Share to Stay Number One the RTL Group Finance Meeting 2012
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28 June 2012 week 26 Share to stay number one The RTL Group Finance Meeting 2012 Luxembourg France / Spain IP Network publishes Fun Radio International Television expands to Spain Key Facts Germany Spain A new jury for Antena 3 is Spain’s most Das Supertalent responsible TV channel week 26 Cover: Elmar Heggen, Chief Financial Offi cer of RTL Group 2 week 26 Shared finance, fun and strategy Around 100 fi nance executives from across RTL Group met in Jodoigne, Belgium, for the Finance Meeting 2012, hosted by Elmar Heggen, CFO and Head of the Corporate Centre of RTL Group. Over two days, the participants shared fi nance-related experience and know-how, networked and gained insights into the review of RTL Group’s corporate strategy, which was presented by the Group’s Co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch. Luxembourg - 28 June 2012 Elmar Heggen kicking off the Finance Meeting 2012 in Jodoigne, Belgium After a welcome dinner with speeches from The leitmotif of the meeting clearly extended Elmar Heggen and Philippe Delusinne, CEO beyond the various presentations: networking of RTL Belgium, the packed agenda began and enjoying time together was never easier with a series of presentations on topics such than at the meeting’s impressive venue, the as investment decision processes, risk Grande Abbaye de La Ramée, situated in the management, incentive systems, compliance idyllic Belgian countryside. The site provided lots policies and future challenges in connection of cozy sitting rooms and living areas for informal with the International Financial Reporting exchanges and plenty of opportunities for joint Standards (IFRS). “The ‘strapline’ for the 2012 outdoor activities, from table tennis to football. Finance Meeting was ‘Share to stay number Clearly inspired by the European football one’,” explains Elmar Heggen. “All the championship, some participants even presentations were based around this theme, organised nightly football matches with the following our belief that we as a Group will be Belgian ‘red devils’ beating their French even stronger if we can share our experience colleagues in one of these late night games. and know-how, whether at business unit level or Group level.” RTL Group CFO Elmar Heggen kicked off the fi rst day of the meeting by reviewing the Group’s fi nancial development over the past 3 week 26 Anke Schäferkordt – © Bob Karman ten years. While the years 2002 to 2006 were content business; develop new growth engines; characterised by strong revenue and EBITA and continue the digital transformation of the TV growth, the period from 2007 to 2011 was and radio business. marked by overall stagnating revenue in a diffi cult macro-economic environment. Schäferkordt began by focussing on the However, the Group’s EBITA continued to development of RTL Group’s existing core grow by a compound annual growth rate of broadcasting businesses. She said: “Yes, the 6.0 per cent from 2007 to 2011. “This growth broadcasting business is fairly mature. But there in profi tability came from two key factors: fi rst, advertising market share gains in our core markets Germany, France and the Netherlands – driven by our strong audience performance – and second increased effi ciency through cost control,” explained Heggen. With profi t margins at record highs at most of RTL Group’s families of channels, and volatile, largely mature TV and radio advertising markets, Heggen stressed the importance of fi nding the next growth drivers for the Group. “Continued cost control and a higher profi le for our Synergy Committees – with concrete results expected – will help, no doubt. But this will not be enough. The outlook for our current portfolio remains stable, but transformational growth is unlikely within the existing scope.” The responses to this challenge were presented during the morning of the second day, when Heggen welcomed RTL Group’s Co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch. In a two-hour session, they shared insights into the strategic review they have initiated since they took over in mid-April 2012. The Co-CEOs took turns talking about seven strategic themes with a focus on four strategic goals: to optimise the Group’s existing core business; grow the Guillaume de Posch – © Bob Karman 4 week 26 are several opportunities for growth as well as for further optimisation. This includes launching new channels such as RTL Nitro in Germany and Groupe M6’s planned new DTT free-to-air channel 6ter in France, but also the opportunity to develop platform revenues in certain countries.” Guillaume de Posch went on to speak about growth plans for FremantleMedia: “FremantleMedia is another jewel in our portfolio. The company has a tremendous reputation among all players in the production business, and all major competitors are trying to copy FremantleMedia’s business model – to create blockbuster formats, to roll them out across a global network, and to create and grow brand value.” Structural changes in the TV industry – above all the proliferation of new digital distribution platforms – represent mid-term growth opportunities for RTL Group’s content arm as they drive up the importance of owning and controlling rights. De Posch emphasised: “As a consequence, FremantleMedia will focus its investments on two goals: fuelling its pipeline of intellectual property and serving new digital audiences, for example with online verticals, Youtube channels or gaming.” After analysing RTL Group’s core business of broadcasting and content production, Participants during the team-building ‘rally’, Schäferkordt and de Posch turned to the featuring Citroën 2CVs – © Bob Karman overall topic of how the transformation to The Finance Meeting 2012 was complemented digital will affect the TV business – with by a popular team-building exercise – a ‘rally’ assessments of trends in non-linear video, online featuring iconic Citroën 2CVs in which the and mobile advertising. “Why is this important competing teams had to master various for us? Simply because we have to follow our navigation and know-how challenges – and viewers,” explained Schäferkordt. “For the time two presentations by external speakers. being, the growing non-linear viewing comes Ralf Hoffmann from Deutsche Bank gave an on top of linear usage and therefore does not instructive analysis about the Euro crisis, while cannibalise linear TV viewing. However, we have the former investment banker Rudolf Wötzel to actively shape this business and leverage our reported about his journey to a new life: how he strong brands.” left his banking job, at the pinnacle of his career, to cross the Alps by foot, from east to west, Securing rights; being available on all from Salzburg to Nice. “Being in a landscape screens and measuring all forms of viewing; on which you have zero infl uence is a formative establishing both paid-for and advertising- experience – it’s the best way to recalibrate your fi nanced on-demand models – these are some ego.” of the responses the management teams from Corporate and the business units are currently The RTL Group Finance Meeting 2012 was discussing and working on. “You start to under- organised by Josée Klein and Esther Pierard stand why two CEOs are needed – there are from HR Communications & Event Services so many themes to work upon,” summarised with help from Andrew Buckhurst and Carole Guillaume de Posch with a smile. Buttignol. 5 week 26 Television Key Facts 2012 confirms world’s passion for TV IP Network and RTL Group present their 2012 edition of International Television Key Facts, the key source of information on European television. Cover of the Key Facts study Luxembourg - 27 June 2012 For its 19th edition, the study produced with the aid of media experts across Europe, analyses emerging trends and issues in television in 2012, covering top programmes, equipment, audiences, and the advertising market in thirty-fi ve European countries, as well as the United States and Japan. People are spending more and more time in front of their televisions. Viewing time increased by two minutes per EU citizen per day to 230 minutes in 2011. France saw the Order biggest rise in viewing time per day in the full study at 2011 – plus 15 minutes – followed by Ireland at plus 13 minutes. The USA is still one IPNetwork.com of the countries where TV is watched most, at 290 minutes per person per day, but Serbia remains the leading country in the survey with 308 minutes. This rise is largely due to the increase in penetration of high-quality TV equipment as well as the increase in audiences for time-shifted viewing. 62.5 per cent of EU households have a HD TV set, while 9.9 per cent of households have a TV set with internet connectivity. More than 60 per cent of EU households own more than one TV set. Inside the booklet For the 2012 report, IP Network recruited David broadcasters), and Philippe Delusinne Brennan, an expert on European television, (CEO of RTL Belgium and President of as its editor-in-chief. Other experts involved in the Association of Commercial Television). compiling the report include Horst Stipp The report focuses on thefuture of television; (Vice President of the Advertising Research the impact and return on investment of Foundation), Patrick Barwise (President of TV advertising; new ways of calculating Which, the UK consumer rights organisation), audience share; young people and television; Tess Alps (chief executive of Thinkbox, new trends in programming and the impact of the UK’s marketing body for commercial social networking sites, among other issues. 6 week 26 A new jury for Das Supertalent Thomas Gottschalk will join pop titan Dieter Bohlen on the judging panel in the sixth season of RTL Television’s hit show series Das Supertalent (Got Talent). Michelle Hunziker has been named as the third judge.