How CEO Andreas Bartl Is Strengthening the RTL II Brand in Today’S Digital World
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week 20 / 13 May 2015 MORE DIVERSE, MORE DIGITAL How CEO Andreas Bartl is strengthening the RTL II brand in today’s digital world Luxembourg United Kingdom Germany Celebrating Britain’s Got Talent is IP Deutschland presented 60 years of the UK’s most watched its new structure television programme of 2015 to date week 20 / 13 May 2015 MORE DIVERSE, MORE DIGITAL How CEO Andreas Bartl is strengthening the RTL II brand in today’s digital world Luxembourg United Kingdom Germany Celebrating Britain’s Got Talent is IP Deutschland presented 60 years of the UK’s most watched its new structure television programme of 2015 to date Cover Andreas Bartl, CEO RTL II © RTL II Publisher RTL Group 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg Editor, Design, Production RTL Group Corporate Communications & Marketing k before y hin ou T p r in t backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de QUICK VIEW Gracing the airwaves for 60 years RTL Group p.10–11 “In essence, we present young German television” RTL II A season-long p.4–9 celebratory Idol FremantleMedia North America p.12–13 And you think you Building a new have seen it all? This is tomorrow today only the beginning... IP Deutschland FremantleMedia UK p.14 p.15 More subtitles! Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland p.16 Lagardère unlimited acquires UFA Sports Big Picture UFA Sports p.18 p.17 SHORT NEWS p.19–20 Backstage interviewed “IN ESSENCE, Andreas Bartl about his first year at RTL II, the new programme WE PRESENT YOUNG line-up, and RTL II’s digital future. GERMAN TELEVISION” Germany – 13 May 2015 RTL II © RTL II © RTL “Broadcasters with a lot of internally produced programming can of course simply play them across multiple platforms,” says Andreas Bartl 4 Andreas Bartl has been back in the executive chair The TV landscape is increasingly fragmenting, of a German TV channel for almost a year. “I am with established and new small and niche glad to be back in the TV business,” he says. Bartl channels competing for audience and advertising took over the management of RTL II in June 2014. market shares, all while the overall reach of He is pleased about running a company that he linear television is slowly decreasing. “RTL II is still says is one of the largest independent commercial the least affected by this development. This gives channels: “I really enjoy running a stand-alone us a good starting position to increase awareness company. There is a lot going on here. And I want to of our content brands beyond linear TV,” underlines make things happen.” Bartl. To make things happen requires not only good It is particularly valuable that RTL II has traditionally content but also a great team. “And this is exactly had a very high proportion of in-house productions what we have in the Grünwald district of Munich,” in its portfolio. “Broadcasters with a lot of internally adds Bartl. produced programming can of course simply play them across multiple platforms,” stresses Bartl. RTL II boosts its digital footprint RTL II is also already producing original content for the web, namely videos for the Facebook RTL II stands for young and innovative television, pages of Berlin – Tag und Nacht (Berlin distinguished not only by its popular US series Day And Night) and Köln 50667 (Cologne like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, but 50667), for the Youtube channel of Grip – Das primarily by its numerous German productions. “In Motormagazin, as well as other short-form content essence, we present young German television and for RTL2.de and Hbb TV. this is what we want to continue to do, and even strengthen our positioning,” explains Bartl. © RTL II © RTL Game of Thrones Berlin – Tag und Nacht © RTL II © RTL The Walking Dead Köln 50667 For the manager, this mainly means putting more of Bartl always focuses on the content quality: “I believe a strategic focus on digitisation than before. RTL II’s that the competition for viewers is fought with quality formats and faces will be systematically extended and creativity – just as in linear TV, where we must onto new digital platforms. “This will strengthen the also continue to position ourselves well and continue RTL II brand especially among target groups that to evolve over the years,” says the RTL II CEO, tend to watch less TV,” says Bartl. At the same time, who says that among TV channels, RTL II is “in pole this is the channel’s response to another challenge position” with its young and very online-savvy faced by the entire industry fragmentation. audience. Next > 5 In this connection, in mid-April RTL II announced a collaboration with the young, international © RTL II © RTL content producer Vice Media. RTL II has started broadcasting the highlights from the Emmy-winning Vice on HBO in a weekly magazine show, and Vice Germany will also produce exclusive reportage and documentaries for RTL II. Likewise, the new magazine Echtzeit will be exploring new paths in its topic-setting and audience approach. Meike, one of the famous face from Köln 50667, gives glimpses into her life on Pia macht Kirmes © VICE Media RTL II recently launched two Youtube channels: on Pia macht Kirmes, followers can watch Meike, one of the famous faces from the daily soap Köln 50667, giving glimpses into her colourful world. The second Youtube channel Steffen geht steil focuses on Max from Berlin – Tag and Nacht, who slips into various comedy roles and entertains subscribers, as he himself says, with “infantile behaviour and absurd, Since April RTL II and Vice Media work together bad jokes, for free – and what’s worse, you can and focus on different topics in their reports watch and hear it!” Local prime-time drama and international series Besides his digital offensive, Andreas Bartl is also stepping on the gas with regard to the TV © RTL II © RTL programme line-up. For the first time in years, RTL II will show drama produced in-house during prime-time. One of the projects in the pipeline is Life is a beach, a Berlin – Tag and Nacht spin-off that retells Meike and Marcel’s love story in the evening programme line-up. According to CEO Bartl, a mini-series with a science background jointly developed with producer Ivo Beck is a “top event of the programme season.” The theme is modern-day Neanderthals. Moreover, RTL II is working with Marc Conrad and Conrad Film to adapt the Dutch format The Godless. It will be broadcast in Germany as Gottlos – Warum Menschen töten. Fans of US series will also continue to tune in RTL II Steffen geht steil – the second successful Youtube channel in order to watch their preferred content. “We have of RTL II bought great series and The Quest – Die Serie is In addition to these two Youtubers, Bartl points out definitely one of them. It’s one of the most successful that there are also plans to develop independent US series launches of recent months,” adds Bartl, characters online that are not directly related to himself a big fan of series. RTL II formats. The most important thing is that they must fit RTL II and contribute to the brand. “We have to be where a large part of the young target group Next > spends its time,” underlines Bartl. 6 Hbb TV is also an increasingly important channel for RTL II. The Hbb TV relaunch tops the agenda right now. In Bartl’s words: “There will be new, original Hbb TV offers and we hope this will help us increasingly make inroads on the competition.” Customers who have already run Hbb TV campaigns © Electric Entertainment on RTL II include H&M, Netflix and the games producer Activision. The Quest – Die Serie is one of the new highlights on RTL II Innovatively interactive Other additions are the zombie series Z-Nation, RTL II Digital the fifth and final season of Falling Skies, and 1 Chosen. Bartl is particularly pleased about the latter RTL2.de series, which was originally produced for the Sony 8.4 million page impressions platform Crackle. “It is a very innovative series, and 1.2 million unique users as a viewer you are immediately caught up in the 1 story. And that is what counts. We want to have the RTL II Now (Mediathek) exceptional series,” highlights Bartl, explaining the 23.6 million page impressions philosophy behind the programme selection. 930,000 unique users 14.1 million video views2 Facebook More than 10 Facebook profiles (including RTL II News, Berlin – Tag und Nacht, Köln 50667, Die Kochprofis, Die Geissens, Der Trödeltrupp, Traumfrau © Sony Pictures Television © Sony Pictures gesucht, X-Diaries) Over 9.8 million likes within the portfolio (as of January 2015) German Award for Online Communication 2013 and 2014 Chosen was produced for the Sony platform Crackle Mobile apps3 and will be broadcast on RTL II Berlin – Tag und Nacht / Köln 50667 Fun and always one step ahead (for smartphone + tablet, iOS/Android/ Windows Phone) With regard to the expansion of the diversity of 111,000/70,000 unique users genres, he is always talking with his team about 1.00/0.79 million video views per month whether the slogan “it’s fun” still fits RTL II. “At the 1.95/1.19 million downloads to date moment it still fits well enough. The motivation of 4 having fun, seeking entertainment and watching Hbb TV RTL II to do so is by no means wrong,” says Bartl. 625,000 page impressions per month “We can live pretty comfortably with these (and rising) motivations, but the broadcasting landscape is 1 Source: AGOF Internet facts 2015-01 Ø month; IVW changing and we, too, are continually evolving.