for Dr. Ankos
365.”
Dr. Ankos 365 is one of the
first online formats to be used
simultaneously by different
portals. The four portals in
Ankowitsch explaining the completion of the Cologne Cathedral
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Willkommen zuhause nominated for Prix Europa 2008
Willkommen zuhause (Welcome Home), a Teamworx production about a German soldier
who returns home traumatised from his Afghanistan assignment, has been nominated for
Best TV Fiction. Germany’s public TV channel Das Erste will broadcast the film on 21
January 2009.
Germany - 25 September 2008
More UEFA champions league than ever before
RTL Group’s Spanish channel Antena 3, which has been broadcasting selected top-class
soccer games for the past two seasons, is extending this season’s UEFA Champions
League programming with extra coverage.
Spain - 25 September 2008
Bohlen takes off
The countdown to the second season of Das Supertalent, to be aired on RTL Television
starting 18 October, begins soon with a major advertising campaign.
Germany - 26 September 2008
Wer-kennt-wen.de on a clear growth path
The social network makes a successful debut in the AGOF Internet Facts, and will soon
boast well over 4 million registered users.
Germany - 29 September 2008
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the RTL Group intranet
week 40
Winning three TEFI awards
Established by the Russian Television Academy in 1994, the TEFI awards honour excellent
achievements in the art of television. This year, Ren TV’s news programmes were particularly successful, winning no fewer than three awards last week.
Russia - 29 September 2008
Up 600,000 viewers
Efficient access prime time programing has positioned M6 as the only major channel to
increase its audience, winning 600,000 viewers compared to September last year.
France - 1 October 2008
Participating in Job week
Finding a job is never an easy affair. Bel RTL hopes to make things a little easier for job
hunters to find their dream career by taking part in the Belgian job week, which will run
from Tuesday, 30 September to Wednesday, 8 October.
Belgium - 1 October 2008
SOKO Leipzig goes to Istanbul
On 3 October at 22:00, ZDF will be airing Istanbul Connection, a special feature-length
kick-off to season eight of the popular crime series SOKO Leipzig.
Germany - 2 October 2008
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the RTL Group intranet
week 40
Changes on the
Super RTL sales team
Senior Manager Sales & Business Relations
Peter Haupt, 38, has been appointed Deputy
Chief of Sales & Business Relations at Super
RTL, effective immediately.
Peter Haupt
Germany - 30 September 2008
In this capacity, Haupt will assist Jörg
Nommensen, Head of Sales & Business
Relations, and will focus his work on strategic
cross-media marketing concepts for the advertising industry, in close cooperation with Super
RTL’s airtime sales agent IP Deutschland.
Claudia Stein, 32, is joining the member sales
team from Super RTL’s brand management
department. From
1 November, she
will report to Jörg Nommensen as Senior
Manager Sales & Business Relations. Claudia
Stein will be in charge of developing customerspecific cross-media promotions and managing Super RTL’s key advertiser accounts.
Lars Holldorf, 32, has also been promoted to
Senior Manager Sales & Business Relations.
Holldorf has already supported the team since
November 2006 as Manager Sales & Business
Relations. In his new position, he will intensify
his efforts related to strategic sales management and the marketing of Super RTL’s online
offerings such as toggo.de.
Claudia Stein
Lars Holldorf
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the RTL Group intranet
week 40
People
Andreas Franik
Anchor Andreas Franik to
leave N-TV
Germany - 30 September 2008
News anchor Andreas Franik will be leaving the
Cologne-based news channel N-TV at the end
of the month.
Franik, 38, has worked for N-TV since the
beginning of 2000, first on the business desk,
where he moderated the stock-market show
Märkte am Morgen (Markets in the Morning).
He was most recently seen in the news between 12:00 and 15:00 and on Telebörse. From
October, Franik will head the ‘TV
Communications’ department at the Stuttgart
stock exchange.
N-TV editor-in-chief Volker Wasmuth says: “We
thank Andreas Franik warmly for his long years
of good work and wish him all the very best for
his personal and professional future.”
19
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