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Newsletter 3 April 2008 Concentrated Creativity Thomas Valentin on the first group-wide format event Pitch & Meet

United Kingdom Leona Lewis conquers the worldwide charts France Diana inspires dreams... in France United Kingdom Top sports bidder: Five Germany Educational magazine for children People Michael Hajek Luc Marteling week 14 the RTL Group intranet

‘‘This is a unique opportunity’’ For the first time, executives from RTL Group’s subsidiaries and from several production companies met up at M6’s headquarter in Paris for a day in early March to discuss new ideas, formats and concepts. Backstage spoke to Thomas Valentin, General Director Networks & Content at M6. France - 3 April 2008

The RTL Group Pitch & Meet provides a unique To ensure a successful meeting forum for exchanges of fresh format concepts for all participants, the day’s pro- between the creative directors of Europe’s lea- ceedings were broken down into ding production companies and programming two parts. During the daytime directors in RTL Group’s European network. It pitching session, the audience was the first time that RTL Group had invited consisted of RTL Group content around 40 of its senior executives to an exclusi- executives. The focus was on ve meeting. Representatives from seven leading presenting formats that appeal European production companies also joined the to various markets, taking meeting for a day of ideas, discussion and direct advantage of the Pitch & Meet’s feedback. The production companies that took international profile. Each pro- part were All3Media, BBC Worldwide duction company was allotted Productions, Endemol, FremantleMedia, ITV an exclusive 45-minute slot, Jane Milichip, COO of RDF Rights Productions, RDF Media Group and Shine including around 20 to 30 minutes to pitch their Group. ideas, followed by a Q&A session. For the second part of the event, which took place in the Jane Millichip, RDF Rights’ Chief Operating evening, RTL Group invited all the participants Officer commented: ‘‘We were flattered to be to a special get-together in the heart of Paris, invited to the RTL Pitch & Meet. RDF Rights has where in a relaxed atmosphere, worked extensively over the years with RTL creative executives from pro- Group companies, increasingly in the area of for- duction companies and RTL mats, and we have strong relationships with your Group's channels could discuss channel buyers. However, the Pitch & Meet ideas and projects on a one-to- added an extra dimension for us in that our one basis. heads of development from our production arm were able to meet and pitch to the RTL channel Claire Davenport, RTL Group’s controllers and directors of programmes. We are Executive Vice President pleased to say that since the event we have Corporate Strategy and continued to hold fruitful conversations with a Business Synergies, said: ‘‘The number of the RTL channels about a number of advantage of having seen all of our new formats. It is a very exciting prospect to these formats while together think that we could have one of our ideas produ- was that everyone not only got a Claire Davenport, EVP Corporate Strategy & Business Synergies ced and broadcast in mainland Europe before good overview of what is currently we have gone to air in the UK.’’ being marketed but could immediately discuss the ideas with other experts in the group. I think 2 week 14 the RTL Group intranet

people found this very helpful and it has already led to some discussions of multi-territory pur- chases.’’

To provide a closer look on the event Backstage spoke to Thomas Valentin, General Director Networks & Content at M6, who chaired the meeting in Paris.

What’s the idea behind RTL Group's Pitch & Meet?

We're convinced that the relationship between broadcasters and production companies is the key to the success of our businesses.

As a result, for some time now we’ve been exploring the idea of bringing programme executives from RTL Group’s various channels together with some of Europe’s top programme Thomas Valentin makers. How about feedback from the production companies’ representatives? We view Pitch & Meet as a unique opportunity for both sides to discuss new concepts and for- They were really happy to get a chance to talk to mats and share some of our experiences from 10 countries, i.e. 10 potential clients, simulta- across Europe. In addition, Pitch & Meet also neously. gives us a chance to enhance our relationships The feedback they received from RTL executives with producers, beyond just dealing with day-to- after each pitch was really useful and informati- day business. ve, though they also said they thought it was slightly too short. So we will try to improve the Last, but not least, it gives us the prospect of ‘Meet’ part of the event next time, allowing more discovering new formats before our main com- time for exchanges with the production compa- petitors. nies after each pitch. Have you already received any feedback from Do you see any particular trend in program- the participants on RTL Group’s side? mes at the moment? The feedback from RTL Group’s executives was The way I see it, there are currently five main extremely positive. They really enjoyed discove- trends: ring new formats and relished being given a ‘Big’ entertainment shows chance to discuss ideas with the production Loud, funny and often shot on location, these companies’ executives themselves. shows put courageous contestants through their physical paces and confront them with A linked event that also went down very well was spectacular challenges (e.g. American the holding of a Syco, or Synergy Committee Gladiators) meeting, between RTL Group’s programming directorsthe following day, which was used for First-person documentaries debriefing purposes and discussing the various These are documentaries narrated and presen- formats that had been pitched. This was dee- ted by a celebrity keen on exploring a current med a really useful follow-up event. social issue (beauty, food, war, prison). This involves highly subjective journalism. (Louis Theroux Behind Bars, Ross Kemp in Afghanistan, The Truth about Size Zero.)

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Natural beauty Do you intend to organize Pitch & A distant cousin of the old, familiar ‘fairytale Meet on a yearly basis? makeover’ shows, these down-to-earth coa- ching shows teach viewers how to boost their Yes, we plan to make Pitch & self-esteem and stop chasing unrealistic Meet an annual event , held a expectations about their looks without resor- few weeks before the MIP TV ting to Botox or dressing up like a princess. television fair. (How to Look Good Naked, Dawn Gets Naked) Next year, we would like to

‘Rough men’ docusoaps see the top production com- Rather than filming celebrity-chasing starlets or panies joined by smaller, local, contests in controlled environments, these but dynamic production com- documentary series depict the rough and panies. genuinely dangerous daily lives of ordinary workers doing extraordinary jobs, e.g. deep- The aim of this kind of event is to sea fishermen or loggers. make sure that the experience of being a (Deadliest Catch, Ax Men, Ice Road Truckers) programming executive at an RTL Group channel is more rewarding than it would be at a

No-knowledge-required quiz shows stand-alone channel. In other words, we want to Based either on common sense, pure luck or drive home the fact that sharing knowledge and sheer guts, these quiz shows do not require experience among programme makers from dif- extensive general knowledge on the part of ferent countries enriches the creative efforts of their participants. all those involved. . Luck-based: Deal or No Deal and its many imitators . Personality based: Amnesia, Moment of Truth Thomas Valentin is Vice-Chairman of the . Common sense: Power of 10, Rich M6 Executive Board in charge of List Networks and Content, having been appointed to that post in February 2007. It is also worth noting that everybody’s on the Previously he had been M6’s Director of lookout for the first big ‘eco-show’, for although Programmes since March 1992, and the climate change and the environment are big group's Vice-Chairman since May 1996. issues in today’s popular culture, no environ- mentally themed show has yet managed to Since joining the Groupe M6 in its very consistently generate high TV ratings. early days, he has held numerous posts within the company, including: Director of Would you qualify the first Pitch & Meet a Fiction Programmes and International success? Relations until November 1989; Director of Fiction and Documentary Departments Indeed I would. It was a great success to get 40 and Chief of International Relations up to of RTL Group’s senior executives from 10 coun- December 1990; Deputy Director of tries together with top creative people and exe- Programmes and Director of Acquisitions cutives from Europe’s seven leading European and Production in 1991: Director of production companies. Programmes in 1992; and Chairman of M6 Films in 2000. Moreover, the following-up between RTL Group’s executives after the meeting was highly productive and extremely worthwhile in terms of potential future deals.

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Leona Lewis conquers the USA... and the worldwide charts Leona Lewis is already an established big-name singer in over 28 countries around the world and a shining star in the music business. She rose to prominence in December 2006 as the winner of the third season of The X-Factor in the UK. Leona Lewis United Kingdom - 1 April 2008

Now she’s managed to achieve what only few Leona Lewis’ meteoric rise to stardom hasn’t British artists before have succeeded in doing. come totally out of the blue. The singer, born in Her single Bleeding Love, which topped the Islington, London, in 1985, owes her almost fai- British hit parade at the end of 2007, has now rytale start in the music business to a TV format also made it to number one in the Billboard Hot that itself is constantly breaking records, name- 100 Charts in the USA. To do that, last ly The X-Factor. On 16 December 2006 Leona Thursday the song distributed by Simon Lewis won the final of the third season of the Cowell’s Label Syco Music, a joint venture with exceptional talent show produced by Sony BMG, leapt all the way from number eight FremantleMedia subsidiary Talkback Thames to claim the top slot. and Simon Cowell’s production company Syco TV. The final was watched by around 12.6 mil- J Records, Lewis’ US label, accompanied the lion viewers and 8 million votes were cast, most US release of the single with an aggressive pro- of them in favour of the young singer-songwri- motional campaign. Accordingly, two weeks ter Leona Lewis. Shortly afterwards, she had ago Leona Lewis was a guest on The Oprah the Christmas hit of 2006 in Great Britain with A Winfrey Show, and last week Jay Leno invited Moment Like This. her onto his Tonight Show. No doubt these highly regarded performances helped to cata- In early December 2007 the 22-year-old artist pult Leona Lewis to the very top of the then released her debut album, Spirit, in Billboard Hot 100 Charts. Having said that, a Europe. 375,872 copies were sold in a week. full two weeks before appearing on TV Leona Bleeding Love, one of the tracks on that album, Lewis had topped the iTunes charts in the USA became the bestselling single of 2007 and for two weeks in succession. Leona Lewis is stayed at the top of the charts for no fewer than only the second UK import in the last 10 years seven weeks. The release of Leona Lewis’ to have managed the leap to the top of the album by J/Syco Records on 8 April in the USA hotly contested US singles charts. The last as well is once again something very special. British Sony-BMG artist to have topped the Never before has the debut album of the winner Billboard Hot 100 Charts was George Michael of a TV talent show been rolled out internatio- in 1991. nally in this way.

This week Bleeding Love is not only number one in the US charts, but also in Belgium, France, Switzerland and the Euro charts. In Germany and Austria Leona Lewis’s hit has made it to number two, in Australia and Great Britain number three. Bleeding Love is at number four in Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. So it’s a truly international success story. 5 week 14 the RTL Group intranet

Diana inspires dreams… in France Monday, 31 March saw the launch of the first episodes of a brand new series entitled Le Rêve de Diana (Diana’s Dream) by M6 and Téva in France. Tanja Szewczenko plays Diana Sommer France - 28 March 2008

The plot revolves around 23-year-old Diana Le rêve de Diana has proved a resounding suc- Sommer (Tanja Szewczenko), who spends her cess in Germany where it airs under the original days delivering mail on her rollerskates but who title Alles was zählt (All That Counts) with 440 epi- has always dreamed of becoming a figure-skater. sodes filmed to date. The series is produced by One day, she bumps into Julian, marketing direc- Grundy UFA TV Produktion and is broadcast on tor for Steinkamp, a company which sponsors RTL Television at 19.00; it regularly attracts an ice-skaters; Julian is looking for a face for his new average audience share of 17.3 per cent in the 14- advertising campaign – and Diana’s dream begins 49 target group. The statistics are certainly to become a reality. impressive: one 25-minute episode is filmed each day and involves some 120 people; all episodes Diana is played by Tanja Szewczenko, a figure- are filmed in a 2,000-m² studio and two ice rinks skater well known in Germany and bronze medal- are regularly commandeered for filming. list at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships. In 2000, Tanja Szewczenko reti- M6 and Téva joined forces for the launch of Le red from competitive skating to pursue modelling rêve de Diana on Monday, 31 March. The first two and acting. As it turned out, it was only a brief episodes were shown on both channels simulta- pause since Tanja is now donning her skates once neously at 17.00 followed by episodes three and more, this time in a new drama. four at 18.00 on Téva only. The single La vie n’est plus qu’un jeu (Life is just a game) performed by When asked in an interview whether she identified Julianne Deville and the theme tune to the series with her character, Diana, Tanja Szewczenko will be released on 28 April 2008 through M6 replies: “Like her, when I was little I was passiona- Interactions. te about ice-skating and was ambitious and a perfectionist. I share Diana’s philo- sophy: what’s important isn’t where you come from but what you can achieve. I drew heavily on my professional experience in preparing for this role.”

Le rêve de Diana

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Top sports bidder Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, confirmed on Friday, 28 March, that Five has been given listed event status, the same as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4. United Kingdom - 31 March 2008

This means that Five is now in the category of Ofcom has concluded that Five meets all qua- free television channels which must be given a lifying conditions to be given listed event sta- genuine opportunity to bid for the right to tus. Namely these conditions are that the servi- broadcast listed sports events – live rights in ce is provided without any consideration being the case of Group A events (e.g. Olympics, required for the reception of the service and FIFA World Cup, European Football that the service is received by at least 95 per- Championship, Wimbledon) or highlights in the cent of the UK population. The Broadcasters’ case of Group B events (e.g. Cricket Test Audience Research Board (BARB) Data for Matches, Six Nations Rugby, Commonwealth January 2008 showed that Five is now received Games). by 96 percent of the UK population.

Educational general-knowledge magazine for children Super RTL’s new general-knowledge magazine Dragonfly TV – Dem Wissen auf der Spur (Dragonfly TV – Tracking down the truth) is getting right to the heart of the matter when it comes to fascinating questions about science and research. Germany - 31 March 2008

In Dragonfly TV – Dem Wissen auf der Spur, In their quest for answers, children will be children get to investigate scientific facts – from investigating various topics and getting invol- the mundane to the completely ludicrous – and ved in all sorts of unusual experiments. In unearth the secrets behind them. The new attendance will be Super RTL presenters Pia magazine follows in the tradition of Super RTL’s Ampaw and Beni Weber (Disneys Art Attack). highly successful WOW – Die Entdeckerzone Dragonfly TV – Dem Wissen auf der Spur will be (Backyard Science) which achieved an impres- broadcast in Germany at 17.15 every Saturday sive market share in excess of 50 per cent evening, with the first of 52 episodes airing on among children aged between 3 and 13. Saturday, 3 May. Director of programmes Carsten Göttel is convinced that Dragonfly TV – Dem Wissen auf der Spur will be a hit: “Children enjoy finding out about the world they live in. It’s fun for them to pretend to be mini-explorers or mad scien- tists – and if they are learning about science at the same time, then so much the better.”

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M6 enjoyed a successful access prime time in March 2008 M6 is the only major channel to have increased its access primetime audience between March 2007 and March 2008. Un dîner presque parfait France - 1 April 2008

From Monday to Friday, the French channel achieved an average audience share of 10.8 per cent among viewers aged 4 and over (compared with 9.3 per cent in March 2007). That’s the highest level attained at this time of the day since June 2006 (the month in which World Cup football was broadcast).

The two new programmes launched at the beginning of the year are making steady head- way. The first is the cookery programme Un dîner presque parfait (An Almost Perfect Dinner), which attracted an average of 1.8 million viewers in march (achieving a record high of 2.5 million on Monday, 24 March). This made M6 the leading channel among housewives aged under 50 at 18.00, with an average audience share of 29.5 per cent.

The daily French news magazine 100% Mag, presented by Estelle Denis, drew an average audience of 1.5 million in March, peaking at a record 2.2 million on Monday, 24 March. This success in the early part of the evening comes on top of prime-time ratings that remain excellent, especially for the reality game Pékin Express, the virtually unmissable Nouvelle Star, UEFA Cup football and US series like Bones or Californication.

In March 2008, M6’s ratings over the day as a whole were slightly up on the previous month, at 10.9 per cent in March, compared with 10.7 per cent in February.

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Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland scores down the line The channels of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland scored 33.2 per cent of the 14- to 49-year-old viewer market in March 2008, putting them well ahead – again – of the ProSiebenSat.1 group, which attracted 29.3 per cent. Monk Germany - 2 April 2008

RTL Television was once again the clear No.1 Haus (Our Dream House) with up to 11 per among 14- to 49-year-olds in March. With a cent. market share of 15.8 per cent, the channel out- performed ProSieben (12.1 per cent), Sat.1 RTL II averaged a 6.2 per cent share of the 14- (10.9 per cent), Vox (7.4 per cent) and ZDF (7.1 to 49-year-old viewer market in March. The rea- per cent). In the total audience ranking, RTL lity show classic Big Brother scored big in Television scored 11.7 percent, putting it third access primetime and in its weekly live shows. behind ZDF (13.4 per cent) and ARD (12.5 per The daily summaries aired at 19:00 did excee- cent). dingly well, scoring market shares of up to 10.0 per cent, while the live shows drew up to 8.4 RTL Television’s highlights in March included per cent of viewers. Primetime action and sus- the two Formula 1 races in Australia and pense was provided by top series such as Malaysia with a 52.2 per cent and 49.6 per cent Heroes (the first season was watched by an market share respectively, and the first two average 9.8 per cent of viewers) and Law & theme shows of Deutschland sucht den Order: New York with market shares reaching Superstar with market shares of up to 29.7 per 7.8 per cent. cent among 14- to 49-year-olds. Viewership of the classic quiz show Wer wird Millionär? (Who The news channel N-TV had a very good first Wants to Be a Millionaire?) peaked at 7.86 mil- quarter. With market shares of 0.8 per cent in lion. The US series aired on RTL also were January and February and 0.9 per cent in audience magnets in March: Dr.House was March, N-TV has markedly grown its market watched by up to 32.2 per cent of 14- to 49- share among viewers 14 and up. N-TV has year-olds. On 25 March, Monk set new records grown its viewership year on year as well, from with 4.13 million viewers overall and 2.93 mil- 5.15 million viewers in March 2007 to 6.43 million viewers in the young demographic, which lion in March 2008. In the 14-to 49-year-old tar- translates to a strong 28.7 per cent market get demographic, N-TV showed significant share among young viewers. year-on-year growth, scoring 0.8 per cent of the market in January, February and March. Vox closed the month with a market share of N-TV’s interactive offering N-TV plus also set a 7.4 per cent in the 14- to 49-year-old demogra- new record, recording almost 600,000 views phic. March’s most popular programs included and nearly 220,000 Unique Visits in March. the celebrity show Prominent!, which scored a remarkable 13.1 per cent of the market, as well The children’s channel Super RTL scored 20.5 as Das perfekte Promi Dinner (The Perfect per cent of the market share in its target demo- Celebrity Dinner), which reached a new high at graphic of 3- to 13-year-olds and a 2.5 per cent 12.1 per cent, Das perfekte Dinner which pea- share in terms of total audience. ked at 16.4 per cent, and Unser Traum vom 9 week 14 the RTL Group intranet

Five is growing larger The British RTL Group channel Five has recently had seven consecutive weeks of year-on-year audience share growth for the first time since 2002. Natasha Kaplinsky United Kingdom - 2 April 2008

With the introduction of Neighbours earlier this mes as diverse as UEFA Cup football, Ice Road year and a revamp of its News, Five has alrea- Truckers, Breaking into Tesco, I Own Britain’s dy made headlines this year. Thanks to that, the Best Home, NCIS and needless to say, the re- channel has now reported share growth in each launched evening News. The News which is week (compared to the same week a year befo- anchored by Natasha Kaplinsky since mid of re) for the last 7 weeks. February has increased its share by 50 per cent compared to last year. In terms of the audience group Individuals, Five has achieved an average audience share of 5.6 But it is not just the main channel that is perfor- per cent per week over the past seven weeks, ming well. The digital channel Five Life, which which is a 3 per cent rise on the same period is going to be renamed as Fiver, recorded ano- last year. Apart from the introduction of ther best-ever weekly share of 0.65 per cent Neighbours which increased Five’s ratings (Individuals) in multi-channel homes just last more than proportional, this is thanks to great week. across-the-board performances from program-

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An exceptional Wednesday evening On 26 March, the long-standing mainstream channel RTL-TVI, the children’s and sports channel Club RTL, and the trendy youth channel Plug TV all achieved tremen- dously high audiences in French-speaking Belgium. Belgium - 2 April 2008

Overall, RTL Belgium attained a market share On Club RTL, 347,400 viewers (a 19.1 per cent of 43.7 per cent, making Wednesday (from market share) tuned in to watch the friendly 17.00 to 23.00) the best of the season which football match between Belgium and Morocco. started back in September 2007. Scoring a market share of 22.9 per cent in the target group of men aged 18 to 54, this game On RTL-TVI, the special edition of the 19.00 proved to be the most popular friendly played news programme Journal wrested a market by Belgium’s national team, the Red Devils, share of 44.4 per cent (equivalent to 719,900 since August 2007. viewers). Broadcast at 19.45, the information magazine Coûte que Coûte managed a market Finally, the unmissable hit show Nouvelle Star, share of 27.4 per cent (497,600 viewers). After broadcast on the alternative channel Plug TV, that, two episodes of the US series NCIS: attained a market share of 8.5 per cent Enquêtes spéciales closed the evening with (161,700 viewers). ratings of 24.8 per cent and 27.6 per cent respectively.

The Magic Roundabout makes a big comeback on M6 Kid This celebrated animated series for children, created by Serge Danot, was first aired way back in 1964. Over 500 episodes were made, and the show has been translated into 28 languages. Today the series enjoys cult status around the world. On 2 April, Dougal the dog and his friends made a big comeback on M6. France - 3 April 2008

The 2008 version of The Magic Roundabout is a Visit French-English co-production (by Silver Fox in London and Action Synthèse in Marseilles), realised www.m6kid.fr entirely in 3D. The mammoth task of producing 52 new 11-minute episodes began back in July 2006, and took until February 2008. A feature film is also planned for 2009.

Today's lucky young viewers can pay a visit to the Magic Garden on the M6 Kid website.

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Mariah Carey to appear live on Deutschland sucht den Superstar On Saturday, 5 April, Mariah Carey will coach the eight contestants in Deutschland sucht den Superstar (German version of Idols) for their performance and also present her latest Germany - 1 April 2008

UFA up for no fewer than five Bavarian TV Awards On 31 March, Bavaria’s media minister announced the nominations for the 20th year of Bavarian TV Awards. No fewer than five UFA productions have been nominated. Germany - 1 April 2008

Deutschland sucht den Superstar storms the Charts The finalists in the reality show Deutschland sucht den Superstar have sung their way into the German charts with their jointly recorded album Fly Alone. Germany - 2 April 2008

Market leader RTL Nederland notches up its best month since April 2004 March 2008 was an excellent month for RTL Nederland, which achieved a market share of 32.7 per cent in the 20-49 target group.

The Netherlands - 3 April 2008

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Three Royal Television Society awards for Talkback Thames Talkback Thames won an impressive three awards at this year's Royal Television Society Programme Awards Ceremony which took place at the Grosvenor house on 18 March. United Kingdom - 28 March 2008

Three major commissions for Talkback Thames Talkback Thames wins three major new BBC factual feature commissions. BBC One commissioned Accidental Heroes, Life or Death (working title) will be produced for BBC Daytime and Would like to meet again was commissioned by BBC Two. United Kingdom - 31 March 2008

Three Awards for FremantleMedia Belgium FremantleMedia Belgium triumphed at De Nacht van de Vlaamse Televisiesterren (The Night of Flemish Television Stars) Awards on Sunday night, picking up three trophies for their daily drama Sara. United Kingdom - 3 April 2008

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People Michael Hajek to leave RTL Creation Germany - 28 March 2008

After nine years in Cologne, Michael Hajek is to RTL, Hajek worked in various creative manage- step down as Managing Director of RTL ment positions including with VIVA and ORF. Creation on 30 June this year to work indepen- dently. Thomas Kreyes will remain in his post and will become RTL Creation’s sole Managing From 1 July 2008, Michael Hajek (47), Creative Director, with responsibility for marketing, pro- Managing Director at RTL Creation, will be wor- motion and design activities at RTL in king with RTL on a slightly different basis and Germany. has signed a contract with the channel to act as Creative Consultant for the newly established hajekworks.com for the next few years.

Michael Hajek says: ‘‘I am delighted to be working with RTL in this new phase of my career in marketing, promotion and design. Working as an independent creative consultant with hajekworks.com will enable me to put my know-how and experience in these areas to good use – not just for the benefit of RTL but also for other project partners.’’

RTL Television’s CEO, Anke Schäferkordt, said: ‘‘Over the past few years, Michael Hajek and his team have worked on many of RTL’s successful campaigns. Michael’s creativity has been the driving force behind both on- and off- air marketing for our viewers. In his new role he will continue to play a major part in RTL’s mar- Michael Hajek keting activities.’’

Michael Hajek joined RTL in July 1999, first as Head of On-air Marketing and subsequently, from April 2000, as Managing Director of House of Promotion, a wholly owned subsidiary of RTL Television. After House of Promotion became RTL Creation, Hajek worked first as Creative Director and later as Creative Managing Director, a position in which he was also responsible for the channel’s marketing, promotion and design activities. Before joining

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People Luc Marteling to join RTL Lëtzebuerg’s management team as editor-in-chief of RTL Newmedia Luc Marteling Luxembourg - 31 March 2008

33-year-old Marteling, who has a degree in communication studies, will take up his new post as editor-in-chief of RTL.lu, Luxembourg’s number one website, on 1 June 2008.

Luc Marteling’s arrival in this strategic job is a sign of the firm commitment of RTL Lëtzebuerg (RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg) to breathe new life into the RTL News portal launched last September. It also underscores the importance the group attaches to the Internet and in particular to news broadcasting via its dedicated website RTL.lu which is visited by an astonishing 59.1 per cent of Luxembourg’s Internet users.

RTL Lëtzebuerg’s head of news Marc Linster welcomes the arrival of Luc Marteling, whom he describes as a “seasoned professional within the Luxembourg media industry”.

Speaking of the new editor-in-chief’s arrival, the CEO of RTL Lëtzebuerg Alain Berwick said: “This newly created post will not only enhance the quality of news on RTL.lu but will also strengthen synergies between our three com- ponent media – radio, TV and Internet.”

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