Week 48 / 26 November 2015 Week 48 / 26 November 2015

week 48 / 26 November 2015 week 48 / 26 November 2015

Cover Montage © RTL Television / Robert Grischek

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

Investment in Full Fat TV FremantleMedia SECRET MISSION: p.10 TO CONQUER VIEWERS IN DEUTSCHLAND RTL-Spendenmarathon celebrates its RTL Television 20th anniversary p.4–9 RTL Television p.11–12

Latest meeting of the Media Advisory Council Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland p.13

BCE provides technical support to RTL Z Big Picture BCE / RTL Nederland p.16 p.14

SHORT Successful start for Válótársak RTL Hungary NEWS p.15 p.17

PEOPLE

p.18 SECRET MISSION: TO CONQUER VIEWERS

IN DEUTSCHLAND Germany – 26 November 2015 RTL Television

Deutschland 83 immerses viewers in life in Germany during that extraordinary decade: the 1980s. Following its international success, the UFA Fiction production will start airing at 20:15 on 26 November 2015 on RTL Television. © Morris Mac Matzen

From left to right: Jörg Winger (Co-Creator and Producer), Frank Hoffmann (Managing Director Programming at RTL Television), Samira Radsi (Director Episode 6-8), Jonas Nay (Main Actor), Anna Winger (Co-Creator and Headwriter), Edward Berger (Director Episode 1-5), Nico Hofmann (Producer, Chairman and CEO of UFA Fiction)

Moritz with his aunt Lenora

Leading roles – Moritz Stamm and Alex Edel

It’s 1983. The Cold War between East and West is His aunt, Lenora Rauch (Maria Schrader), a senior in danger of escalating, and a divided Germany is member of the GDR’s foreign intelligence service, literally caught right in the middle. In the wake of HVA, successfully pitches the idea to her hierarchical NATO’s so-called ‘double-track decision’, Germany superior, Walter Schweppenstette (Sylvester Groth). arms itself with Pershing II missiles and NATO Martin is duly ghosted into Germany’s federal armed organises manoeuvres exercises on a nuclear forces, the Bundeswehr, where he goes by the emergency. Its ‘Able Archer’ exercise is so authentic name of Moritz Stamm. His mission? To discover the that Soviet President Andropow believes it is a plans for the deployment of the Federal Republic’s pre-emptive nuclear strike by the United States. Pershing II missiles and ascertain the preparations for the ‘Able Archer’ exercise. His former life in While peace demonstrations are held in Western the GDR starts fading more and more into the Europe, in the East there is no hint of any peaceful background, and he is quick to see how relations solution. This is the difficult political situation in between the FRG (Federal Republic of Germany) which Martin Rauch (played by Jonas Nay), a young and GDR are developing into a real tense situation. soldier serving in the National People’s Army (NVA), Meanwhile, he’s caught right in the thick of it, divided is selected to go and spy in the West for the German between loyalty to his homeland and his attachment

Democratic Republic’s foreign (GDR) secret service. to the free Western world. © RTL Television / Laura Deschner Laura / Television RTL ©

A new world for Moritz – a supermarket in FRG

HVA executive – Walter Schweppenstette Next >

5 © RTL Television / Stefan Gregorowius Television © RTL

“A SERIES THAT NOT ONLY FEATURES GERMANY IN ITS TITLE, BUT WILL ALSO HOLD THE COUNTRY

IN ITS THRALL” Philipp Steffens, Head of Fiction at RTL Television

To mark the series’ launch in Germany, Backstage Can you reveal anything about how the series spoke to Philipp Steffens, Head of Fiction at came about? What form did your collaboration RTL Television, about his cooperation with UFA with the UFA team take? Fiction and the fiction highlights on RTL Television It began with the phenomenal work done by the during the coming year. two creative minds, the writer Anna Winger and producer Jörg Winger, and then continued under the What in your view made Deutschland 83 an amazing direction by Edward Berger and Samira international success? Radsi and with great acting by a unique cast. Many, Well, the series had a fantastic team working on many more names deserve a mention here though, it. We had experienced, deeply committed camera because Deutschland 83 was a combined effort by crews and excellent actors. And although the drama a really exceptional team, both behind and in front is very German affair, the backdrop to events is the of the camera. Crucially, everyone shared the same hottest phase of the Cold War, which resonates vision about making a series that not only features with and fascinates international audiences too. Germany in its title, but will also hold the country in Then there’s also the universally appealing, modern its thrall. narrative style of this thrilling spy series, and last but not least, the script produced by the series’ creator, Deutschland 83 first aired in the United States Anna Winger, which views the topic from a very on Sundance TV – before being shown on distinctive angle. RTL Television. How come? FremantleMedia International offered Sundance TV all episodes of Deutschland 83 before the series had even been finished. They were immediately won over by the quality of the series and seized their opportunity, even though this was a bold experiment for an independent channel like Sundance, especially since the series was broadcast in German with subtitles, © RTL Television / Nik Konietzny Television © RTL something unheard of in the United States. In the end, it all turned out very well: the series was a hit in America, confirming the excellent ratings given to it by international critics. Martin Rauch alias Moritz Stamm Next >

6 Which fiction highlights and own productions do you have in store for the coming year that viewers can look forward to seeing on RTL Television? Our spring highlight in the genre fiction will be the event film Die Turnschuhgiganten (The Sneaker-Giants), which is about the brothers who founded Adidas and Puma respectively. Winnetou is the single word needed to whet viewers’ appetites for the autumn and winter, when RTL Television

will air a classic three-part made-for-TV mini series / Nikola Predovic, RatPack Television © RTL based on the Wild West stories by Karl May. Where series are concerned, this season we even have 13 episodes of our hit show Der Lehrer (The Teacher) lined up, as well as plenty of excitement in the new Winnetou season of Alarm für Cobra [long-running police series], which comprises 11 episodes featuring new But with such a magnificent team on both sides cast member Daniel Roesner. of the camera we’re convinced that our efforts will be crowned with success and we feel certain that How is shooting on Winnetou going? What the TV film we are making will bring whole families are the challenges you face when producing a together around their TV sets. remake of such popular material? Shooting is going gratifyingly well. Karl May’s What makes a series ‘good’? What does it take Winnetou is one of the best-known German novels to achieve more than niche success? and its stories about the Apache chief are known RTL Television’s programmes must aim to reach a the whole world over. So of course there are some broad and sizeable audience of men and women, major challenges involved. Firstly, there is the huge young and older viewers. In my view therein lies the logistical effort involved in bringing the legendary major challenge: how to find stories with universal figure back to life again at the same locations in appeal that move everyone in equal measure, not Croatia where the original movies were made. just a smaller, more limited group. Our two series Secondly, there is the content-related challenge of Alarm für Cobra 11 and Der Lehrer are perfect creating a modern reinterpretation while retaining examples of how to achieve success. We believe the spirit of the old films. in strong, true-to-life figures and characters who leave our viewers feeling good. For our ongoing series we rely on modern procedurals, meaning cases that are concluded within a single episode, but have horizontal strands of narrative extending over multiple episodes. Next > © RTL Television / Willi Weber Television © RTL

Die Turnschuhgiganten 7 COLD WAR CONTINUES After the premiere of Deutschland 83, RTL Television will air the documentary 1983 (K)ein bisschen Frieden at 22:15 – with news journalist Peter Kloeppel and TV presenter Inka Bause embarking on a journey into the past, meeting key figures from the time

Inka Bause and Peter Kloeppel take on the eventful year between pop and politics

WHAT HAS THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS SAID ON THE SERIES:

week 46 / 13 November 2014

Backstage visited the cast of Deutschland 83 last year, when the shooting of the event series began Click here to find out more

COLD WAR GETTING HOT How UFA Fiction and RTL Television produce

the historical large-scale event seriesThe Deutschland! Netherlands Belgium RTL Nederland Next > Luxembourg ‘360° Expert Meeting launches brand new RTL Group Q3 results: on Media – Convergence – multi-channel network Solid results driven by Regulation’ slight improvement in advertising revenue in key markets

8 ZEITGEIST

EAST-WEST

HISTORY

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

RTL TELEVISION HAS PRODUCED VARIOUS TRAILERS TO HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THIS TROUBLED PERIOD ADDRESSED IN THE SERIES

9 FULL FAT ENTERTAINMENT FremantleMedia

On 25 November 2015, FremantleMedia announced that it has invested in the Birmingham-based factual entertainment indie Full Fat TV. United Kingdom – 26 November 2015

The deal was closed on 23 November and following this investment, FremantleMedia now holds a minority stake of 25 per cent with an option to increase its share in the future.

Full Fat TV was set up earlier this year by Colette Foster, the former Managing Director of Endemol label Remarkable TV. The company will focus on making factual entertainment and feature formats. The name Full Fat describes the content she wants the company to make: mischievous and funny but also nourishing and satisfying. Foster was keen to set up in her home town Birmingham.

FremantleMedia Global CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz says: “Colette has a strong vision of what she wants to achieve and she is one of the most successful and respected creatives in the United Kingdom. Full Fat TV is a great complement to our existing portfolio and we’re looking forward to working with her on what will be a great slate of programming.”

Colette Foster adds: “We are hugely excited about developing new Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia standout factual entertainment programming and we are thrilled to be working with the team at FremantleMedia. They are terrific creative partners with an unrivalled network through which to develop programming and that is really exciting.”

Prior to launching the indie, Colette Foster was Joint Managing Director at Endemol’s Remarkable TV where she launched and oversaw over 20 factual brands including Supersize vs Superskinny, The House that £100K Built, Restoration Home and Freak Like Me. Before joining Endemol, Foster developed and executive produced 10 Years Younger, Embarrassing Illnesses and How To Look Good Naked.

Colette Foster, Founder of Full Fat TV

10 #RTLGivesBack A NEW RECORD FOR THE RTL-SPENDENMARATHON! RTL Television

Over €10 million (€10,068,215) were raised on 19 and 20 November 2015 by the 20th RTL-Spendenmarathon, establishing a new record for this long-running fundraising programme. Germany – 23 November 2015 © RTL Television / Frank Hempel Television © RTL

Til Schweiger answered viewers’ donation calls

On 19 November 2015 at 18:00 Wolfram Kons, the long-standing presenter of the programme, started the extra-long edition that ran for 30 consecutive hours. The telethon consisted of initiatives and events aimed at raising funds for the Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern (RTL Foundation – We Help Children).

Many celebrities took part in the event, helping to raise money: at the Vodafone call centre Til Schweiger, Christine Neubauer, Jessica Schwarz, Uschi Glas, Hannes Jaenicke, Wolfgang Niedecken, Matthias © RTL Television / Frank Hempel Television © RTL Steiner, Wolfgang Bosbach, Michael Mittermeier, Gaby Köster and

Joachim Llambi and Wolfram Kons many other stars answered viewers’ donation calls.

Next > 11 The RTL-Spendenmarathon’s numerous initiatives included Joey Kelly’s 24h ‘Treadmill Challenge’; with the slogan ‘20 years, 20 treadmills, €20,000’, the 42-year-old endurance athlete’s challenge was sponsored by 20 companies that each bought a treadmill for €20,000, which were then all used by runners for 24 consecutive hours. While Joey Kelly ran on ‘his’ treadmill alone, company teams © RTL Television © RTL could participate in the challenge as relay teams. The challenge begun live on the RTL-Spendenmarathon on Thursday 19 November 2015 at 23:15.

Another important initiative was the auction, which included a photo collection and album exclusively autographed by Bryan Adams, a Mango biker’s jacket autographed by supermodel Cara Delevigne, an autographed flacon of ‘J by Jennifer Aniston’ perfume and a Bottega Veneta leather handbag from Jennifer Aniston’s personal collection. The highest purchase was Andreas Gabalier’s Harley Davidson that was sold for a total of €20,100.

At the end of the event, Wolfram Kons said: “I’m very tired, but also infinitely happy. With this great result and the donations, wecan sustainably help many children in Germany and around the world. I’d like to thank all the fans, all the celebrities and our partners Joey Kelly ran for 24 hours for making it possible to reach the 20th anniversary of the RTL-Spendenmarathon so successfully. I promise that every single cent will go to the children!”

The money raised this year will support the RTL Foundation’s activities as well as initiatives for the benefit of refugees. Specific projects sponsored this year include:

Campaigns for the better education and treatment of refugee children in Germany (sponsored by Til Schweiger) Helping seriously ill children with disabilities in Germany (sponsored by Mario Götze) Raising funds for integration and equal opportunities for socially disadvantaged children in Germany (sponsored by Joachim Löw) Supporting refugee children in Jordan (sponsored by Nobel Prize winner Malala) Building a centre for the protection of girls with HIV in India (sponsored by Lena Gercke) Supporting the construction of classrooms for slum children in Argentina (sponsored by Pope Francis)

For more information about the event, the sponsors and initiatives, click here.

Anke Schäferkordt, Co-CEO of RTL Group and CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland answering donation calls

Final amount raised by RTL-Spendenmarathon 12 MEDIA ADVISORY COUNCIL ON CURRENT AFFAIRS REPORTING Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

The Media Advisory Council of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland met on 18 November 2015 to discuss current political events reporting. Germany – 25 November 2015

The 15-member council, made up of representatives from political parties, churches, associations and other organisations, discussed the broadcaster’s coverage of the refugee crisis in Germany and the terrorist attacks in Paris with Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, and the management of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.

Christian Höppner, Chair of the Media Advisory Council: “In the current political climate, it is of great importance that private television stations also report comprehensively, and with detailed background Christian Höppner information on all of the current topics and events. This allows for a detailed insight into the intricacies of the current situation, especially for young members of the public. With contextual information, RTL Television and N-TV are making an important contribution to society both with regards to the refugee crisis as well as the Paris terrorist attacks.”

© N-TV / Hardy Welsch Hans Demmel, CEO of N-TV, explained at the meeting how N-TV, with its round-the-clock live coverage in recent days and weeks, has several times proven itself to be the most-used source of information on German television. At times, the broadcaster recorded a double- figure audience share. Furthermore, N-TV began its own steadfast initiative for refugees by launching the internet series Marhaba, in which presenter Constantin Schreiber explains life in Germany to newcomers via short, clear videos in Arabic. Hans Demmel Peter Kloeppel, Chief Anchor at RTL Aktuell, explained to the Media Advisory Council how the RTL Television channel has geared its current reporting towards the politically charged topics of refugees, the Paris terrorist attacks and subsequent dangers of the attacks. “From the Media Advisory Council’s point of view, it is of great significance that the very complex intricacies are conveyed both clearly and in understandable language to the viewers”, Höppner further comments. As Germany’s leading private broadcaster, RTL Television is particularly successful at this.

© RTL Television / Stefan Gregorowius Television © RTL Alongside these political topics, the Media Advisory Council also examined current issues of media development and policy with the representatives of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. As a new member of the council, Aiman A. Mazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany took part in the meeting for the first time. Peter Kloeppel

13 BCE AND RTL NEDERLAND TEAM UP TO LAUNCH RTL Z BCE / RTL Nederland

RTL Z, the new RTL Nederland news channel that launched on 7 September 2015, offers programmes covering live current events, business, finance and technology. Luxembourg / The Netherlands – 20 November 2015

Broadcasting from Luxembourg, a dedicated service integrated into the existing RTL Nederland broadcasting platform provides the playout. BCE, in fact, already broadcasts the free television channels RTL 4, RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8 from dedicated playout services, as well as the subscription-only channels RTL Telekids, RTL Lounge and RTL Crime from the multicasting platform.

With origins in broadcasting, BCE has access to top of the line playout service technology which can fulfil the needs of its clients both at the levels of infrastructure and of services. In total, BCE operates seven RTL Z’s control room control rooms dedicated to the Dutch, Belgian and Hungarian markets.

Thanks to the dedicated BCE broadcasting platform, RTL Z can offer its viewers high definition programmes, with graphics, subtitles and even an electronic programme guide (EPG). With a perfect connection to the production installations at RTL Nederland, located in Hilversum (the Netherlands), the channel is in permanent contact with the playout engineers at BCE and the channel’s operations are monitored around the clock by BCE’s Network Operations Centre.

Marco Louwerens, Programme Director for RTL 7 and RTL Z, says: “We want to establish RTL Z as a channel that perfectly combines news coverage and entertainment. Business, politics and news flashes are an integral part of RTL Z’s DNA. Nevertheless, we also wish to diversify our programming by broaching such subjects as technology, innovation, lifestyle and personal finance - all of them taking on a new approach, interspersed with other programmes such as documentaries.”

“The launch of RTL Z has been a success. We are thankful to RTL Nederland for their confidence and the many channels they have chosen to broadcast from our platform. RTL Z is proposing a new approach. We are particularly enthusiastic about broadcasting this new arrival to the RTL Nederland family of channels,” comments Catherine Ettlinger, BCE’s Head of Broadcast.

Hank van de Loo, Manager Broadcast Technology at RTL Nederland, adds: “Since 1989, BCE has managed playout operations for RTL Nederland. Over the years, BCE has proven itself to be a trustworthy partner, with very skilled operators and engineers. The launch of RTL Z went very smoothly. News broadcasting is particularly delicate for playout staff and platforms, and requires the utmost flexibility. BCE has a perfect command of this type of operation.” 14 DIVORCE IS NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING RTL Hungary

On 19 November 2015, the series Válótársak (Divorce) premiered on RTL Hungary’s flagship channel RTL Klub with a double episode, and was the most watched weekly series of this season so far in the target demographic. Hungary – 23 November 2015

Válótársak tells the story of three men who are getting divorced

Based on the Dutch drama Divorce aired on RTL 4 in the Netherlands, Válótársak is a locally produced 10-part drama series that tells the story of three men, Bálint, Dávid and Joci, who are getting divorced, and become best friends as they go through the sometimes painful and sometimes joyful adventures of making a fresh start.

The first episode won a 24.2 per cent audience share, which increased to 25 per cent by episode two in the commercial target group (18- to 49-year-old viewers).The show was even more popular among women aged 18 to 39, with the first episode achieving a 30.3 per cent audience share in this demographic.

The drama is broadcast at 21:20 on Thursday evenings, straight after the long-running daily series Barátok közt. Next week, RTL Klub host Zsófi Szabó, Hungary’s Got Talent jury member Patricia Kovács, and Kossuth Prize-winning actor János Kulka will join the series’ main characters as supporting actors.

15 Comedy gold!

The Groupe M6 brand Golden Moustache is Les Dissociés has been simultaneously made reinventing the rules of feature films by launching released on the GoldenMoustache.com website and the first French internet film Les Dissociés (The YouTube free of charge from 24 November 2015. Dissociated). Produced by Golden Moustache and Alongside the online launch, the film has also successfully directed by the content creators group Suricate, previewed on a tour of ten French cities.

How you ever wondered what it feels like to wake up one morning in someone else’s body?

Suricate did.

Click here to whatch how it feels like. SHORT NEWS 1/1

Fun and popular Fun Radio

Fun Radio, France’s second music radio, is breaking records with its morning show: more than 1,8 million of listeners tune in every morning for Bruno dans la radio. The audience share of the show increased by 47 per cent in a year. France – 20 November 2015

From digital...to print RTL Net

After the launch of a new version of Girls.fr last May, RTL Net, the digital subsidiary of the RTL Group radio division in France, has accelerated the development of the brand towards its youthful female target market by launching Girls, a 192-page magazine-book or otherwise called “mook”. The printed edition is available at bookshops and eBook format on Amazon, Fnac and Apple. France – 24 November 2015

After 27 years at RTL Belgium where he held several executive positions, Jean-Jacques Deleeuw, Director of Corporate Communications and Medialab, will leave to become Télé Bruxelles’ Head of Information and Chief Editor at the start of 2016. Belgium – 24 November 2015

The world’s talents will be back on ITV FremantleMedia UK

Planet’s Got Talent is a show co-produced by Thames (FremantleMedia UK) that showcases some of the most incredible acts from the different Got Talent format versions. It will come back on ITV for a second series that will air in early 2016. United Kingdom – 24 November 2015

Visit famous GTST locations RTL Nederland

With the new GTST Meerdijk app, fans will have exclusive access to the fictional locations of the Dutch daily series Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden. The app is now available for iOS and Android. The Netherland – 24 November 2015

17 PEOPLE ANNE WAHLSTRÖM FremantleMedia

United Kingdom / Finland – 24 November 2015

FremantleMedia has announced the appointment of Anne Wahlström to the role of Head of Entertainment of its Finnish operation. She will take up her new role as of 1 January 2016.

The former Endemol Shine executive joins FremantleMedia Finland as the company seeks to grow its business in the market, having announced Joonas Hytönen as the new Managing Director of the company earlier this month. Wahlström, who was appointed by FremantleMedia’s CEO Nordics, Eastern Europe and Balkans, Daniela Matei, will report to the local Managing Director and will sit on the FremantleMedia Finland management board.

On making the appointment, Daniela Matei says: “Anne has fantastic experience working on high-profile local and international shows. I have no doubt that she will be a huge support to Joonas when he takes up the role, and that her skills and creativity will add value to our existing team.”

Anne Wahlström adds: “The FremantleMedia catalogue Anne Wahlström, Head of Entertainment of FremantleMedia Finland contains an impressive list of the world’s most talked-about entertainment shows. I can’t wait to start working with Joonas and the team to bring these to Finnish viewers.”

Wahlström joins FremantleMedia Finland from Endemol Shine Finland where she was Creative Director – Productions, working across a number of local titles as well as major international shows. Prior to this, Wahlström was Head of Production at Solar Television, working across The Voice and The Voice Kids. She has also held production roles at Metronome Film and Television, as well as Zodiak Finland Oy where her credits include Clash of the Choirs, Strictly Come Dancing, Toisenlaiset Frendit and Presidentin kanslia amongst others.

18 More about Backstage

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