week 35 - RTL Group

2 September 2010
week
The smile of the future
Groupe M6 and RTL Belgium announce their next steps
Germany
Croatia
Super RTL Now goes online
RTL Televizija presents its
new season line-up
Belgium
Hungary
Allo RTL sets up shop
Hungarians love X Factor
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week 35
2 September 2010
week
35
Cover:
Montage with Philippe Delusinne (left) and Nicolas de Tavernost
The smile of the future
Groupe M6 and RTL Belgium announce their next steps
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“Adaptable and proactive”
RTL Group’s families of channels are about to start their new season in France and
Belgium. Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Board of Groupe M6, and Philippe
Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium, with their respective teams gave a view of their
future plans.
Luxembourg - 2 September 2010
In France, the start of the new season is a
great time to look back at how Groupe M6 has
performed. “Television is getting back on track
again in France and Europe”, Nicolas de
Tavernost pointed out in an interview published
in the 29 August 2010 edition of Le Journal du
Dimanche: “The figures for viewing duration are
good and advertising revenues are in fine fettle.
The medium is in good shape and our group is
benefiting as a result.”
In August, M6 was the only major channel
to post year-on-year growth, up 1.1 points
compared to August 2009. M6’s total audience
share of 11.2 per cent was its best since October
2009. “We’ve just had our best summer in a long
time, with massive success of L’amour est dans
le pré, the summer’s most-watched show on any
channel. Our market clout continues to improve
with the success of W9, Paris Première and
Téva”, said Nicolas de Tavernost.
is a DTT leader, and thanks to its ‘delinearised
content’ strategy it is omnipresent on all screens”,
Nicolas de Tavernost said.
“Many advertisers now
understand that, as a
medium, the Web can do
no more than complement
television, which remains
the mass medium par
excellence.”
Nicolas de Tavernost,
Chairman of the Board of Groupe M6
The Groupe M6 boss set the path for growth:
“We plan to launch a new DTT channel in 2011,
but first we plan to make some Internet acquisitions.”
“Groupe M6 has always been very adaptable
and proactive. As behaviours change, the group
offers channels with different personalities to
accommodate all tastes, evolving along with
the everyday lives of the French people. In a
highly competitive environment, the group’s W9
Groupe M6
• M6 programmes will be close to the public
• A row of competition programmes
• Internet acquisitions planned
• New DTT channel to be launched
• M6 apps for iPhone and iPad coming soon
Nicolas de Tavernost
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Philippe Delusinne
M6’s hits can be explained by the Groupe’s skill
at delivering programmes in line with what viewers want. Bibiane Godfroid, M6 Programming
Director, talks about a new season focusing on “the exchange of experience” with
several shows that are “close to the public”.
This includes L’espoir de
l’année, a major national
competition involving people from many walks of
life. Hair stylists, butchers,
beauticians, bakers, florists
and more will all have a
chance to take part and win.
Produced
by
FremantleMedia
France,
and
presented by Karine Le
Marchand, the show will
aim to find those individuals
who best embody the values
of their professions. Zéro
Philippe Delusinne,
de conduite is a brand new
CEO of RTL Belgium
show presented by Jérôme
Anthony
and
Sandrine Corman in which seven terrible drivers will be put to the test in an effort to
improve their driving skills. Four experts will judge
their progress and the worst one will win driving
lessons. The adventure game Pékin Express will
be back, but this time instead of using unknowns
it will feature six celebrity duos competing in the
race of a lifetime. They will cover more than 4,000
kilometres in support of the organisation of their
choice. Foodies will be pleased to see the return
of Top Chef 2 – a cookery competition open to
14 professionals, 14 new hopefuls on the French
cooking scene – and Un dîner presque parfait:
le combat des régions, another competition, but
this one between talented amateurs. The fifth
season of La France a un incroyable talent gives
unknown artists a chance to
shine.
“We
aim
to
confirm our leadership while maintaining
our ‘outsider’ attitude.
Our mindset and the
ensuing
structures
must adapt to the
ongoing changes on
the markets where we
are active.”
The network’s signature news
magazines will of course
be back for the 2010/2011
season: Capital, Enquête
exclusive, Zone interdite,
66 Minutes and the TV news
will all be on hand to teach,
inform and enlighten French
viewers, while focusing on
the society in which we live.
In
Belgium,
Philippe
Delusinne is building from
a strong market position,
without loosing grounds.
He told Backstage: “We aim – on our three
television channels, our two radio stations and
in the new media – to confirm our leadership
while maintaining our ‘outsider’ attitude.” Sitting
on the past successes is no option for the CEO
of RTL Belgium: “Our mindset and the ensuing
structures must adapt to the ongoing changes
and development on the markets where we are
active. By taking this approach our future will be
bright indeed.”
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RTL Belgium
• Keeping the spirit of a challenger
• News programmes for everyone
• Tribute to “the muscles from Brussels”
• Plenty of new American series
• HD programmes just around the corner
For news director Laurent Haulotte news clearly
is the main focus of the new season at RTL
Belgium. He talked to Backstage about the expertise on the Belgian side of the family. As he
puts it, “viewers have an immense hunger for
news and we have a powerful information strategy pursued by the news teams at RTL-TVI, Bel
RTL and RTLinfo.be. We aim to remain consistent and to deliver news that is both accessible
and relevant. And we aim to explain complex
problems in clear terms.” Above all, the Belgian news team has taken up the challenge of
targeting as many people as possible and not
excluding anyone: “We set out to broadcast
news that everyone can access and understand
regardless of their age, their level of education
or social class”, he added. Belgian viewers
appreciate RTL-TVI’s very Belgian approach to
the news, and over the years they’ve acquired
the habit of turning to one of RTL Belgium’s
media outlets to keep informed about events
going on at home and elsewhere in the world.
But television is also about fun, and RTL
Belgium knows how to keep its viewers
entertained. Stéphane Rosenblatt, director of
RTL Belgium’s
television channels, said
that the Belgian family of channels will once
again “roll out the red
carpet for its viewers,
offering the very best
in entertainment, news,
fiction and sport.” AcLaurent Haulotte,
News Director, RTL Belgium
cording to Rosenblatt,
RTL Belgium aims to
satisfy the biggest audience possible. To that
end, the group’s three channels – RTL-TVI, Club
RTL and Plug RTL – will deliver the network’s
most dynamic and diversified programming to
date.
Laurent Haulotte
RTL-TVI will host a special televised event to
pay tribute to the world’s best-known Belgian,
Jean-Claude van Damme, aka ‘the muscles from
Brussels’. The channel will also broadcast live
shows featuring well-known Belgian humourists, such as Marc Herman, François Pirette and
others. Now in its 38th year on US television, The Price is Right is finally
coming to French-speaking Belgian TV as
Le Juste Prix. In the
gourmet section of
the
programming
schedule, the delectable Top Chef and
Un
dîner
presque
parfait will be back for
their second season.
Un
dîner
presque
parfait racked up an
impressive total audience share of 32 per cent. This will also
be the second season for L’amour est dans
le pré, the most romantic docu-reality show
on Belgian TV. Two major events are on the
horizon: in January, an evening of glamour with
the crowning of the new Miss Belgium, and
on 7 May, a demonstration of solidarity and
support with Télévie on behalf of cancer
sufferers and their families.
“We set out to broadcast news that everyone can
access and understand,
regardless of their age, level
of education or social class.”
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The US serie Glee makes the buzz in each country it is broadcast
Dominique Bodarwe will be a participant in the new season
of L’amour est dans le pré in Belgium
The Belgian channels will also feature plenty of
new US series. Erwin Lapraille, deputy director
of television channels and an expert on American series, often travels to the United States
to track down the latest shows and bring back
the very best for RTL Belgium’s discerning
viewers. This season will feature: NCIS: Los
Angeles, FlashForward, Glee, The Good Wife,
Harper’s Island, as well as new seasons of CSI:
Miami, CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives, NCIS,
Bones, Cold Case, Numb3rs, Medium, Law &
Order Criminal Intent and Law & Order Special
Victims Unit. All of these series can, of course,
be watched and re-watched on RTL Belgium’s
video-on-demand platform, RTL à l’infini.
channel on the Voo, Numericable and
Belgacom TV platforms, and all programmes
will be available in HD by March.
Autumn 2010 will also see the debut of
high-definition (HD) on the Belgian family
of channels. “With HD you have five times as many
pixels, which means better definition and a clearer
picture with more detailed images”, explains
RTL Belgium’s IT director, Thierry Piette.
Starting on 30 August, RTL-TVI, Club RTL and
Plug RTL will each have a high-definition
Karine Le Marchand will present L’espoir de l’année
and L’amour est dans le pré in France
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SuperRTLNow.de goes online
RTL Interactive has launched the new video-on-demand portal SuperRTLNow.de,
which now complements its existing catch-up TV service RTLNow.de and VoxNow.de.
Germany - 26 August 2010
w.de
TLNo
SuperR
Visit
SuperRTLNow.de
Many of the channel’s own primetime productions can be viewed at SuperRTLNow.de free of
charge for seven days after their TV broadcast
during primetime. So Super RTL viewers can
go online to watch Bibi und Rolli, Die lustigsten
Schlamassel der Welt and Medicopter 117 at
their convenience and as often as they like.
As on RTLNow.de and VoxNow.de, the shows
will remain available online for a rate starting at
EUR 0.99 per episode after the free period
expires.
Marc
Schröder,
Managing
Director
of
RTL Interactive, adds: “SuperRTLNow.de is
another step on the path towards giving our
viewers all of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s
offerings, anytime and anywhere. We are
offering with SuperRTLNow.de another platform that will make our attractive video content
available online on demand and in its full length.”
Super RTL’s Managing Director Claude Schmit
says: “I am delighted that Super RTL is now part
of the ‘Now’ group of video-on-demand sites
and that we can offer viewers the option of
watching missed shows – or watching their
favourite episodes again – online at SuperRTLNow.de. Naturally our goal is also to reach new
target audiences and fans on SuperRTLNow.
de, who perhaps aren’t familiar with our TV programming yet.“
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Big Brother returns to
Greece
Alpha TV presents a variety of new and
continuing formats for the season ahead,
among them Big Brother, Deste tous, Kous kous
to mesimeri and Mes stin kali xara.
Greece - 26 August 2010
Big Brother is returning to Greek television
screens after a five-year break. The biggest reality show of all time, which has attracted millions
of viewers in more than 70 countries, will be
boadcasted on Alpha in a completely revamped
version, offering adventure without limits,
impressive missions, and interesting activities.
Fourteen candidates will be locked up together
in a house for twelve weeks, but only one of
them will win the prize of EUR 200,000. Alpha
will begin airing the reality show in October 2010.
With Deste tous another well-known programme returns for a new and exciting season.
Nikos Moutsinas and Maria Iliaki will show the
happiest sides of life with a twist. This season,
a fresh face, Katerina Kainourgiou joins the
gang. She made an impression with her guest
appearance last year, while Notis Christodoulou
will continue to present his own insets, always in
a humorous tone.
Kous kous to mesimeri, Alpha’s daytime programme featuring entertainment, music and
more, enters its sixth year of being on air. This
season, Kous kous to mesimeri will again feature
the most interesting and breaking current topics.
The show, presented by Katerina Karavatou,
has been successful and innovative for six years
now and will continue to be so once more, offering viewers a communication ‘window’ allowing
them to comment on subjects that concerns
them.
Alpha’s weekend line-up is colourful, relaxed
and full of joie-de-vivre. Natalia Germanou, with
Sissy Christidou at her side, will present the
week’s most joyful and carefree moments in
Mes stin kali xara in a fun and straightforward
manner. The programme will be packed with
unique topics, weird news, interviews, special
guests, gossip, games, fashion, cooking, music
and anything else that is likely to put viewers in
Deste tous (Maria Iliaki, Notis Christodoulou, Katerina Kainourgiou,
Nikos Moutsinas)
Mes stin kali xara (Themis Georgantas, Natalia Germanou,
Sissy Christidou)
an upbeat mood. Themis Georgantas, famous
for his sense of humour and unique one-liners,
will be back on the show. Two new faces will
join the team as well: Vasilis Latsios, a journalist
and radio producer with a degree in finance and
sports journalism, will debut on Mes stin kali xara
with cover stories and the latest news. The other
new member is Dimitris Lagiopoulos, a graduate
who is testing out a TV career. Pavlos Stamatopoulos will also continue for a third year as a
member of the weekend team.
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New channels and
new methods of
measurement
At this year’s IP Primetime, Mediengruppe RTL
Deutschland’s channels not only presented the
upcoming season’s programming to advertisers,
but also provided a look ahead at new Pay-TV
channels and a new index for measuring the
effectiveness of advertising.
Germany - 27 August 2010
The weather in Hamburg may have been less
than inviting on the day of IP Deutschland’s annual IP Primetime event, but the programming
presented inside the Curio-Haus was all the
more so. Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and of RTL Television,
welcomed the crowd in obvious good humour
and reported: “Changes are afoot at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.” One reason is
the move of all Cologne-based channels to a
shared site in Cologne-Deutz, and another is the
executive’s clearly defined strategy. “Our goal
is to ensure that RTL Television remains or
becomes the market leader in all programming
slots in the year ahead,” declared Schäferkordt,
and presented an impressive chart showing
that Tuesday and Sunday evenings are the only
times during which RTL Television doesn’t lead
the market. “If you take the month of August
into account, we’ve already ironed out the dent
on Tuesday, which was caused by the Football
World Cup,” said Schäferkordt, putting the information in context. And what about Sunday
evening? “We’re gearing up for a neck-and-neck
race against the competition for that slot,” declared Schäferkordt.
The Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland channels
pursue a joint, complementary programming
strategy, so as not to poach each other’s viewers. Schäferkordt had another piece of news to
announce: “We will establish at least one more
pay-TV channel at some point in the future. The
concepts are already on file. As soon as there is
room on the operators’ platforms, we’re ready to
go,” she revealed. The broadcaster also plans to
steadily increase the proportion of HD content in
its regular programming.
“Not all advertising environments are equal,”
Martin Krapf, Managing Director of IP Deutschland, had already emphasised at past events.
The effectiveness of advertising differs depending on the programme during which a commercial is shown. Now, for the first time, this information will be backed up with measurements.
Krapf provided initial insights into an index that
may be able to measure viewers’ involvement
in the programme and hence the effectiveness
of advertising shown in this environment. This
“Involvement Cost Per Mille” or iCPM takes into
account the usual factors as well as the viewers’
time spent watching before, during and after the
commercial. The more deeply involved viewers
are in the programme, the better their advertising recall. IP is already in talks with agencies
and customers, and expects to have a finished
definition of the new index by the end of the year.
Krapf also announced a moderate price increase
of between five and ten per cent for the year
2011. Since RTL Television and Vox’s audience
shares have exceeded expectations, this year’s
price increases have dissipated and advertising
prices, by thousands of contacts (CPM), have
actually dropped in some cases. “In terms of
CPM, 2010 is a bargain year,” Krapf asserted.
RTL Television is relying especially on major
events in the sport and show sectors, like Das
Supertalent (Got Talent), Deutschland sucht den
Superstar (Idols) and Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich
hier raus (I’m A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here).
The reality show segment will be enhanced, for
example with Rachs Restaurant, which began
on 30 August. The new afternoon line-up on RTL
Television has been a success, and the channel
is the clear market leader in this time slot. None-
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theless, there may be a danger of oversaturation with scripted docu-soaps, which is why the
broadcaster is keeping a watchful eye on this
genre”, Schäferkordt pointed out. The channel’s
programming is rounded off with comedy. “I hope
this explains why I am so confident about the
upcoming season,” Schäferkordt said.
At the same time, Vox is to further strengthen its
current market position. “We feel there is still a
lot we are capable of here,” said Schäferkordt.
Frank Hoffmann, Managing Director of
Vox, then presented his line-up for the new
season. The year’s biggest production is
without a doubt the talent show X Factor.
On other fronts, Vox will continue to
count on series for its primetime slots on
Mondays,
Wednesdays
and
Fridays.
Thursdays are movie nights on Vox, and
Saturdays will see a continuation of the
successfully
established
documentary
extravaganzas. “When it comes to series,
we want to cater to the mainstream,” declares
Hoffmann and adds, in explanation of the
Saturday
documentary
features:
“But
sometimes you have to swim against the
stream, too.” On 11 September Vox will for the
first time devote an entire day of programming
to a single topic: water. “Anyone who consists of
75 per cent of water, should look into the topic,”
said Hoffmann.
Both Anke Schäferkordt and Hans Demmel,
Managing Director of N-TV, expressed their
clear commitment to the news channel. “No
matter where important things are happening,
and no matter when they happen: you can count
on us to be there,” declared the channel boss.
“N-TV was, is and remains the news channel.”
From the beginning of October, N-TV will be
broadcasting from the new studio in CologneDeutz, which will result in visible changes in its
news and magazine formats. In the year ahead,
the channel will concentrate – beyond its core
content of news, business, sport and weather –
especially on its male viewers, and will present
a number of programmes catered especially for
men: sports broadcasts like the Berlin Marathon
in September and Formula three racing, along
with documentary and technology features.
Anke Schäferkordt
At RTL Interactive, the idea is to extend the
broadcasting brands into the online and mobile
realms. Here, the latest trends are clearly apps
– applications for mobile devices – and video.
“Internet slide shows are a thing of the past,”
said Marc Schröder, Managing Director of RTL
Interactive. “The crucial thing is where you advertise,” added Paul Mudter, Head of Interactive at
IP Deutschland, and explained: “When you book
with us, you can run one spot on all platforms –
online, mobile and TV.” So Mediengruppe RTL
Deutschland offers an all-inclusive package for
advertisers, and many of them took the opportunity to obtain more information in one-to-one
conversations following the event.
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Allo RTL sets up shop
First shop entirely dedicated to mobile telephony
RTL Belgium, in partnership with KPN Group
Belgium, opened the very first “Allo RTL” shop
entirely dedicated to mobile telephony last
weekend.
Belgium - 30 August 2010
Since Saturday 28 August, RTL Belgium has
a new home in Charleroi: viewers, listeners,
Internet users and Allo RTL fans now have direct
access to the most competitive mobile rates in
Belgium and can be the first to discover everything that’s new at RTL Belgium.
On 17 August, the brand Allo RTL launched its
new “Grande Première” rate plan. At EUR 15 per
month, customers enjoy 100 minutes of calling
time and can send up to 100 text messages per
month to any Belgian network. This rate includes
10 MB of data to surf the web in Belgium, as well
as permanent free access to RTL-TVI and Bel
RTL content. Customers can opt for 300 more
text messages for an additional EUR 5, while for
an additional EUR 10, big mobile Internet users
will be offered 2 GB of data. This new rate is added to the previous existing rate plans, among the
most competitive in Belgium: “Plateau”, “Duplex”
and “Studio”, which are offered to customers
of RTL Belgium with its contests, services and
news.
“Grande Première” customers benefit from an
exceptional launch offer: they will pay only EUR
5 per month, instead of EUR 15, for the first six
months of their 15-month subscription (offer valid
from 17 August to 30 September 2010).
The interior of the shop
The Allo RTL shop will allow customers to discover Allo RTL mobile plans, mobile phones and
accessories offered by the brand, along with RTL
products. These include books from Editions Luc
Pire and RTL Editions and all DVDs of RTL Belgium stars like François Pirette, les Embrouilles
de François and André Lamy, along with major
television series.
The shop opened its doors in the large Ville2
shopping centre in partnership with KPN Group
Belgium/Base and Allo Telecom. For more
information, visit the website of Allo RTL:
www.AlloRTL.be
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Hungarians love
X Factor
Nóra Ördög and Sebestyén Balázs
On 5 August, Backstage reported the launch of
a new talent show on RTL Klub. Last Saturday,
for the show’s premiere, 44.5 per cent of 18- to
49-year-old TV viewers in Hungary tuned in to
watch the audition stage of the programme.
X Factor prevailed against fierce competition
from Megasztár, another singing talent show
now entering its fifth season and broadcast during the same time slot on TV2 – RTL Klub’s main
competitor in the country. Megasztár only drew
22.9 per cent of young viewers that evening.
The launch of the first series of X Factor in
Hungary was a success on Saturday evening,
attracting 44.5 per cent of the viewers aged
18 to 49.
Hungary - 1 September 2010
X Factor is jointly produced by Grundy Light
Entertainment and IKO Productions for RTL
Klub, and is presented by two of Hungary’s
most prominent moderators: Nóra Ördög and
Sebestyén Balázs. The judges are Miklós Malek,
Ildikó Keresztes and Péter Geszti and who have
all made their own significant impact on the
world of music.
The Jury of X Factor: Miklós Malek, Ildikó Keresztes and Péter Geszti
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A new and innovative take on poster
advertising
The Frankfurt-based sweets manufacturer Ferrero is the first customer to avail itself
of a newly developed special advertising format on RTL Television: from 6 September,
IP Deutschland will present various Ferrero products in the setting of the popular daily
soap Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten.
Germany - 1 September 2010
Haribo’s brand Tic Tac is the recommandation of the week in GZSZ
The façade of the “Spätkauf” kiosk, a popular
meeting-place for the Gute Zeiten, schlechte
Zeiten (GZSZ) clique, will sport a poster advertising Ferrero products as the “Recommendation of the Week.” A move/split mechanism can
then be used to zoom in and start the classic
commercial for a given product. In this way,
the new special advertising format creates a
thematic link between Gute Zeiten, schlechte
Zeiten and the brands. This new method is not
Product Placement but a special format that
creates maximum attention in the targeted
demographic thanks to the close association.
Lars-Eric Mann, Sales Director Solutions at
IP Deutschland says: “This completely different form of poster advertising gives Ferrero
an original, appealing way to leverage GZSZ
fans’ involvement for a distinctive TV presence
of their brands. The innovative embedment in
the programming will turn Tic Tac and the other
products into soap-opera stars for the audience.”
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Trinny & Susannah take
on the Netherlands
Trinny and Susannah
The two world-famous British stylists are on
a mission in the Netherlands to offer their
expertise on fashion, in a new show on RTL 4.
Netherlands - 1 September 2010
In their native UK the two fashion gurus are
known for their straightforward advice and sharp
fashion sense which they use to reform the
appearance and style of the participants. Show
participants are randomly chosen on the street
and then given a makeover.
Now Trinny & Susannah have decided to take
on the Netherlands and offer their expertise to
women and men they feel need help with their
fashion sense. The fashion-challenged individuals are given a makeover in Trinny & Susannah:
Missie Holland (Trinny & Susannah: Mission
Holland) on RTL 4.
Since getting started on TV in 2001, the two
ladies have dressed over 5,000 women,
including celebrities, written a series of fashion
bestsellers, appeared as advisors on Oprah and
launched their own successful range of clothing
and underwear.
Each week they will restyle 12 participants,
male and female, who at the final stage of the
programme will take part in a catwalk to present
the results of their transformation.
The show will air every Wednesday from 21:30.
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An entertaining
breeze to blow on RTL
Televizija this autumn
In-house productions that attract record
audiences, new seasons of series that continue
to interest growing numbers of followers and
blockbusters hits – RTL Televizija presents the
line-up for the new season.
Croatia - 2 September 2010
Vanja Rupena
RTL Televizija is starting its autumn season with
programmes that will enthral and entertain every
type of crowd.
Hrvatski Top Model (Croatia’s Top Model) is returning in its second season, bringing with it a
touch of glamour and style. Its jury is composed
of Vanja Rupena, the international top model,
Tihana Harapin Zalepugin, a top-notch fashion
agent, and Sasa Joka, Elle’s fashion editor will
have to decide who among the thousand girls
who applied has what it takes to be a top model.
The last episode in which the remaining three
candidates will compete for the final spot, will be
aired live.
Comedy fans will enjoy the new series Instruktor.
After a well-received pilot episode broadcast last
spring, the comedy returns to tell the adventures
and mishaps of a driving instructor and his student. Instruktor will feature a series of famous
actors in cameo roles.
Slucajni turist (The Accidental Tourist) is a new
show that will please the channel’s more adventurous viewers. Robert Knjaz, the protagonist,
takes trips to the most remote areas of Croatia
in the company of randomly selected foreigners,
without a dime in his pockets and without any
kind of transportation. Viewers will see how he
manages to stumble on despite the difficulties
encountered.
As already announced on Backstage on 8 July,
culinary guru Stephan Macchi puts on his chef’s
hat and apron again to offer his expertise to
struggling Croatian restaurants for a second
captivating season.
Stephan Macchi helps Croatian restaurants
Viewers will also have the chance to follow the
new episodes of season four of Bibin svijet (Rita’s
world), which will be packed with the new adventures of Croatia’s best-known saleswoman.
As far as RTL Televizija’s information programming is concerned, Magazine program is returning in an expanded and revamped version this
autumn.
Other returning shows include Zvijezde Extra
and the inevitable Kim and Aggie in the new
season of Odred za cistocu (How Clean Is Your
House?). All this will be rounded off by new
seasons of award-winning US series such as
Desperate Housewives, Bones, Cold Case, CSI,
Life and Grey’s Anatomy.
Finally, film enthusiasts will be treated to hit
films such as Ben Stiller’s Tropska grmljavina
(Tropic Thunder), Cohen brothers’ Nema zemlje
za starce (No Country For Old Men) and Marc
Foster’s romantic drama Gonic zmajeva (The
Kite Runner) among others. RTL Televizija also
has loads in store for the younger viewers with
Luc Besson’s Arthur u zemlji Minimoya (Arthur
And The Minimoys), Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2 and Pcelin film (Bee Movie) hitting the TV
screens.
15
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
Fund-raising football legend
The ‘Haribo Super RTL Golf Challenge 2010’ raised EUR 90,000 in donations for
charity – football legend Franz Beckenbauer and entertainer Thomas Gottschalk were
two main attractions.
Germany - 2 September 2010
A happy ‘Kaiser’
At the Haribo Charity Gala, Super RTL’s managing director Claude Schmit joined Haribo CEO
Dr. Hans Riegel in presenting a cheque for
75,000 EUR to the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation and a cheque for 15,000 EUR to the Fritz
Walter Foundation.
After the finals of the ‘Haribo Super RTL Golf
Challenge 2010’ – the world’s biggest junior
golf tournament – Haribo CEO Riegel hosted a
celebrity charity golf tournament, followed that
evening by a charity gala emceed by Thomas
Gottschalk. Numerous celebrities accepted the
invitation and demonstrated their social conscience, including Franz Beckenbauer, Jürgen
Kohler, Henry Maske, Lars Riedel and Roger
Lewentz, State Secretary at the RhinelandPalatinate State Ministry of Interior and Sports.
Celebrity chef Horst Lichter treated the guests to
an exquisite five-course menu, served to musical
accompaniment provided by DJ Ötzi and Heino.
The funds raised from the gala, tombola and
golf tournament, along with a generous donation
from Hans Riegel and Super RTL, will go to the
Franz Beckenbauer Foundation, which helps
people with physical or mental disabilities and
those who have fallen on hard times through no
fault of their own, and to the Fritz Walter Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting junior
football talent.
16
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3
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
Again number one
RTL.fr, the French radio station’s website, was once again the most popular homepage
of its kind in July.
France - 26 August 2010
‘Honky Tonk Pirates’: first 3D Production
Die Wilden Kerle meets Pirates of the Caribbean: UFA Cinema and Joachim
Masannek launch an ambitious movie project.
Germany - 26 August 2010
A strike force targeting a new product
To mark the new Office 2010 Suite’s end-of-summer campaign, M6 Publicité Digital
joins Microsoft France and Mediabrands/UM to offer a special and powerful operation
entirely designed for web media and benefiting from the media know-how of Groupe
M6.
France - 27 August 2010
A new look and a new channel for Neighbours
FremantleMedia Australia’s television soap opera Neighbours will have an exciting
new home in 2011, when it becomes the flagship programme for Channel Eleven,
Ten’s new digital channel.
Australia - 30 August 2010
A culinary trip through New Zealand
New show Herman’s Kookeiland (Herman’s Cook Island) where teams of two test
their culinary abilities outdoors, in the New Zealand desert, premiered on RTL 4
on 31 August at 21:30.
Netherlands - 31 August 2010
18
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
Off to a good start: The new season of Wer wird Millionär?
As many as 7.47 million viewers tuned in for the first of four double episodes
to kick off the season. The free mobile app to accompany the show has passed
the million-downloads mark.
Germany - 31 August 2010
Excluding no one: M6 makes a commitment
For the first time, the channel will broadcast a programme with audio description so
that visually impaired viewers can also enjoy an excellent evening of television.
France - 1 September 2010
A new talent show for Switzerland
Grundy Schweiz AG, a subsidiary of the German Grundy Light Entertainment group,
will produce the premier season of the new talent show Die grössten Schweizer
Talente (Switzerland’s Greatest Talent) this year. DJ Bobo will be one of the judges.
Switzerland - 1 September 2010
The German TV market in August
After the Football World Cup, RTL Television’s viewer market share rose to a solid 17.0
per cent again in August. RTL Television and Vox jointly landed a new hit last month
with The X Factor.
Germany - 2 September 2010
Grundy Light Entertainment sets up an Austrian subsidiary
Grundy Light Entertainment has announced the establishment of a new subsidiary,
Grundy Austria GmbH, which will be headquartered in Vienna as of immediately.
Germany - 2 September 2010
19
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
People
Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager withdraw
from management
Germany - 27 August 2010
Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager, the founders of the Wer-kennt-wen.de social network
Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager, the founders of
the Wer-kennt-wen.de social network, stepped
down from the company’s management with
effect from 1 September 2010.
RTL Interactive began providing financial and
technical support to the Wer-kennt-wen.de
social network early on and acquired a 49 per
cent stake in the company at the beginning of
2008. In early 2009, the RTL subsidiary bought
Wer-kennt-wen.de outright. The founders have
since continued the platform independently as
its managing directors. At the same time, they
carefully integrated the network in the online
portfolio RTL Interactive had developed for
Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.
Sönke Strahmann, who has served as Head of
Marketing & Finances and sat on the board of
Wer-kennt-wen.de since the beginning of 2008,
will take on the position of managing director
for the interim, until a successor is determined.
Ohler and Jager will continue to serve the
company in a consultative capacity.
Marc
Schröder,
Managing
Director
of
RTL Interactive, comments: “Patrick and Fabian
did a phenomenal job and with their team built
one of Germany’s largest social networks within
just four years.”
Patrick Ohler: “Since we first had the idea of
Wer-kennt-wen.de in summer 2006, we have
been privileged and excited to witness how
the platform and its user pool rapidly grew to
8.5 million registered members – that’s one
in every ten Germans. It was an eventful and
edifying time for us.”
Fabian Jager: “We are proud of being able to
hand over a company after four years that has
been profitable and thus commercially successful for some time now.“
20
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
People
Yves Bigot
Yves Bigot, currently Assistant General Manager
in charge of programmes at Endemol and former
Programme Director at France 2 and RTBF, will
join the RTL Radio France teams as Station and
Programme Director in the coming weeks.
Christopher Baldelli, Chairman of RTL Radio’s
Executive Board, has decided to organise the
RTL Radio station into two main departments:
first, news, which since 2004 has been under
the authority of Jacques Esnous, who is also a
member of the Executive Board, and second,
the station and programmes, whose responsibility will be handed over to Yves Bigot.
Hervé Béroud will soon be leaving his duties as
RTL Radio’s Editorial Director and will not be
replaced. News Director Jacques Esnous will
henceforth rely on the support of the Deputy
Editors-in-Chief, Catherine Mangin and JeanMichel Aphatie, to run RTL Radio’s editorial
department.
Yves Bigot
France - 31 August 2010
Yves Bigot, 55, is a seasoned professional in radio and television. A host, director, programmer
and journalist, he previously worked at Europe 1
(1973-90), and then at France Inter (1990-92).
His expertise in the area of music and entertainment, which led to the creation of many reference
works, also led him to exercise responsibilities at
Canal Plus, BBC (1988-92), Fnac music production (1992-94) and Phonogram-Mercury (199497). In 1998, he joined France Télévisions as
Unit Director of variety, game show and entertainment programmes (1998-2004), subsequently
working as Programme Director at France 2
(2004-05) and as Deputy Managing Director in
charge of the station and programmes at France
4 (2005-06). In 2006, the RTBF recruited him as
Director of Stations and Programmes for RTBF
and Arte Belgique (2006-08). Since 2008, Yves
Bigot has served as Deputy Managing Director
in charge of programmes at Endemol.
In another press release, RTL Radio announced
that Frédéric Jouve, member of its Executive
Committee will soon step down as the station’s
Director of Entertainment programmes. The
press release states: “RTL would like to thank
Frédéric Jouve for accomplishing his mission
during the last four years and would like to wish
him the utter best for his future plans.”
21
the RTL Group intranet
week 35
People
Bernhard zu Castell
Germany - 2 September 2010
Bernhard zu Castell (38) has been appointed
managing director of Universum Film with effect
from 1 September 2010.
In his new position, Bernhard zu Castell will
continue to report to Dirk Schweitzer (Head of
Program Acquisitions & Sales at RTL Television), who is stepping down as interim managing
director of Universum Film, a role he had taken
on at the beginning of the year.
After earning an engineering degree in Stuttgart
and an MBA from Munich TU, zu Castell began
his career at the Kirch Group before joining RTL
Interactive’s business development department
in 2004 after various other stations in the media
industry. In July 2006, he was appointed chief
financial director at Universum Film.
Dirk Schweitzer, (Head of Program Acquisitions
& Sales at RTL Television, says: “In his time as
chief financial officer, Bernhard zu Castell played
a formative role in the successful development
of Universum Film. He showed that he is not
only capable of steering and optimising the
financial side of a company’s operations, but in
fact earned recognition in the market and among
his colleagues with his proven professional skills
in all areas, in both the film distribution and the
Home Entertainment business. I am pleased
that we were able to recruit an expert from within
our own ranks for this exciting position.”
22
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