Building Friendships Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager on the Social Network “Wer-Kennt-Wen”

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Newsletter 27 March 2008 Building Friendships Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager on the social network “Wer-kennt-wen”

United Kingdom Five Life becomes Fiver FremantleMedia presents its MIPTV state American Idol helps Fox reign supreme Germany RTL Television renews its afternoon schedule People Johannes Züll leaves Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland Building Friendships Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager on the social network “Wer-kennt-wen”

COVER: Screenshot of the Wer-kennt-wen.de website, Patrick Ohler (left) and Fabian Jager

‘‘It's all about finding friends’’ RTL Interactive owns a 49 per cent interest in the social network Wer-kennt-wen.de. The community numbers 1.7 million members and is growing faster than virtually any other network. Backstage interviewed the website's co-founders Fabian Jager (25) and Patrick Ohler (26). Fabian Jager Germany - 27 March 2008

The sustained success of Wer-kennt-wen.de is Why should anyone register with Wer-kennt- based on the idea of reflecting real life on the wen.de? Internet, because all the website’s members register using their real names. That makes it Patrick: Because doing so will give them a easy to search for old friends and acquaintan- chance to get in touch with long-lost friends, ces, which is one of the most frequently used acquaintances, colleagues and of course us, as functions on Wer-kennt-wen.de. Anyone, except well as enable them to forge new contacts and youngsters under 14 years of age can register organise theme-based communities. with the website for free, whether trainees, students, housewives, employees, self-employed How can they sign up? individuals or pensioners. The page layout deliberately points users to the site's main functions Fabian: We designed Wer-kennt-wen.de as a so that even Internet novices can quickly and closed system, so to join you have to be invited easily find their way around. by a member. For instance, RTL employees may have friends or colleagues who have already The range of topics covered is also as close to registered and can invite them to sign up. In reality as possible. In addition to covering the- addition, our homepage offers would-be mem- mes such as sport, music, cars, culture, careers bers the option of being invited by other users by and hobbies, to name but a few, in groups, clicking on the ‘Lass Dich jetzt einladen!’ (Get forums and chat rooms the website's users also yourself invited to join!) link. exchange their views on topical social issues.

In the meantime, Patrick Ohler and Fabian Jager have gained their credentials as computer visua- Backstage is giving away five Wer-kennt- lists and are working all out from Cologne along wen.de sets (comprising a coffee mug, with a large body of new colleagues to continue pens, a key ring, various badges and a developing their social network. Backstage lighter). To enter the draw, just send an spoke to the two co-founders about the success e-mail with your work address and the of Wer-kennt-wen.de. mention ‘Wer kennt Wen’ to: [email protected].

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Put simply, how does Wer-kennt-wen.de How do your friends, the first users of Wer- actually work? kennt-wen.de, feel about your transformation into businessmen? Fabian: Wer-kennt-wen.de is all about establi- shing new contacts and finding old friends on Fabian: Our friends and families have always the Internet. Anyone can register for free once supported our Wer-kennt-wen.de project. As its they have been invited by a member. To set up a first members they are part of its roots, and it is user profile, you must be 14 years or older, and only thanks to them that the community could provide your real name and an active e-mail grow this big. Naturally they’re also rather proud address. All members have access to the same of owning one of the first accounts and being at features, so they can get to know other users, the top of our virtual family tree. send and receive messages, set up photo albums, chat, write blogs, contribute to forums, Do you see yourselves as entrepreneurs or as and so on. computer mapping experts?

How did you hit upon your business idea? Fabian: Our degree gave us the basic expertise we needed to become the entrepreneurs we are Fabian: At the time, we were working on our today. At the moment, we’re benefiting from degrees in computer mapping and wanted to being able to combine both roles, which enables put a project of our own into practice. We had us to face up, in particular, to the major techno- the idea for a social network while queuing up in logical challenges we face. the cafeteria: we deliberately set out to create not a thematic network, but rather a social net- How has your life changed over the past year, work, a network for everyone. Wer-kennt- or rather since you graduated? wen.de aims to reflect real life in all its diversity, including its social complexity and everyday Patrick: We have less free time and more res- topics. ponsibility, both for our project and for our employees. These days, we are celebrating our What made you decide to study what you successes as a sizeable team. We now have a did? staff of 22.

Patrick: The thing about the course that appea- Is Wer-kennt-wen.de changing other peo- led to us most was its multidisciplinary aspect, ple’s lives? because the students taking it don’t just ‘do computer science’, but also attend relevant lec- Patrick: Yes, we constantly receive e-mails from tures and seminars on educational science, psy- users about how much their lives have changed chology, philosophy, art and design, which gives thanks to Wer-kennt-wen.de. One user got back them a real chance to look beyond the confines in touch with the first love of their life through the of ‘pure’ computer science. website and now they are together again after 20 years. In another case a woman found her birth Did you two also meet each other on the mother through Wer-kennt-wen.de. Web?

Fabian: No, in the real world, at a birthday party during what was our second year at the University of Koblenz.

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FremantleMedia well prepared for MIPTV 2008 FremantleMedia delivers blockbuster slate with game shows and reality formats leading the pack.

United Kingdom - 27 March 2008

FremantleMedia is launching a formidable line- One of the sure-fire ratings hits is Family Links, up which suggests that game shows and reali- just acquired from Sweden’s Metronome ty formats will be the big prime-time winners Group. This show will be produced and rolled dominating schedules over the year ahead. out worldwide. It is a highly adaptable, multige- Password, The Big Give, Family Links, and Your nerational family quiz show with major poten- Price or Mine lead a sensational slate with tial. It draws on strategy, suspense and also strong global potential. tests family dynamics, as teams work to answer questions and win dream prizes taken from Rob Clark, FremantleMedia’s Senior Executive their own personal wish list. With questions Vice President, Entertainment and Production, tapping into popular culture across the board, Worldwide Entertainment , said: “Broadcasters this game show format will be fresh and rele- always want the next big hit, but at the moment vant to viewers across all cultures. we see they are focused on balancing the schedules. They need the blockbuster formats Already delivering amazing ratings for TV3 in but they also want a variety of shows. They Denmark, Your Price or Mine is the voyeur’s need to hit everyone’s sweet spot and be dream. We all love peeking inside other peo- representative of their audience and their chan- ple’s houses and enjoy to knowing what they ging tastes. So this season’s slate has it all. We paid for everything. This quiz show allows its have big shows with blockbuster finales; family audience to do just that, letting contestants game shows with passion and prizes; reality with contrasting tastes and backgrounds check formats with cut-throat competition, and gen- out each others’ houses and guess how much tler feel-good shows with positive role models. their prized possessions are worth. Capturing We have some truly great formats across all many of the winning elements that made The genres, boasting real global appeal”. Price is Right such a bankable winner, Your Price or Mine also adds elements of ‘taste’ to Password, commissioned by CBS in the USA, create a game show format that will be a great is the show where contestants can win big- new platform for a wide range of audiences money prizes with just one word. The format around the globe. has the perfect mix of tension, drama, top celebrities and big money. Mixing celebrity and contestant involvement, the show has a unique edge against the competition, can be adapted to many markets and has huge global potential.

The Big Give is the breakout success for 2007 on ABC in the USA that has created a new reality genre. It involves a reality-based competition, where giving is everything. The more a contestant gives, the better their chance of winning. FremantleMedia has both tape and format rights to the show, which has tension, passion, drama and gives viewers a big feel- good factor.

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Five Life becomes Fiver Five Life is to be renamed Fiver and get a com- pletely new on- and off-air look and air a mix of established programmes and new shows. United Kingdom - 21 March 2008

This is the first wave in the refresh initiative that all tabloid magazine DirtNow. Fiver has also acqui- the Five brands are undergoing and is the first red from CBS Paramount International Television, major project since Lisa Opie, Five’s Managing every episode of all series of the iconic, multi- Director of Content, assumed responsibility for award-winning series Sex and the City. In addi- Marketing late last year. Opie said: “I’m really tion, Fiver has secured Madventures, a high- excited about Fiver. Its new position will comple- impact travel adventure series which sees its two ment the Five family perfectly. It’s absolutely the presenters, Riku and Tunna, go off in search of right time to refresh the channel’s identity to bet- destinations and activities which are so extreme ter reflect its development in content. Fiver is the that no travel series has ever had the courage to first step toward an invigorated and refreshed attempt covering them before. portfolio”. Starting end of Apeil, the new on-air look is based Director of Programmes for Fiver and Five US, on a constantly moving cursor delivering unpre- Hannah Barnes, said: “I’m really pleased with the dictive text to the viewer, drawing on popular cul- evolution of Five Life. The channel has enjoyed ture and changing to reflect seasonal and topical considerable success since its launch 18 months events. The interface is energetic and colourful, ago, and the time is right to build on that success using a wide range of bright colours. Five develo- with an exciting raft of new programming. Fiver ped the revised brand strategy in conjunction with will hold on to the best bits of Life, but be youn- strategic brand consultancy Dave, which is part of ger, faster and louder”. the Engine Group.

Fiver has secured Celebrity Rehab, the hit US series from VH1, where nine drug and alcohol- addicted celebrities check into a rehabilitation facility in an effort to conquer their demons. Glamour’s Best Dressed List also joins the line- up. The five-part series made by Target TV follows a year of fashion highs and lows, providing archi- ve images and the stories behind the snaps, and featuring a host of guests giving their views on last year’s fabulous and not-so-fabulous followers of fashion. The acclaimed Dirt returns for a second series, with Courteney Cox back in the role as Lucy Spiller, editor-in-chief of the glossy

Sex and the City

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Tough, but likeable On 5 May 2008, RTL Television will start airing a new afternoon schedule with a controversial talk show, an unsual documentary series and a turbulent quiz show. Natascha Zuraw Germany - 27 March 2008

Starting at 15.00 on 5 May, the daily talk show the show will also feature, say, cranky luxury Natascha Zuraw will follow a radically new campers in the Ruhr Valley or pig-headed concept, covering more than one topic, being owners of pet reptiles living in houses shared controversial and confrontational. On each edi- by several tenants. tion of the programme, the 31-year-old presenter Natascha Zuraw will introduce up to five At 17.00, Wolfram Kons will host the new daily guests, each of whom has a particularly provo- quiz show Einer gegen Hundert (One Against a cative opinion. Her guests will sit in the centre Hundred), in which a single contestant will take of a circular studio arena and answer questions on 100 opponents in a bid to win 100,000 euro. put to them by the audience. Any question that With this show, Endemol and RTL Television viewers at home would like to ask will be pas- will be broadcasting a successful prime-time sed on by their representatives in the studio format established in many countries, including audience. Natascha Zuraw will chair the deba- the USA and Great Britain. The set is sump- te with a firm hand, but is expected to also tuous, and this charming, witty show will have show understanding. She will also take a clear a classy feel to it as it makes its daytime debut. stand on various issues. She is tough, but also Among the 100 opponents will be groups of likeable, a natural, modern presenter - the kind people representing various professions and of person whom viewers would like to count types (including tattooists, barbers and boun- among their friends. On each show a very wide cers), as well as ‘brainiacs’ (including Jugend range of guests will be allowed to have their forscht prizewinners, winners of Wer wird say. Their statements will range from “I weigh Millionär? and headmasters) and various cele- 142 kg and love being a professional stripper” brities (including Peter Kloeppel, Anja to “Before someone does the dirty on me, I Lukaseder, Frauke Ludowig and Ross Antony). sock them”; or “Even as a retired 65-year-old I The opponents will make life difficult for the can get any young woman I want”. contestants difficult by providing misleading answers, because they too have their sights set At 16.00 RTL Television will present its new on winning the cash prize. documentary series Mitten im Leben!, covering rousing stories from everyday life in Germany - “Starting in May, at every hour of the afternoon courageous steps towards a better future, wea- we’ll be offering viewers very clear alternatives ring family conflicts, and moving encounters to what's currently on offer”, said RTL Head of with hard-luck stories. The marginal lifestyles Entertainment Tom Sänger, referring to the new chosen by committed individuals that get programmes RTL Television has lined up. neighbours talking about them and often cause plenty of friction, will also be amply covered. So

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American Idol helps Fox reign supreme Season 7 of American Idol regularly attracts more viewers per episode than its four main competitors - CBS, ABC, NBC and The CW - combined. United Kingdom - 21 March 2008

With an audience of 33.4 million viewers, the So far, American Idol 7 has attained a peak premiere of American Idol on Tuesday 15 overall market share of 26.3 per cent and a 32.5 January 2008 is the highest rated show in the per cent audience share amongst the key com- US for the 2007/08 season so far (excluding mercial target of adults aged 18 to 49, surpas- sport). sing Fox's prime-time average by 229 per cent and 225 per cent for these two groups respec- Averaging 28.4 million viewers to date, the tively. seventh season of American Idol is the number one series of the ongoing 2007/08 season At the moment, for the first time in five years across all networks and consistently ranks first CBS is on the verge of being ousted from the in its time slot across all key demographic top ratings slot (for total viewers) – by Fox, groups. thanks to the popularity of American Idol.

American Idol Jury: Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and presenter Ryan Seacrest

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Seeking for new talent Grundy Light Entertainment is casting for ZDF’s Musical-Showstar 2008. Casting of Musical-Showstar 2008 Germany - 27 March 2008

At the casting sessions for ZDF’s new evening Chicago and Jenny in Brecht's show Musical-Showstar 2008 in three German Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera). cities, namely Duisburg, Munich and Bremen, The other jury member, Alexander Goebel, is an the professional jury is assessing the talents actor, entertainer, rock singer, theatre director of 2,500 would-be performers. and presenter. He too has appeared in some prestigious musical productions, including Das Highlights of the casting sessions will be aired Phantom der Oper (The Phantom of the Opera), daily on ZDF at 19.25 between 31 March and 3 and various theatre and film productions. April. On the big live shows broadcast at 20.15 on 9 and 16 April and in the grand final scree- Voting by phone, ZDF viewers will decide which ned at 21.15 on 18 April the selected 10 candi- of the talented performers will make it into the dates will perform once again in front of the jury final and ultimately get to play the lead roles of and be assessed by it. The contestants will aim Rusty and Pearl in Starlight Express. The major to impress both the jury and viewers with their casting show will be hosted by Thomas own interpretation of a famous song taken from Gottschalk. a musical. Musical-Showstar 2008 will be produced by Uwe Kröger, Katja Ebstein and Alexander Grundy Light Entertainment, which is owned by Goebel have checked out the credentials of all the UFA Group in Germany and worldwide by the contestants, whether professionals, semi- FremantleMedia. professionals or amateurs, namely their singing, dancing and acting talents. All three jury members are seasoned showbiz professionals. Uwe Kröger was the first German to play Rusty in Starlight Express and has star- red in countless other musicals, including Elisabeth, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. The multi- talented Katja Ebstein from Berlin has also played the lead in a musical, singing Roxi Hart in

Thomas Gottschalk will present the Musical-Showstar 2008 8 week 13 the RTL Group intranet

Animation and motivation Super RTL presents new children’s topics at ‘Day of Licenses 2008’. Germany - 25 March 2008

At the 5th Day of Licenses on 26 March 2008 in Cologne, the children’s market leader Super RTL presented popular new license franchises and showed how an attractive TV programme and bespoke marketing strategies successfully complement each other.

The British-Canadian animated series Harry & His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs is watched by an average 48.9 percent of little TV viewers (3-6 years). Children dealt with their favourite series characters in a drawing contest under the hea- ding ‘Draw us your most beautiful Easter dino- saur egg’, which Super RTL promoted with TV commercials and on the Internet. In autumn, Harry products including stuffed animals, clo- thing, home textiles and a magazine to accom- pany the series will be shipped to German retai- lers.

The stop-frame animation series Rupert Bear draws an average 52 percent of the 3- to 6- year-old viewer market. In May, the bear’s love of nature will make it the centre of attention at the “Birds in the Garden” hour. Rupert Bear will join the German Society for Nature Conservation, with the support of German Environment Ministry in motivating children all over Germany to take action to protect animals. The lovable bear will also gain entry to nurse- ries and playrooms soon – first merchandising Harry & his bucket full of dinosaurus products will be in stores within the year.

Super RTL will cater to young viewers and licensing partners alike with two other new series this year. On 3 May, a classic of the action entertainment realm makes its debut in a fascinating new incarnation: Transformers Animated marks the next round of stories about the peaceful Autobots and their opponents, the evil Decepticons. Super RTL will show the 2D series weekly and recently became the licence agent for the brand, which caters primarily to boys 5 to 9 years old. The second half of the year will see the launch on Toggolino of the gripping animated series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! This innovative format with extremely high recall values is equally popular with boys and girls and calls on them to join in the show and sing along. 9 week 13 the RTL Group intranet

Dutch-style Desperate Housewives On 25 March 2008, RTL-TVI started broadcasting the new series Jardins secrets, which is a French version of the Dutch take on Desperate Housewives: Gooische Vrouwen. Belgium - 25 March 2008

RTL Television persuades viewers to rise early Up to 5.45 million Formula One fans defied Easter Sunday tradition to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix live on RTL Television. Germany - 26 March 2008

TV film about Scientology drop-out in the pipeline SWR and Teamworx are producing the first German television film to look critically at Scientology. The film is to be aired as part of ARD’s Filmmittwoch (Film Wednesday) strand. Germany -26 March 2008

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People Johannes Züll leaves Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland Johannes Züll Germany - 26 March 2008

Johannes Züll will leave the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland as from 30 June 2008. He decided to redirect his career by accepting the position of managing director of the German activities of the media agency Aegis Media.

Since 2002 Johannes Züll has been working for different stations of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, among others, as managing director of N-TV, his last position having been that of managing director of RTL Interactive. His responsibilities included moreover the Group’s corporate development. Anke Schäferkordt, President of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, said “I would like to most since- rely thank Johannes Züll for his extraordinary commitment in the various positions he filled within our media group and for the loyal coope- ration. I regret that he has taken the decision to leave and wish him all the best in his future career.”

Anke Schäferkordt has personally informed the employees of RTL Interactive, as well as of the upcoming changes at management level. The appointment of a new manager will not lead to organisational changes. Backstage will inform you of the appointment of an external succes- sor in the weeks to come.

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People Five names Ben Gale as new Director of Programmes Ben Gale United Kingdom - 26 March 2008

Ben Gale, currently the BBC’s Commissioning Editor for Features and Formats, will take up his new post, overseeing programming for the broadcaster’s core channel, later this year.

Five’s Managing Director, Content, Lisa Opie, said: “I’m delighted that we have secured such a talented and creative executive as Ben to this key role at the channel. This is a tremendously exciting time at Five, both in terms of creativity and ratings success, and I know Ben is the right person to take the main channel onto even greater heights.”

Ben Gale said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Five. The channel has enjoyed a great start to the year and I can’t wait to become part of the Five team and help to build on that success.”

As the BBC’s Commissioning Editor for Features and Formats, Gale was responsible for Nigella Express, Heston Blumenthal’s Perfection and Indian Food Made Easy on BBC Two and re-launching Crimewatch on BBC One. Before being promoted to his current role at the BBC in January 2007 Gale was Executive Producer for Features and Documentaries. His credits included: The Baby Borrowers, Mischief, The Real Hustle and Bafta-winner, The Choir.

Gale joined the BBC in November 2004 from independent production company Wall To Wall where he was Series Editor of the first series of Who Do You Think You Are? Prior to that he spent five years at Lion TV making factual entertainment series for UK and US networks.

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