01 March 2012

week 09

Explosive Dynamics How Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s new channel targets its audience

France United States Nicolas de Tavernost The X Factor auditions on the future of TV kick off

Germany The Netherlands RTL Interactive launches RTL 4’s hosts tweet RTL Inside from behind the scenes week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Cover: Montage with RTL Nitro formats: Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, 24 and Rome

2 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

RTL Nitro stands for dynamism Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland announces the launch of RTL Nitro, a new channel to complement the portfolio of the family of channels. Backstage explains the rationale behind the new channel. Germany - 1 March 2012

RTL Nitro will add a new premium entertainment channel to the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland portfolio. It will cater for a broad public, but take the interests of male audiences into account more than RTL Television and Vox. In the long term, this will make the portfolio of channels even more complementary.

“RTL Nitro perfectly complements Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s programme line-up,” explains Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. “With its pure entertainment line-up, the new channel addresses a broad Nurse Jackie audience, with programme highlights for male The hit dark comedy series Nurse Jackie shows viewers.” RTL Nitro stands for a dynamic, the rough-and-tumble everyday life of Nurse explosive programme mix. The claim ‘TV for Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco, The Sopranos), who heroes’ further underlines this message. works in the emergency ward of New York’s All Saints’ Hospital. She pops pills, corrects the The new TV channel makes its debut on misdiagnoses of Dr. Cooper (Peter Facinelli, Sunday 1 April 2012: RTL Nitro will show Twilight Saga), commits adultery with the clinic’s high-end German free-TV premieres and crime pharmacist and has everything else under and sitcom classics, as well as riveting movies. control as well. “We are especially pleased to be able to present outstanding free-TV premieres such as the multi-award-winning US sitcom Modern Family, the Showtime series Nurse Jackie and the new Bruckheimer crime series Chase right from the channel’s launch,” says Schäferkordt.

With Modern Family, RTL Nitro is premiering a current favourite with US audiences on German TV. The new comedy format has won scores of prizes, most recently fi ve Emmy Awards. For Ed O’Neill, the role of the listless head of household

Jay Pritchett marks a celebrated comeback Chase to comedy after his iconic role as Al Bundy in Married With Children. Modern Family tracks In the new action crime series Chase which is the everyday lives of three completely different also a premiere on German TV, viewers join a families with a tongue-in-cheek approach that is special unit from Texas on the high-speed chase by turns moving and emotional but always close for the most wanted criminals in the US. The to the bone and distinctly original. team led by astute investigator Annie Trost (Kelli Giddish) is called in whenever an exceedingly dangerous criminal has escaped. The US series is the brainchild of multiple Emmy-winning producer Jerry Bruckheimer. (CSI franchise, Pirates Of The Caribbean). 3 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 20:15 20:15 20:30 20:30 Modern Family ChaseIce Road Truckers Rome 20:45 20:45 21:00 21:00 US Movie 21:15 21:15 24 21:30 Nurse Jackie Whale Wars Rome 21:30 Mayday 21:45 21:45 22:00 22:00 24 22:15 The Office 22:15 US Movie Docu US Movie 22:30 22:30 Modern Family Chase 22:45 22:45

SITCOM / COMEDY US MOVIES SERIES ENTERTAINMENT

Schematic programming schedule for prime time from Monday to Friday

Says Schäferkordt: “RTL Nitro is a long-view project. The fi rst few years will be mostly about building technical reach and introducing viewers to the new programme.”

RTL Nitro can be received for free with a digital satellite receiver. Cable customers will have to wait for RTL Nitro to be fed into their cable networks by their respective carriers. Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland will work with the cable networks to continually build the channel’s reach once Modern Family RTL Nitro goes on air. Other highlights to be featured on RTL Nitro include the US version of iconic British comedy The popular British Band The Overtones series The Offi ce, the spectacular historical have been recruited to promote RTL Nitro. drama series Rome, the real-time action series They are behind the channel’s modern launch 24 and movie highlights including King Kong and soundtrack and will provide acoustic and visual The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. accompaniment for its launch. Their hit Gambling Man in a hip ‘Vintage Pop’ style is the channel’s Each day and each timeslot will have its signature tune. The fi ve musicians are all cool, own unmistakable programming theme. For yet very different and they visually represent instance, there will be a day for gripping factual modern men at different ages – precisely the entertainment like Whale Wars and Anwälte viewers that the programming is meant to cater der Toten and for crime classics such as Balko, to, though not exclusively. Alarm für Cobra 11 and all three CSI franchises, but also for cult series such as Knight Rider, The video-on-demand site RTLNitroNow.de Charlie’s Angels and The Rockford Files. Access will launch simultaneously with the channel, as prime time belongs to sitcoms such as Home will the RTL Nitro homepage at RTLNitro.de, Improvement and Who’s the Boss? which features trailers, comprehensive information about the channel, and its current programme line-up.

4 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

“Viewing time has never been so high” Les Echos published an interview with Nicolas de Tavernost in its “Monday interview” column. Among other things, he talked about M6’s 25 years and his future in the group. Nicolas de Tavernost France - 28 February 2012

The Chairman of the Executive Board of and that “competitive programmes” would Groupe M6 began the interview by be the solution. M6 also counts on favouring explaining that the channel M6’s growth French productions, and “freeing itself further of throughout the 25 years occurred in four stages, US series,” which still weigh too heavily saying that even if the fi rst stage, the “setting in the programme schedules of French up”, was “probably the most exciting one,” channels, unlike in other European countries. in reality “success could not be presumed; it A change has already been felt in part on the had to be fought for. The French audiovisual channel, according to its CEO, by eliminating landscape was the Wild West at that time, and “US fi ction series at 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 we had to cross the ‘great plains’ to make a every day and replacing them with French place for ourselves” before becoming the group programmes,” he explains, before specifying that it is today. that for evening programming, “It has to be done gradually,” as “all this takes time, and As for the lessons he learned during all these it won’t happen overnight.” years with the group, “the analyses by so-called audiovisual experts, and the major stances they As for the question of competition from the take regarding the future of the sector, one can international giants such as Google for be quite sure that they will be contradicted.” purchasing US series, de Tavernost estimates He thus confi rmed that the future of TV is TV. that this phenomenon “affects pay-TV more “To me, fl at screens, high defi nition, tablets, than free-TV.” According to him, the best way of mobiles and now social networks help television resisting is “to produce our own programmes.” in general, especially the general-interest He goes on to say that “I don’t worry too much channels. All these new technologies increase about M6. We already have our own brands: the number of occasions to watch television, so Capital, Zone Interdite, Top Chef and Scènes de viewing time has never been so high.” Ménages.”

Nicolas de Tavernost estimates that, “M6 can Finally, when asked about his own succession, still grow,” even if the goal is not to achieve the the CEO replied, “I don’t own the mandate, but ratings of TF1, as “that would be a pipe dream,” my enthusiasm to continue remains intact.”

5 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

RTL Interactive expands its app business The new, free RTL Inside app for smartphones gives users video clips, live news to accompany select RTL Television programmes, and interaction via social networks. RTL Inside app on I-Phone Germany - 24 February 2012

Right on cue for the start of the Deutschland sucht Matthias Büchs, Head of the Online/Mobile/ den Superstar (Idols) live shows, RTL Interactive Teletext department and a member of the has released the new RTL Inside app for RTL Interactive management board, says: I-Phones and smartphones based on the “As well as our offers for PC and Smart TV, the Android operating system. The app can now be offers for mobile devices are an important part downloaded for free from the apple app Store of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s portfolio and the Android Marketplace. As a special of digital products. Our experience has shown feature, beyond an extensive range of as many that some viewers use mobile devices to seek as 1,000 recent video clips a month from the out further information during the TV programme programme and the Top News of the day, the and to interact about the TV programme while it new app offers users interactive tie-ins to select is showing. We are planning further extensions, TV formats. For instance, users can access both to the content and in form of a version additional information about characters in the optimised for tablets.” series, or the playlists of songs (for example on Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten), or the collected Beyond its offerings for viewers, the ad- videos of candidates on Deutschland sucht den fi nanced RTL Inside app is equally attractive Superstar during a given show. for advertising customers who want to extend their advertising across all platforms and add Furthermore, the new app lets viewers use interactivity. In addition to the new app, other the “Check In” feature to automatically let their ‘RTL’ branded apps include the RTL app for friends on social networks know what they’re I-Phones with 24-hour live TV and extra features watching on RTL Television at the moment, (30 days free, then €1.59/month) and the and even select where they wish to publish this RTL Now app for I-Phone and I-Pad (one-time information. It also lets them share their thoughts €3.99 technical access charge). on the shows directly and live with their friends in the RTL Community and/or in social networks like Twitter and Facebook as they’re watching TV. 6 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Do you have The X Factor? America’s best undiscovered talent can audition for Season Two of The X Factor starting 1 March 2012, with auditions extended to include vocal groups and artists with pre-existing management contracts. Simon Cowell North America - 1 March 2012

Potential candidates aged 12 and older who think they have The X Factor are invited to participate in any of the nationwide auditions. The X Factor organisers are putting a multitude of audition opportunities in place including My Studio HD Recording Studios across the country and online auditions on TheXFactorUSA.com, starting 1 March. Open call auditions kick off on 14 March in Kansas City, and continue in Austin, San Francisco, Greensboro and another additional city to be announced shortly. The X Factor LA Reid judge and mentor Simon Cowell explains: Judge and Mentor LA Reid says: “In the music “We wanted to change a few things this industry, when you’re looking for new talent year, so starting with the auditions, we’ve you can discover it anywhere. The X Factor is torn up the rulebook again. Even if you have opening this up to go further than anyone has a management you can still enter, and we before, and that’s what it takes, so I can’t wait are making it easier by extending the online to see what amazing talent we might fi nd. I urge auditions and taking the My Studio booths to people to go out and audition, this is the real even more cities. You can enter as many times deal.” This year’s winner of The X Factor will as you want and come to any of the cities, too. again receive a $5 million recording contract with We’re here to discover stars from all music styles Sony Music. including groups. I really believe a group can win this show.” The X Factor was launched in 2011 on Fox and immediately became the leading unscripted The previous season of American The X Factor talent show that autumn. The show is produced saw winner Melanie Amaro pick up the by FremantleMedia North America an Syco biggest prize in TV history, a $5 million Televison. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Richard Holloway recording contract, as well as her own iconic and Andrew Llinares serve as executive Pepsi commercial featuring Sir Elton John. producers for FremantleMedia North America. Finalists Astro, Chris Rene, Josh Krajcik, Rob Wade and Siobhan Greene are executive Marcus Canty and Rachel Crow have signed producers for Syco Television. For more major record deals with Sony Music. information, see TheXFactorUSA.com.

7 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Twittering from behind the scenes RTL Nederland is hosting a unique “RTL Tweetweek” giving famous RTL 4 faces an excellent excuse to get behind the scenes and twitter all the TV gossip. The Netherlands - 24 February 2012

From 25 February to 2 March, iconic TV Fans have the chance to twitter their personages will use the account questions about what goes on during the @RTLtweetweek to tweet from behind the fi lming of RTL Nederland’s most popular TV scenes of shows like: Ik Hou Van Holland shows and series. Jan de Hoop, Peter van der (I love Holland), Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden Vorst and Nicolette van Dam and the Goede (Good Times, Bad Times), Help, Mijn Man Is Tijden, Slechte Tijden cast members Ferri Klusser (Help My Husband Is A Handyman), Somogyi, Gigi Ravelli, Everon Jackson Hooi, Koffi etijd (Coffee Time), Het Zesde Zintuig (The Marjolein Keuning and Ferry Doedens will take Sixth Sense), Mijn Leven In Puin (My Life Is In over the twitter account for half an hour after Ruins), Help, Ons Kind Is Te Dik (Help Our Kid Is the broadcast to answer as many questions as Too Fat), RTL Nieuws and The Voice Kids. possible.

For more information see RTLTweetWeek.nl

The RTL Tweetweek on Twitter

8 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Jean Dujardin is in seventh heaven A few hours after his coronation at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Jean Dujardin was the special guest on RTL Radio’s RTL Midi. He gave his fi rst televised interview after returning to France live on M6. Jean Dujardin / AFP / J.Klamar France - 29 february 2012

The French actor Jean Dujardin, who won The silent black-and-white fi lm took home no the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday for his fewer than fi ve Academy Awards, including an role in Michel Hazanavicius’s fi lm The Artist, Oscar for Best Picture. It is the fi rst non-Anglo- was still on an emotional high when Stéphane Saxon feature fi lm to win this top prize. Director Boudsocq interviewed him on RTL Midi on Michel Hazanavicius also won an Oscar for Best 27 February. “I feel like I’m in a warm bath Director. and I don’t really want to climb out of it,” he exclaimed. The actor also added that he is “not euphoric. The pressure is dropping and it is very, very pleasant. I’m not saying to myself, ‘There, I thumbed my nose at George Clooney and Brad Pitt’… or if I did, I’d say it quietly to myself just to feel good.”

Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus

On Tuesday evening, M6, which saw Jean Dujardin debuting in 1997 on the talent show Graine de Star and in the series Un gars une fi lle, invited the actor fresh from his Oscar win to a live interview on the set of Le 19.45

M6 saw Jean Dujardin debuting in 1997 on Graine de Star presented by Xavier de Moulins. The evening was then dedicated to Dujardin, with the fi rst free-to-air TV broadcast of OSS 117: Rio ne Jean Dujardin’s win in the Best Actor category répond plus, also made by Michel Hazanavicius, is a fi rst, as no Frenchman has ever won the and a documentary about the actor’s dazzling award in a leading role. Only three women from rise to fame. France have won the Best Actress prize so far: Claudette Colbert, Simone Signoret and Marion Cotillard.

9 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Frapa to host live-learning sessions Frapa is launching ‘The Format Boot Camp’ at Mip TV 2012, a series of four live-learning sessions focussing on the practical skills and knowledge needed to protect, produce, promote and trade formats in today’s complex global marketplace. Ute Biernat Germany - 1 March 2012

Held under the auspices of Mip TV’s Mip Make A Format Bible’ will examine the art and Formats showcase, the ‘Boot Camp’ takes place science of creating the DIY production manual, on 30 March and 31 March in Cannes, France. style guide and tool for brand protection that The sessions will be hosted by some of the format is increasingly seen as a central element in industry’s best-known names, including National the legal protection of formats. They will also Geographic Channels’ David Lyle, The Gurin unveil a template of an industry-standard bible in Company’s Phil Gurin, Absolutely Independent’s advance of the launch of Frapa’s new website Patty Geneste, format lawyer Jonathan Coad, tool: The Bible Generator. and Format People Michel Rodrigue and Justin Scroggie. Saturday’s Boot Camp programme begins at 9:00 with ‘How To Make a Sizzle Reel’. Led by The Boot Camp initiative is the next step David Lyle and Phil Gurin, a panel of experts in Frapa’s journey from format protection will examine the optimal form and content of association to ‘global HQ’ of the formats this essential sales tool. The fi nal Boot Camp community. Ute Biernat, chair Frapa and CEO of workshop — at 9:50 on Saturday — tackles the Grundy Light Entertainment, says: “We believe all-important question of ‘How To Negotiate’. education and innovation are closely connected. Patty Geneste, CEO of Amsterdam-based What’s the point in coming up with the next Idols Absolutely Independent, will present a one-hour if you don’t know how to protect it, market it or master class in deal-making, including tips on cut the best deal for it? The Frapa Format Boot how to negotiate with producers and broad- Camp goes back to basics, offering Mip Format casters, how to protect your rights and how to delegates the best advice about the business of think creatively at the bargaining table. creativity from some of the best in the industry.”

The Boot Camp programme kicks off at 12:00 on Friday 30 March with ‘How To Protect Your Format’, hosted by Jonathan Coad, a partner at London-based law fi rm Lewis Silkin, and director and founder of the International Format Lawyers Association (IFLA). The session aims to help commercial creatives to protect their IP, from the ‘eureka!’ moment of conception to its emergence on screen. Friday afternoon at 16:00 will see Format People CEO Michel Rodrigue and Chief Creative Offi cer Justin Scroggie take to the stage. Their Boot Camp session ‘How To

10 Nicolas Sarkozy at ‘RTL Matin’ For his first radio interview of the 2012 presidential election campaign Nicolas Sarkozy told ‘RTL Matin’ listeners of some of his plans for the next five years. For nearly an hour he answered questions from Jean-Michel Aphatie, Alain Duhamel and Yves Calvi, before responding to listeners’ questions. week 09 the RTL Group intranet

Pékin Express, the Belgian version For the fi rst time, RTL-TVI launches into the Pékin Express adventure and produces a two-episode series featuring six of RTL Belgium’s favourite hosts. Belgium - 24 February 2012

RTL Radio at the César Awards RTL Radio partnered with Canal Plus to broadcast the César Awards ceremony. France - 24 February 2012

Next stop: True love In the name of love, the popular German presenter Jochen Schropp boards a bus with 20 female singles from the big city for a turbulent journey across Germany: Ein Bus voller Bräute (A Bus Full Of Brides) made its debut on Vox on 27 February. Germany - 27 February 2012

The Face makes dreams come true The model talent show The Face premiered on RTL 5, presented by international style icon Sylvie van der Vaart. The Netherlands - 27 February 2012

A tribute to another music legend W9 launches a new programme, A la recherche du nouveau Claude François et ses Clodettes, honouring the late Claude François. France - 28 February 2012

12 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

A new Friday evening parlour games The Voice Kids now offers a whole new game-playing experience: a combination of television, smartphone and board game. The Netherlands - 28 February 2012

New travel destinations for Toggo’s summer camps Super RTL has partnered with the tour operator Ruf Jugendreisen again this year to create a range of holidays tying in to the well-known stars of its TV programming. Germany - 29 February 2012

Feet in the straw As long-standing partner, RTL Radio is broadcasting from the Salon International de l’Agriculture, from 25 February to 4 March 2012, allowing listeners to experience the event as if they were there. France - 1 March 2012

Fifth consecutive month on the rise In February 2012, M6 achieved an 11.7 per cent total audience share – a 1.2 percentage point increase over the month of February 2011. Once again, M6 registered the highest ratings increase of all channels. France - 1 March 2012

13 week 09 the RTL Group intranet

People Marion Peter Germany - 29 February 2012 Marion Peter

Marion Peter (36) has been appointed Head of Business Development in the Interactive unit at IP Deutschland.

In her new role, she will be responsible for future strategic issues in relation to online marketing. She will report directly to Paul Mudter, Head of Interactive at IP Deutschland.

Paul Mudter, says: “We have bundled additional duties and responsibilities in our newly created Business Development department, and have promoted Marion Peter to head it based on her skills and managerial experience. Marion will be in charge of IP Interactive’s strategy, new customer acquisition, and investments from now on. She will also work on group-wide strategic projects in order to ensure the future viability of IP Deutschland and Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.”

Marion Peter has been with IP Deutschland since 2006. She studied Business and worked as a consultant for Managing Director Martin Krapf before moving to the sales sector in 2008. In 2010, she supervised all Business Development activities at Product Management Interactive. She has also worked for Universum Film, Seven Senses and ProSieben, Munich in the past.

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

Publisher RTL Group 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg

Editor, Design,RTL Group Production Corporate Communications