week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Newsletter 3 July 2008 With the broadest appeal Ute Biernat on being one of Germany’s leading producers

United Kingdom FremantleMedia’s digital strategy explained Germany Spendenmarathon funds children daycare centre 2008 on private radio Nicolas de Tavernost on the French media reform With the broadest appeal Ute Biernat on being one of Germany’s leading producers

COVER: Ute Biernat Managing Director of Grundy Light Entertainment United Kingdom FremantleMedia’s digital strategy explained Germany Spendenmarathon funds children daycare centre Euro 2008 on private radio France Nicolas de Tavernost on the French media reform 2 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

“Motivated employees, creative potential, pro- fessional methods and teamwork” The 2007/2008 annual review (Saisoncheck) published by Kress, a service provider to the media and communication sector, lists the Top 100 regular programmes broadcast during the TV season. Grundy Light Entertainment reaches larger audiences than any other producer in Germany, attracting an average of 3.05 million viewers aged 14 to 49. Thomas Godoj Germany - 26 June 2008

According to Kress, no other production com- Top 100, crowning us the most successful TV pany managed to exceed the 3-million mark. producers. This year we came out top again, The UFA subsidiary owes its success primarily with our programmes drawing an average of to season five of the vastly popular casting over 3 million viewers and thus generating lar- show Deutschland sucht den Superstar (), ger audiences than our rivals. As we all know, whose auditions and live shows were included all good things come in threes, so we’ll defini- in the tally along with the result shows. tely be aiming to win pole position in the 2008/09 TV season as well! This year’s Kress rankings are based on the period between September 2007 and May What do you feel to be the main reason 2008. The Saisoncheck only lists TV formats behind this success? that had at least six episodes aired during the The four key criteria for success are: highly period under review. motivated employees; unbridled creative potential; professional production methods; In light of the production company’s leadership and perfectly smooth teamwork, both between status, Backstage asked Ute Biernat, Managing staff, and between Grundy LE and our custo- Director of Grundy Light Entertainment (Grundy mers, the broadcasters themselves. LE), about the formula for the success of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the new sea- Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), son of Das and the next steps in was one of our most succesful formats last Grundy LE’s strategic development. season. What do you think makes DSDS so successful and popular? The annual Saisoncheck published by Kress There are various components underpinning crowned Grundy Light Entertainment the the success of DSDS, which is currently the production company attracting the biggest biggest live show on German TV. Firstly, vie- audiences. What was your reaction to that wers love the interesting contestants and follo- result? wing the rivalry between them. Secondly, the Naturally we were very happy about the result show makes viewers feel that a totally normal of Kress’s rankings of production companies. individual ‘like you or me’ can become a super- Last year Kress listed the Top 100 programmes star. Genuine feelings expressed by real people regularly aired during the 2006/2007 TV sea- are what keep viewers hooked. son. Four of our productions made it into that 3 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

When will the new season of Das In addition, we have regional talent scouts wor- Supertalent () begin, and will any- king for us year-round, looking for interesting thing have changed since last year? contestants. You can look forward to a new season of starting this autumn, and the show What kinds of new formats can we expect has a very wide range of amusing, cranky and from Grundy Light Entertainment in the futu- extremely talented performers lined up for you. re? Unlike last year, this time there will be eight epi- We’re developing formats of various types. In sodes of the show instead of just three. comedy the trend is towards sketches and fake docusoaps. Otherwise, we’re developing How do you actually go about finding prime time shows designed to entertain the contestants for such a casting show? whole family. I’m also expecting a renaissance We have a very sophisticated system for fin- of the format. ding candidates, which we have developed over the past 10 years and can now apply How do the members of FremantleMedia’s anywhere in Europe. After all, the contestants international network cooperate with each are major contributors to virtually any show’s other? Put differently, how do you benefit success, especially where casting shows are from being part of that international net- concerned. Which is precisely why Grundy LE work? has its own internal casting department, whose Working together within FremantleMedia’s staff are professionals specially trained in that international network is highly beneficial for all domain. concerned. We’re regularly in touch with our colleagues worldwide and discuss the latest The auditions procedure is very individual for ideas and trends. Because an international each show. Naturally, the casting processes for exchange of views is absolutely essential for DSDS differ greatly from those for something the development of formats that can be sold all like Das Quiz mit Jörg Pilawa. over the world.

Usually we start with a casting call on TV, on FremantleMedia’s Million Dollar Password fran- the Internet or in ads. The contestants can then chise has been airing very successfully during apply by mail, online or – this is entirely new – prime time on CBS since 1 June. With a 10.5 by SMS. Following a first round of invitations, per cent market share in the 2+ demographic, we see whether the contestants are a good the show was number one in its timeslot. We match for the show, whether they are talented, are in touch with our colleagues at are likable, and what stories they have to tell. FremantleMedia and are in the process of sel- For the quiz, for instance, they take a multiple- ling the format on the German market. choice test on general educa- tion, so that we don’t just get "super-brains" on the show. Every programme lives by the diversity and the recognisability of its contestants.

Das Supertalent

4 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Grundy LE’s most successful formats Deutschland sucht den Superstar Broadcast by RTL Television (Germany)

The grand final of the fifth season of the popu- lar talent show aired by RTL Television was watched by as many as 6.55 million viewers. On average, 5.54 million viewers over 3 years of age (a market share of 20 per cent) and a highly impressive 30.9 per cent of 14- to 49- Das Quiz mit Jörg Pilawa year-olds (3.28 million) tuned in to watch the Broadcast by ARD (Germany) two finalists battle it out for the title. Preparations are currently under way for the In Das Quiz mit Jörg Pilawa pairs of contes- hit format’s sixth season, which is due to air on tants team up to play for big money prizes of RTL Television early in 2009. The contract with up to EUR 300,000. Anyone who’s in love, juror has already been extended engaged, married or related in some other way until 2012. can apply to take part in the show. Examples of teams include fathers and sons, grandmo- thers and granddaughters or even bosses and their secretaries. The likeable quizmaster puts these pairs through their paces four times a week on ARD, from Tuesdays to Fridays, star- ting at 19:20.

Das Supertalent Broadcast by RTL Television (Germany)

Das Supertalent is the casting show where absolutely anything is possible. Regardless of how cranky or crazy a talent may be, this is the show that gives everyone (or even performing animals) a chance to shine, whether they are solo performers or part of an act. Das Supertalent sets no limits. The audience of the 5 gegen 5 first season’s final of Das Supertalent on 3 Broadcast by SF () November 2007 peaked at 6 million. Casting is currently under way for the popular talent As the name suggests, 5 gegen 5 (5 against 5) show’s second season, which RTL Television pits two teams of five against each other. will air in the autumn. Teams may comprise members of a family, club or association, work colleagues, class- mates or neighbours. In fact, any kind of team can apply to appear on the show, the sole condition being that each must comprise five members.

The teams have to guess the most frequent answers emerging in a survey conducted Noch Besserwissen among 100 Swiss nationals on topics taken Broadcast by ProSieben (Germany) from everyday life. The team amassing the highest points score goes through to the final Grundy LE and Oliver Welke go off in search of round to play for 3,000 Swiss francs. Each odd facts and trivia. Noch Besserwissen – die team is allowed to defend its title four times, große Show des unnützen Wissens is a home- and if it reaches a fifth final the stakes are rai- grown comedy quiz. sed to 30,000 Swiss francs.

5 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

“A fantastic time for content creators and distributors” At a conference in London, Christian Schneider- Sickert, Director of Operations and Strategy for FremantleMedia, explained the production group’s strategy as regards content for new digital platforms. Christian Schneider-Sickert United Kingdom - 27 June 2008

‘The Future of Broadcasting’ was the title of the ducts fit to our brands.” This brand-oriented two-day conference held in London last week. mindset is deeply rooted in FremantleMedia’s Alongside presentations by high-ranking exe- corporate culture: “We think about our content cutives of British channels ITV, BSkyB, BBC first and foremost as brands, not just as TV pro- and Channel 4, there was a debate on how the grammes”. role of content producers will change in the digital age. Schneider-Sickert described the creation of exclusive new content for the new platforms as This was when Christian Schneider-Sickert the third pillar of the strategy – and also as the introduced FremantleMedia’s strategy for digi- biggest challenge, as there is no established tal platforms, which is based on three pillars. business model for this activity yet. Firstly, the company will ensure that existing FremantleMedia has announced several new video content is distributed across all new digi- projects in recent weeks, such as an online tal platforms (‘Repurpose’), whether via iTunes, series for young parents, which will be available YouTube or websites for well-known formats on the British website iVillage from this autumn, like American Idol, Got Talent or The X Factor. or a partnership with the American video plat- According to Schneider-Sickert, the site form Heavy.com. Americanidol.com got over a billion hits during its most recent season, and the website Christian Schneider-Sickert summed up the FremantleMedia Enterprises created for situation as follows: “There’s no doubt about it Britain’s Got Talent received twice as many – the digital age presents us with many new visits as the year before. He believes that “an challenges. And yet it is a fantastic time for excellent online team is just as important as content creators and distributors, especially for excellent showrunners these days”. companies that already have strong content brands and know how to build up new ones”. The second area of focus for the strategy is the expansion of brands beyond video activities (‘Extend’), for example through online and mobile games, a slot machine branded with the legendary game show or an American Idol Summer Camp for promising young talents. “There are two decisive factors here: on the one hand, we, as content produ- cers, must build up new business relations with these activities. On the other hand, we need to think long and hard about which licensed pro-

6 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Spendenmarathon: Katia Saalfrank opens daycare centre for street children in “Super Nanny” Katia Saalfrank travelled to Klaipeda, Lithuania, to open a long-awai- ted children’s daycare centre realised with EUR 777,988 in donations from the RTL Television Spendenmarathon 2006 and the help of the UNESCO Foundation. Germany - 30 June 2008

The centre is a place where the poorest of the poor can go, the children and teenagers who live on the street or on rubbish tips, without any kind of future prospects.

Katia Saalfrank was delighted to see the chan- ges that have occurred since her last visit in 2006: “I am quite thrilled about the house that has been built here in Klaipeda. The people here take care of the children, some of whom come from extremely difficult situations, with a great deal of commitment and love. The centre is a place where existential necessities are met, such as warm food and hygiene for the chil- dren, and where child-friendly encouragement and assistance are provided so that children can be creative in their free time, doing such things as drawing and building.”

Klaipeda, a city of around 190,000 on the Baltic coast, is fraught with unemployment and poverty. More and more children are growing up in completely run-down families. Their day- to-day existence is dominated by violence and hunger, with no prospect of a normal, orderly life. Katia Saalfrank empathises deeply with the children’s situation. In RTL Television’s Die Super Nanny, the experienced child therapist helps mothers and fathers to understand their children and to change the general state of their families. Katia Saalfrank visiting the daycare centre in Klaipeda The new daycare centre gives children and teenagers a refuge where they get what they need for a new beginning: regular meals, emer- gency medical services, and clothing. They learn things that no one at home can model for them, develop relationships with reliable care- givers and self-confidence, as a fundamental prerequisite for leading an independent, res- ponsible life. Another extremely important fac- tor: the chance to even go to school and get an education or vocational training. 7 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

“Entertain, inform, educate”: a new reform is on the move in France but the vision of M6 remains the same. CEO and chairman of the Management Board of Groupe M6, Nicolas de Tavernost was the guest on Friday 27 June on Le Talk on LeFigaro.fr, just two days after the President of the Republic had received the conclusions of the Commission Copé on the future of public service broadcasting. France - 2 July 2008

During this wide ranging conversation with the tunity” for public service broadcas- journalist Anne Fulda, Nicolas de Tavernost ting. “I’d say that this is a golden refused to consider the future cut (January opportunity for public service TV 2009) and then complete ban (in 2012) of TV which will benefit from two advertising on public service television as a gift things: firstly, guaranteed reve- read more on from the government to the private networks. nues and secondly, the freedom Backstage He noted that the idea was not a new one and from any advertising constraints and that, in 1999, a socialist minister had already after 20:00 which will enable started this reform which will just bring France them to have more effective pro- lefigaro.fr onto the same level as Germany. For Nicolas de gramming”. Of course the private Tavernost, this reform is quite clear: public tele- networks will benefit from an increa- vision must be financed by public funds and se in the advertising hourly volume (up private TV networks by advertising revenues. from six to nine minutes) and a second break This makes for an unambiguous and simple during the films, but this additional advertising situation which will restore a real balance bet- manna will have to be shared between nume- ween the two TV networks. rous rivals since France has moved on from four to 18 free-to-air private channels. Regarding the appointment of the future CEO of France Télévisions (appointed by the execu- tive board after formal agreement by the CSA, higher council for the audiovisual sector, and a majority vote in parliament), Nicolas de Tavernost noted that without the support of their majority shareholders, managers had very little room to manoeuvre. For an effective deve- lopment policy, stability is essential. In the twenty years that he has been running his group, Nicolas de Tavernost has seen seven public service broadcasting CEOs come and go. With such a turnover, it is hard to launch any long term strategy.

Turning to the operational aspects, Anne Fulda raised the question of the inevitable time shift that will result when advertising is banned on the public network. After its 20:00 evening news, at around 20:35, France 2 will be able to start its evening prime time programmes which, until now, did not start before 20:50 because of the mandatory advertising slot. Nicolas de Tavernost sees this as an “extraordinary oppor- Nicolas de Tavernost 8 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

The Euro 2008 on the Radio - without interruptions! Coordinated by RCB Radio Center , 18 commercial German radio stations reported live – and more importantly without technical mishaps – from the European football championship in and Switzerland. Presenting: an impressive track record. Germany - 2 Julu 2008

A total of 50 reporters covered the we would have been able to continue our com- championship from Switzerland, Austria and mentary by phone directly and without delay. Berlin, reaching over 20 million listeners a day We had accounted for emergencies like this in and more than 4 million listeners in an average advance.” hour. Comprehensive radio coverage ensured that no one had to go without any of the 31 matches and thrilling highlights of the Euro 2008. The team of 105’5 Spreeradio’s morning show Jochen Trus am Morgen was live on the ground and broadcast exclusively from the hotel where the German team was staying in Ticino. The broadcasters also had a live line to reporters on the Fan Fest in Berlin, as well as correspondents in Istanbul, Vienna, Tenero and Basel.

The exciting semi-final match Germany versus Stefan Galler working in the stadium provided especially impressive proof of what radio can do. While TV broadcasts were The Euro 2008 radio team delivered the latest labouring under technical difficulties, the live information and best moments online as well: transmissions by the private radio stations in the private radio broadcasters’ exclusive Euro the Euro 2008 network worked perfectly 2008 portal was the most comprehensive smoothly. “Our reporters’ transmission lines are Internet site to accompany the Euro 2008. It connected directly to the broadcast directors in included a vast media-theque with video, audio Berlin – without detours via the Broadcast and picture galleries including photos of the Center in Vienna. That’s why we weren’t affec- Fan Fest and the victory parties on ted by the power outages,” said Stephan Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. Schmitter, Managing Director of Radio Center Berlin. Reporters Stefan Galler, Gerhard Above and beyond these offerings, the Berlin Willmann and their colleagues were able to based radio station 104.6 RTL hosted describe the goals scored by the German Germany’s biggest Public Viewing session, the national team and Turkey live and without inter- Fan Fest in front of the Brandenburg Gate, ruptions. Schmitter said: “Our reporters had a where 500,000 Berliners celebrated their natio- standing phone line to our broadcast directors nal team following the finale. in Berlin throughout the transmission. So if indeed a broadcast line had been interrupted,

9 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Mint needs you Following a decision from the Belgian Audiovisual Authority CSA, the pop-rock radio station is in danger of being taken off the air. Mint.be Belgium - 3 July 2008

In just one year of existence, Mint has already Whether it is about the ‘very, very’ private become a reference in French-speaking concerts that have put artists in the limelight or Belgium’s radio media landscape. To Jean-Lou seen them break out [...], Mint has developed, Bertin, Mint Station Manager, it is even “the through its characteristic tone and colour, a pri- only private alternative to public service. vate identity and a cultural and musical promo- 60,000 listeners have already signed a suppor- tion platform for the French Community and ting petition and 63 artists have expressed Belgium that is unmatched to this day! concern at the CSA’s decision in an open letter. The best proof of legitimation of our radio sta- Belgian artists and cultural movers tion is that it’s not us who speak up, but that wish, at a time when incompre- the artists and listeners do.” hensible political decisions could be made, to express As a result of its original and avant-garde pro- their unconditional support gramming, Mint has already acquired great for the continuation of the popularity; it is thus vastly supported by the Mint project.” Sign the petition on audience (120,000 listeners per day) and highly mint.be appreciated by singers, particularly those of the new generation. Indeed, for many young artists who are entering the profession, Mint has become a key radio station, for it gives them what they need most: exposure.

Moreover, the most telling tribute in support on Mint comes from 63 artists in an open letter:

“As we have learnt in the press of the possible disappearance of Mint, the pop-rock radio sta- tion, within the framework of the network assignment process, we wish to express our surprise and our indignation!

We find it extremely hard to understand how the only existing private music radio station that supports Belgian artists and that can ensu- re the vital promotion that they need could be doomed to just simply vanish from the radio landscape!

10 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

CBC to handle programme distribution for Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland After the move to -Deutz, the CBC (Cologne Broadcasting Center) will take on the overall responsibility for technical services within the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. Germany - 3 July 2008

CBC had already taken on the responsibility for Thomas Harscheidt, Managing Director of the distributing RTL Television’s programmes on CBC, said: “This organisational change puts 1 July 2008. CBC’s new programme distribu- Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland in an even tion unit is responsible for the technical distri- better position to shape the increasing digitisa- bution of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland pro- tion of all distribution paths in the interests of all grammes via cable, satellite, DSL and terrestrial our channels.” networks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The team’s tasks also include designing techni- cal, economic and strategic processes to fur- ther develop the distribution paths. Andre Prahl (41), presently head of programme distribution at RTL Television, will manage the unit.

Battleships in Turkish SevenOne International, the unit in charge for international marketing in the ProSiebenSat.1 group, has sold the Grundy Light Entertainment produced Sat.1 pro- gramme Volltreffer - Schiffe Versenken XXL (Bull’s Eye – Battleships XXL) to Turkey.

Germany - 3 July 2008

In Turkey, it will be broadcast as a big ten-part on the legendary game, two teams compete in summer show live on Show-TV, the country's real shops and large pools. The idea isn’t just to most popular commercial channel. The action sink the opponent’s ships. There are also starts next Sunday at 21:00. In Turkey, the ‘minefields’. If these are hit, selected players show is aired as Amiral Batti and is presented have to step up for a penalty action. by the couple Behzat Uygur and Süheyl Uygur. Grundy Light Entertainment is part of the UFA In Germany, Volltreffer – Schiffe Versenken XXL group in Germany and of FremantleMedia for Sat.1, presented by Hugo Egon Balder, was worldwide. a huge success, attracting 19.0 percent of its target market. In the show, which is modelled

11 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Wirkstoff.tv proves effective The broadcaster-independent website Wirkstoff.tv was launched around two years ago, and now the latest traffic figures bear out the popularity of the site: the initia- tors’ aim of establishing the top port of call for matters related to TV advertising has been met. Germany - 3 July 2008

Within a year, the number of visits has grown by Johanna Teichmann, Wirkstoff.tv project mana- 50 per cent to approx. 2,000 visits per month ger at SevenOne Media: “We are delighted that and have stabilised at this high level. Access Wirkstoff.tv is so well accepted by the market. numbers reached an extremely high peak on The rising traffic numbers clearly show that a TV-Wirkungstag (TV Effectiveness Day). In joint, non-branded marketing platform makes March 2008, the two generic sites tv-wirkungs- excellent sense for TV airtime sales agents.” tag.de and wirkstoff.tv were merged and have been run under the well-known label Wirkstoff.tv since. The marketing measures surrounding the relaunch caused visits to mul- tiply 6-fold. The site continued to benefit even after the industry event was over, drawing 4,408 visits (between 17 April and 31 May 2008).

Wirkstoff.tv

12 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

Hitting the jackpot in the 2007/08 season RTL Belgium barely put a foot wrong in ratings terms, attracting the largest audience on 95 per cent of evenings in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Belgium - 26 June 2008

America’s Got Talent leads its rivals a merry dance The third season debut of America’s Got Talent from FremantleMedia North America got off to a flying start on 15 June, drawing 12.8 million viewers and a 10 per cent share of the audience for NBC, despite stiff competition from other networks such as ABC and Fox. North America - 26 June 2008

Strong ratings, thanks to the Euro 2008 7.5 million viewers followed M6’s coverage of the Euro 2008 clash between Russia and on Thursday 26 June, making M6 the most-watched channel across the whole vie- wing public that night. France - 30 June 2008

Reporting from Wimbledon RTL Group’s French-speaking Belgian channels are in the stands right up to the finals of the UK’s biggest tennis tournament. Belgium - 30 June 2008

German-British Investigations UFA Fernsehproduktion and TalkbackThames are sending their investigators from SOKO Leipzig and The Bill on joint manhunts. Germany / United Kingdom -1 July 2008

Sara lands highest ratings The final episode of the award-winning Sara, broadcast in Belgium on 24 June, peaked at a massive 1.6 million viewers, giving broadcaster VTM its best day in terms of ratings for 10 years.

Belgium - 1 July 2008 13 week 27 the RTL Group intranet

More unique users In addition to posting steady growth during Q1 of 2008 in terms of visits and page impres- sions according to the German Audit Bureau of Circulation (IVW), the N-TV news website N-TV.de also succeeded in making a big leap forward in terms of the number of unique users consulting it. Germany - 1 July 2008

A fantastic channel… in more ways than one Starting on 13 July, RTL-TVI will be broadcasting the third season of The 4400. Belgium - 1 July 2008

A month of records On M6, audiences for evenings and early evenings in June broke all records. Better still, the channel had the highest audience rating of the year recorded by any TV station. Compared to June 2007, M6 is also the only terrestrial channel to increase its audience throughout the day. France - 2 July 2008

The German TV market in the 1st half of 2008 Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s channels reached an audience share of 32.7 per cent in the 14 to 49 demographic during the first half of 2008, putting them well ahead of ProSiebenSat.1, which scored 28.9 per cent. Germany - 2 July 2008

14 http://backstage.rtlgroup.fr http://backstage.rtlgroup.com http://backstage.rtlgroup.de

Publisher RTL Group 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543

Editor, Design, Production RTL Group Corporate Communications and Marketing