How RTL Nitro Became the Fastest Growing New Channel in Germany in Recent Months

Home , Quentin Mosimann, Randy Jackson, Tate Stevens

week 37 / 12 September 2013

BROAD. LOUD. MALE. How RTL Nitro became the fastest growing new channel in Germany in recent months

Germany France Canada North America Anke Schäferkordt M6 and W9 Broadband TV hits The X Factor USA talks about the present their a billion monthly returns with two new important role schedules for impressions faces: Kelly Rowland of RTL Group for the 2013/14 TV and Paulina Rubio Bertelsmann season week 37 / 12 September 2013

BROAD. LOUD. MALE. How RTL Nitro became the fastest growing new channel in Germany in recent months

Germany France Canada North America Anke Schäferkordt M6 and W9 Broadband TV hits The X Factor USA talks about the presented their a billion monthly returns with two new important role schedules for impressions faces: Kelly Rowland of RTL Group for the 2013/14 TV and Paulina Rubio Bertelsmann season Cover Montage with RTL Nitro’s main marketing motif of its autumn campaign

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

Anke Schäferkordt: “Content remains the key to success” RTL Group p. 8–14

“Passion, experience, talent” M6 / W9 p. 15–17 “We need to make a lot of noise” RTL Nitro Jennifer Lopez and p.4–7 Harry Connick Jr. join Keith Urban on Idol FremantleMedia North America p. 18

Broadband TV hits a billion Big Picture monthly impressions p.21 Broadband TV p. 19

The X Factor USA SHORT returns with Honda as an ofﬁ cial sponsor NEWS PEOPLE FremantleMedia North America p. 22–23 p. 20 p.24–27 “WE NEED TO Backstage spoke with Oliver Schablitzki, Head of RTL Nitro, about his MAKE A LOT OF channel’s strategic direction and programming. NOISE”

Germany – 12 September 2013 RTL Nitro

Oliver Schablitzki, Head of RTL Nitro

4 Flemish TV series Matrioshki

But why did Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland decide to launch this new channel at all – and what sets it apart from the competition? “With the increasing digitisation and accompanying fragmentation, the television market in Germany is changing in two respects,” explains Schablitzki. “For one, it has become much easier and cheaper to disseminate a channel, and secondly, the market is becoming thematically broader overall. There are more niches and not just the big general-interest channels.” As a result, the huge channels are losing audience share Derren Brown – The Experiments features a mixture of stunts, magic and illusion to smaller ones. Which is why Anke Schäferkordt, Co-CEO of RTL Group and CEO of Mediengruppe On 1 April 2012, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland RTL Deutschland, said early on: “When the market launched a new digital channel – just in time for the fragments, fragment yourself before someone else switch from analogue to satellite TV in Germany. “So does.” we picked a time when many people were running the channel search anyway because of their new, A look at the current portfolio quickly showed digital equipment,” says Oliver Schablitzki. This what direction the new channel should helped the channel get off to a comfortable launch, take in terms of content: a rich and diverse accompanied by trailers on all Mediengruppe RTL entertainment programme line-up for men. Deutschland channels. A year and a half later, While N-TV is also aimed at a male target the channel already has an audience share of audience, it focuses more on decision-makers 1.1 per cent among 14- to 59 year-old men and a interested in business. “The other channels in the 0.9 per cent share of the 14 to 59 age group as a portfolio, with the exception of N-TV, tend to be whole – which makes it the fastest-growing channel aimed more at women,” says Schablitzki. “What launched in recent months in Germany.

1,2 1.1 1.1 1,0

0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0,8

0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0,6 0.6 0.6

0.5 0.5 0.5 0,4 0.3 0,2

0,0 A’12 M’12 J’12 J’12 A’12 S’12 O’12 N’12 D’12 J’13 F’13 M’13 A’13 M’13 J’13 J’13 A’13

Audience share development among men aged 14 to 59 Next > 5 makes us different from other men’s channels? We offer the widest programme line-up for the demographic: entertainment, sport, documentaries, series and ﬁ lms.”

This is evident in the line-up for the upcoming season, too: “Especially in our daytime programming, we will continue to rely on classics,” says Schablitzki. “Shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Highlander, Emergency 51, Friends and Seinfeld are well-known and remain popular – including among younger viewers.”

In the new season, RTL Nitro will show documentaries and factual entertainment on Monday evenings instead of comedy. One of these formats is Derren Brown – The Experiments. Tuesdays on RTL Nitro are devoted to movie highlights, plus the all-star six-hour miniseries Hatfi elds & McCoys starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton Hatfi elds & McCoys starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton as a free-to-air TV premiere. Wednesdays anniversary year. The show will be moderated – are all about crime and action. Thursdays are the as it was then – by Peter Illmann. He was the fi rst new comedy evening with new episodes of series of its four presenters and moderated the fi rst 67 including Modern Family and Raising Hope. On shows. Now he returns to relive the highlights of the Fridays this autumn sees the launch of the fourth legendary show series with today’s audiences season of the award-winning series Breaking Bad. New to the programme line-up are the “These home-grown productions are of course not Emmy-nominated series The Riches with Minnie an end in themselves,” says Schablitzki, explaining Driver, the drama series Die Firma, the western the idea behind the show. He said one must series Longmire and the Flemish television series always consider which formats can be bought on the Matrioshki, about a group of women from Lithuania market, which could possibly be commissioned and Russia who are abducted by traffi ckers and as co-productions, and which ones are worth taken to Belgium. producing entirely in-house. The magazine of “Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!” (I’m a “Of course, compared to independent competitors Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!) for example, we benefi t from the fact that we are part of was more due to tactical reasons,” Schablitzki Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland,” explains recalls. “At the time, we mostly added it to the Schablitzki. “And we also benefi t from the Group’s programme line-up to generate attention. And how programme acquisitions, or the output deals better to do this than with one of the most popular it signs. On the other hand, as a small channel we shows on German television? It was less about certainly don’t get fi rst choice when it comes to which having a pure men’s theme and more about the channel gets to broadcast which series. An open possible marketing impact.” dialogue within the company helps here. We talk about what series best fi ts in which environment. The idea behind the revival of the iconic Formel A format like Longmire will end up on RTL Nitro Eins, however, is a different one. “As a generalist because of all the channels, we’re the best match channel for men, of course music is very important for it.” for us,” says Schablitzki. “We’re also banking on the nostalgia factor. This show can be used to appeal Although he had no football rights to announce, to different generations. Formel Eins just fi ts well – Schablitzki joked at the launch of the new season in especially as the show celebrates its anniversary August: “we do have Formel Eins for you” [editor’s this year. That was another reason we decided to note: Formel Eins is German for Formula One]. He revamp the show, albeit using the principles and was not, however, talking about motor racing, but logic of contemporary productions.” From 19 October, about the iconic music clip show from the 1980s, RTL Nitro will air ten programmes each showcasing which returns to German television in its 30th the top 30 Formel Eins music clips.

Next >

6 Motif of the autumn campaign

This autumn RTL Nitro is promoting its Schablitzki is cautious about stating his personal programme line-up with a new campaign based target for RTL Nitro in the year ahead: “Now that on four well-known faces featured on the channel: our audience shares are at just over 1 per cent, we Bryan Cranston, who plays the main character naturally want to keep them. And of course we Walter White in Breaking Bad, Ed O’Neill from also want to expand our leading position among Modern Family, Kevin Costner from Hatﬁ elds & third- and fourth-generation channels.” But, he McCoys, and the British illusionist Derren Brown. explains, the rise to the one-per cent mark is easier Derren Brown is the only non-ﬁ ctional character. than increasing it from one to two per cent. “This can only happen if we actively poach audience shares elsewhere,” says Schablitzki. “We’ll just go ahead and serve up good programming. And as a small channel we need to make a lot of noise, to make sure people notice us.”

On 23 August, the ﬁ rst eight episodes of Breaking Bad were watched by up to 2.9 per cent of male viewers aged 14 to 59

7 ANKE SCHÄFERKORDT: “CONTENT REMAINS THE KEY TO SUCCESS” RTL Group

In a comprehensive interview with the Bertelsmann intranet, Benet, Anke Schäferkordt talks about her ﬁ rst 18 months on the Bertelsmann Executive Board – and the important role of RTL Group for Bertelsmann. Luxembourg – 12 September 2013

Anke Schäferkordt started as a trainee at Bertelsmann at a time when the Corporate Center was still known as the Hauptverwaltung. Today, 25 years later, she sits on our company’s Executive Board. For her this is less the culmination of a storybook career at Bertelsmann than an indication that she has a job in an industry and with content that she “really enjoys a lot.” In conversation with Benet, Anke Schäferkordt takes the time to review her ﬁ rst 18 months on the Bertelsmann Executive Board and as Co-CEO of RTL Group with Guillaume de Posch – months that were characterised by an intense strategy process at RTL Group and Bertelsmann, and also by the successful listing of her company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, as well as of record results even in today’s difﬁ cult markets.

Ms. Schäferkordt, you joined Bertelsmann in 1988 and were appointed to the Executive Board in April 2012. Was this the fulfi llment of a dream or a long-cherished plan? Anke Schäferkordt: Neither – and that’s not what’s important to me, either. Of course, from the outside my career looks soundly and well planned, when you say “from trainee to Executive Board member,” but when I joined the junior managers program back then, the Executive Board was a long way off. It was in a different Anke Schäferkordt, Co-CEO of RTL Group and member of the Bertelsmann Executive Next > Board 8 league, one I didn’t think about and couldn’t even imagine, so I wouldn’t have dared dream about it. Although I like to be very organized in matters of business, I don’t personally follow any milestone principle as in, ‘fi ve years from now I will have achieved this, and in ten years that.’ So job titles don’t play a crucial role for me. For me, what counts much more is what I’m doing in my job and what is driving our industry, as well as working together in a strong, creative and entrepreneurial team. I simply really enjoy my work! That is why I’ve worked in this industry and this company so happily and for so long. And besides, there has never been a lack of change and challenge for me within “FOR ME, WHAT COUNTS MUCH RTL Group. MORE IS WHAT I’M DOING IN Can you take stock of your fi rst 18 months on the MY JOB AND WHAT IS DRIVING Executive Board for us? Was there anything OUR INDUSTRY, AS WELL AS that came as a surprise even to you, a bona fi de WORKING TOGETHER IN A Bertelsmann veteran? Anke Schäferkordt: Of course I already knew STRONG, CREATIVE AND Bertelsmann and its businesses quite well – espe- ENTREPRENEURIAL TEAM.” cially the television business, which I’ve been involved in since 1991. And while I’ve always kept myself informed about the other divisions over the years, there’s still a big difference in following developments from the outside versus being part of an Executive Board, making decisions that affect these divisions. I have therefore used the past few months to learn a lot about the work and businesses of the other divisions. I want to be well prepared and thoroughly understand all the decisions that I’m involved in making. So while I’ve learned a lot of new things on the Executive Board, I was not really surprised by anything – except maybe how time-consuming the work for the Bertelsmann and RTL Group Executive and Supervisory Board meetings can be sometimes.

You allude to your various roles: CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Co-CEO of RTL Group, and a member of the Bertelsmann Executive Board. How do you reconcile them all? Anke Schäferkordt: The Group can only beneﬁ t if we Executive Board members remain close to the operational business. As CEO of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, I run Bertelsmann’s largest single business. As Co-CEO of RTL Group, I also am responsible, together with Guillaume de Posch, for RTL Group’s overall business and strategic development. Although these are two positions, they look at one and the same business, though certainly from different perspectives. On both levels, I learn things that I can contribute directly to the work of the Bertelsmann Executive Board. Other Executive Board members do exactly the same thing. We mutually beneﬁ t from the mix of our different backgrounds and expertise – and so does Bertelsmann.

The television business, as you just hinted at, is immensely important for Bertelsmann right now. RTL Group contributes by far the largest share of revenues and earnings in the company. Will this continue to be the case? Anke Schäferkordt: The role that RTL Group and therefore the TV business plays at Bertelsmann is not deﬁ ned solely by its share of the Group’s total revenues or proﬁ ts, but also by how successfully

Next >

9 we manage our business and continue to grow. Because we are determined to continue doing this in the future, television will be a source of joy for Bertelsmann for many years to come.

You were the ﬁ rst woman on the Bertelsmann Executive Board, and the only one until Judith Hartmann’s appointment as CFO. How important was this step? Anke Schäferkordt: For me personally, the issue of women is less important. For Bertelsmann, diversity is fundamentally important.

What do you mean by that? Anke Schäferkordt: I started my career as a woman and continue it as a woman. For me personally, this topic is irrelevant in the day-to-day business. But for Bertelsmann it was a very important signal that it is opening up to more women in management, and on the Executive Board.

In Luxembourg, you share the post of RTL Group CEO with Guillaume de Posch. How do you divide tasks, and how is the collaboration between you two going? Anke Schäferkordt: Despite all the prophecies of doom about Co-CEO structures: really good. Guillaume lives for television. I live for television. We understand each other. We have the same goals. The intensive strategy process right after our appointment helped us bond. It was an ideal introduction. So far, we have taken every decision unanimously together with our CFO Elmar Heggen – and we have no intention of changing that. We did a roadshow together for eight days in April, where we presented RTL Group to more than 200 potential investors in individual or group meetings and in conference calls. After these individual meetings, three-quarters of the investors signed orders for our shares. The entire IPO project was a team effort and team building at its best. When the roadshow came to an end, we practically missed each other’s company.

“GUILLAUME LIVES This IPO in Frankfurt was most certainly among the decisive FOR TELEVISION. I LIVE moments of your fi rst months as Co-CEO of RTL Group. Is the FOR TELEVISION. WE share price now the fi rst thing you look at in the morning? UNDERSTAND EACH Anke Schäferkordt: As ever, the fi rst thing I look at are the audience shares of our Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland channels. The second OTHER. WE HAVE is the current advertising bookings for our German channels, and THE SAME GOALS.” the third is at the audience ratings and the advertising bookings for RTL Group’s international channels. And then comes the share price. What I’m saying is that in future we will continue to focus our work on what we can really infl uence and control. The share price is at best something we can only indirectly infl uence, while we can very directly control the successful management of our businesses. Of course, the one affects the other: If the business is going well and growing, we create the basis for the share price to rise in the long term. So the signifi cantly higher free fl oat of RTL Group shares has not changed our strategy and management. Just as we keep the interests of our ‘old’ shareholders in mind, we also keep the new investors in mind. I’m delighted that we have so many new investors who are interested in long-term, sustainable success – just as we and Bertelsmann are. RTL Group is now certainly under more intense scrutiny but as before, it will not strive for short-term profi t maximization just to drive the share price up for the short-term.

Next >

10 The investors are bound to have been delighted by RTL Group’s recent record performance, when it reported one of its best fi rst halves ever in mid-August – and in an ever more challenging, partly declining market no less. How does your company do it? Anke Schäferkordt: It was indeed a challenging six months. All of our TV advertising markets declined, with the exception of Germany – and that was only just stable. But this wasn’t an entirely surprising development, nor was it the fi rst time. There’s no getting around the fact that our free-to-air TV channels operate in an advertising- dependent and therefore volatile business. We’ve repeatedly seen market fl uctuations of up to ten per cent from one year to the next. Given these conditions, you can only be successful with a very well run, very cost-conscious company. Cost discipline is in our DNA. When the advertising markets are down, we can respond very fl exibly and have plenty of ways to achieve savings, for example in the marginal timeslots of our programming, in the early morning or late evening. Besides, in times of declining markets, our competitors are forced to tighten their belts as well. In such a phase, it’s unlikely that a broadcaster is going to launch a surprise attack on the others by making expensive investments. That would be almost suicidal. “IF THERE IS ONE COMPANY THAT WILL BENEFIT WHEN THE ADVERTISING MARKETS BOUNCE BACK IN EUROPE, IT IS RTL GROUP.”

But this cannot go on forever, can it? Anke Schäferkordt: No, it can’t, of course, but we always strive to remain capable of coming up with a response. The Spanish TV advertising market, to name the toughest example, has shrunk by more than half over the past fi ve years. Nevertheless, Antena 3 continues to operate profi tably. Eventually, the pain threshold is reached, of course, but I prefer to see the glass as half full rather than half empty – and if there is one company that will benefi t when the advertising markets bounce back in Europe, it is RTL Group. We are number one or two in each of our markets, and are ready to take off.

…while not exactly waiting for the starting signal for a new upswing in Europe.

Anke Schäferkordt: We’re certainly not spending our time just waiting. We’ve developed a clear strategy for RTL Group centering on the three core businesses of broadcast, content and digital. After extensively

Next >

11 testing and updating this strategy last year, our focus is now on putting it into action to further strengthen RTL Group. Our strategy is also in line with Bertelsmann’s strategic priorities.

Can you please explain your strategy for the three business areas in more detail? Anke Schäferkordt: In our broadcast business, the most important thing, on the one hand, is to strengthen our position in the TV and radio markets we already operate in today – which corresponds to strengthening the core in the context of Bertelsmann’s strategy. In 2012 alone, we launched four new channels in these core markets, all of which have so far actually exceeded our expectations. And on the other hand, we are turning to new markets – in the world’s growth regions as defi ned by Bertelsmann. Here we are initially taking very risk-conscious steps on a fi nancially manageable scale. We just want to get a foot in the door and gain some experience. Big RTL Thrill in India is one example; the recently announced partnership with CBS for joint expansion in Asia is another. It has already led to the launch of a fi rst channel at the beginning of September – RTL CBS Entertainment. In 2014, this will be followed by a second: RTL CBS Extreme.

“I STARTED MY CAREER AS A WOMAN AND CONTINUE IT AS A WOMAN. FOR ME PERSONALLY, THIS TOPIC IS IRRELEVANT IN THE DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS.”

Among other things RTL Entertainment CBS will start off by airing major Fremantle Media shows such as America’s Got Talent or The X Factor USA in Asia shortly after they are broadcast in the U.S. How will RTL Group’s production or content arm generate new growth itself beyond this geographic expansion? Anke Schäferkordt: FremantleMedia is rightly one of Bertelsmann’s declared growth platforms. The necessary restructuring of FremantleMedia has been completed; new, attractive formats are in the pipeline or are already on air in some countries. We believe very strongly in the future of the production business and see global growth opportunities for FremantleMedia, both organically and through acquisitions – because attractive content will continue to be crucial in the future. The constantly growing number of digital distribution platforms is increasing demand for top content. This makes FremantleMedia very interesting and attractive both for Bertelsmann and the stock markets. FremantleMedia also has the unique selling proposition of being Europe’s only globally operating production company.

You have defi ned RTL Group’s strategic priorities of strengthening the core, growth regions and growth platforms, and mentioned the digital business. How specifi cally do things stand with digital transformation as the fourth focus of Bertelsmann’s strategy? Anke Schäferkordt: We are driving forward the digital transformation of our businesses and see digitization as a great opportunity. There’s a very simple reason for this: Our core business is to offer our viewers, listeners, users, consumers – or whatever you call our audience – attractive programs. This is something we’re good at; it’s our core competence. On what screens, whether in linear or non-linear programming, really makes no difference. Television has an important advantage here: It is already digital. So, going forward, we will – fi rst

Next >

12 – continue to rely on traditional linear television. Second, we will bring our formats from linear to non-linear television. Online video is very clearly the main focus of our digital strategy. Third, we will produce new content speciﬁ cally for digital platforms through FremantleMedia. In the end our broadcasters must manage, with appropriate business models, to ensure that it doesn’t matter what device their programming is watched on – and whether it is linear or non-linear. Above and beyond this, we have to produce original content for the Internet. To reﬁ nance all this, we rely on advertising, subscription and pay-per-view models as well as the distribution of our content on other platforms. The fact that we can approach advertisers and offer them both traditional and new forms of television from a single source is a great advantage.

In the area of online video, the partnership with Broadband TV announced in June plays an important role... Anke Schäferkordt: FremantleMedia is already the most-watched TV production company on Youtube with 400 million video views a month. But it’s true that Broadband TV will give us a considerable boost us in this area. Broadband TV is the ﬁ fth largest multi-channel network on Youtube, and technologically very innovative. Under its Viso and TGN brands, Broadband TV works with more than 10,000 content partners, including those from the music, entertainment, games and sports industries. A multi-channel network can be compared in some ways to a television channel that broadcasts formats from a number of completely different production companies – only online and not on traditional television. Overall, RTL Group will generate more than 15 billion online video views with it in 2013.

Your predecessor Gerhard Zeiler strongly plugged traditional TV with the phrase “The future of TV is TV” and references to the steady increase in viewing times. How would you complete the sentence “The future of TV is…?” Anke Schäferkordt: ... far more than TV. If we assume that by ‘TV’ we mean so much more than just a box in the living room. Linear TV viewing is still dominant and, here I agree with Gerhard Zeiler, will remain so for a long time. But new forms of viewing keep being added. For me all of this is ‘television’ – and an opportunity for us and “RTL GROUP WILL for our content, if we position ourselves accordingly. GENERATE MORE THAN 15 BILLION Sports certainly count as some of the most attractive content a ONLINE VIDEO TV channel can have. RTL landed a coup in Germany with the acquisition of the rights package for the German national soccer VIEWS IN 2013.” team’s qualifying matches for the Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup. Why? Will this pay off? Anke Schäferkordt: Top European sports and profi tability don’t exactly get along. But a channel cannot strive to have every single format be profi table – our program lineup would be the poorer even beyond sports if that were the case. It’s the mixture that has to be right and profi table. The right mix of programs is what makes a channel attractive, both for viewers and for advertisers. In this connection, sports is sometimes the icing on the cake, and with this rationale, it was a real coup.

Why? Anke Schäferkordt: Because it is an investment in the RTL brand that is spread over several years, which ultimately makes it manageable. Because there will be something at stake in every game – which guarantees viewer appeal. Because RTL Television will turn it into a

Next >

13 major sports event, as always, including attractive rights for online and mobile. And because the qualiﬁ ers – unlike the tournaments themselves – are scheduled sparingly, so there is no oversaturation, and some of them take place in the strong months for advertising sales.

“98 PERCENT OF THE HIGHEST-REACH COMMERCIAL BREAKS IN ALL OF GERMAN TELEVISION ARE ON RTL AND VOX.”

RTL is bound to draw audiences in the double-digit millions for the matches. Do you dream of other RTL formats having that many viewers again? Anke Schäferkordt: We don’t dream about it; our team in Cologne is working very hard to make it happen. To put it bluntly: We’re not happy with recent developments in RTL Television’s audience shares – but are very happy with Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s overall performance. Vox, RTL and RTL II Nitro compensate for the decrease in RTL’s audience share. Our family of channels actually widened their lead over our main commercial competitor in the ﬁ rst half of the year. And RTL Television itself is still by far the number one in the target demographic. In other words, our concept of families of channels is the right answer to the increasing fragmentation of the TV landscape – which can’t be prevented anyway and is having much more intense repercussions in other countries. In the U.S., for example, the leading channel only has a ﬁ ve-percent audience share. Of course, I prefer 17 or 18 percent for RTL Television; it’s nicer than the 14 percent audience share we recently had. But our peak market shares – which incidentally, we’ve never been able to properly monetize – were due in large part to a strong afternoon lineup and the talent shows. Deutschland sucht den Superstar (Idols) and Das Supertalent (Got Talent) simply have a level of viewer engagement and run over so many weeks like no other format – to this day, albeit by no means as much as in the beginning. That’s why every broadcaster and producer around the world is looking for the next great show idea, and RTL is in the thick of the action. But there won’t be anything like the talent shows again anytime soon.

Does that prospect worry you? Anke Schäferkordt: No, I’ve been around long enough to be able to put this kind of development into perspective. TV, like fashion, follows changing trends. Like all other RTL Group channels, RTL Television will broadcast a lot of new formats, some of which have already gotten off to a good start. And even if RTL has lost audience share, our Source: Group’s market position is very strong. 98 percent of the highest-reach commercial breaks in all of German television are on RTL and Vox.

14 “PASSION, EXPERIENCE, TALENT” M6 / W9

M6 recently presented its schedule for the new 2013/14 TV season. The channel intends to offer its viewers a different look at life each day; inviting them to be entertained, to discover, to escape, to share, to learn, to get informed and to dream. France – 6 September 2013

The new season’s showreel ends with the following words: “These moments are precious, so let’s live them together!” To ensure that its viewers will enjoy their time watching M6, the channel has put together a new season that is a blend of “passion, experience and talent,” as explained by M6 Programme Director Bibiane Godfroid. M6 Programme Director Bibiane Godfroid The early evening schedule has undergone several changes. Since 26 August, M6 has been airing La meilleure boulangerie de France in access prime time. The programme, scheduled to run for seven weeks, has been a hit, drawing between 1.2 and 1.4 million viewers every day at 17:35. Le 19h45 and the magazine programme 100% Mag are back in a new formula. The most popular news programme with viewers under 50 hopes to “promote an even clearer understanding of current affairs,” as was stated in the press release for the launch.

Presented by Cristina Cordula, Les Reines du shopping, already proven a success after its two-week trial period in June 2013, returns to access prime time in the upcoming season. Starting on 21 September, on weekends in access prime time, Must célébrités presented by Sandrine Corman replaces Accès Privé, the magazine show about celebrities in the news. Must célébrités features 52 minutes of reports, exclusive interviews and all the latest trends rocking the celebrity world.

While other French TV channels are busy launching access prime time talk shows, M6 is bucking the trend – something that has long been a source of its strength. Bibiane Godfroid conﬁ rms: “The power of M6 in this time slot is to broadcast images rather than talk shows.”

In prime time, the new programmes include two new American series: Touch and Under the Dome. The ﬁ rst, a blend of fantasy, esotericism and emotion, marks the return of Kiefer Sutherland (24 Hours) to television. The series debuts on M6 on 14 September. The second is a series adapted from the Stephen King bestseller. Both are airing exclusively on M6 and have scored excellent ratings in the United States.

Next > 15 Les Nannies with Jocelyn (left) and Emilie

Other new programmes include two ‘coaching’ shows: Les Nannies, on which two nannies, Jocelyn and Emilie, come to the rescue of overwhelmed parents, and Pour le meilleur et pour le pire, in which couples try to overcome their conjugal difﬁ culties with the help of Adriana Karembeu and a psychologist. The ﬁ rst format aired on 10 September in prime time, and the second on 9 September in the second half of the evening.

Incroyable Talent returns for a new season (eighth) and also welcomes a new judge. The contest for amateur pastry makers, Le meilleur pâtissier, which scored good ratings in its ﬁ rst season, returns as well. In the special-event category, M6 will present Ice show. This talent contest, designed by Studio 89 (Groupe M6), will see four legends of French ﬁ gure skating, Philippe Candeloro, Surya Bonaly, Gwendal Peizerat and Sarah Abitbol, team up with two celebrities. A jury of professionals will judge the contestants.

Another programme from the production company of Groupe M6: Retour au pensionnat. After Pensionnat de Chavagnes, which aired in 2004, adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 will experience 1950s-style discipline in order to earn their certifi cate of studies. Naturally, the channel’s fl agship programmes such as Scènes de Ménages, Maison à vendre, Un trésor dans votre maison, Bones, White Collar and NCIS are returning for another new season. Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Management Board of Groupe M6 At the presentation of the programmes for the upcoming season, Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Management Board of Groupe M6, talked about the advertising market. “The Group’s market share rose in the fi rst half,” he explained, adding that “the advertising market performed well during the summer.” According to his observations, even if one could not talk about a return to growth, “the advertisers have a desire to return to television, so we’re not worried at this time,” and as a result, M6 would continue to “be creative in commercial terms”. Groupe M6 retains a 24 per cent net share of the television advertising market.

Next >

16 Les Ch’tis à Hollywood with Paris Hilton (Centre) Also at the start of September, W9 held a press conference for the upcoming season and the channel’s ninth year on the air.

For the 2013/14 season, as W9’s Managing Director Frédéric de Vincelles explained, “love and humour will go hand in hand this season.” In the humour category, the channel is airing a new season of Les Ch’tis – specifi cally Les Ch’tis à Hollywood. After conquering Ibiza, Tyrol, Mykonos and Las Vegas, the Ch’tis return to the United States for a fi fth season. This year, the most glamorous of heirs, Paris Hilton, will join them on their adventures and help them fi nd their place in this town of excess.

Blending love and humour, La Belle et ses princes presque charmants – another of the channel’s powerful brands – returns for a third season. The programme, which gathered an average of 1.4 million viewers Frédéric de Vincelles, Managing Director of W9 last season, has some surprises for the viewers as well as the participants. This year, the suitors will have to pass an eliminatory test. Finally, another of W9’s ﬂ agship brands, Soda, returned on 7 September for a third season. The number one shortcom in its weekend access prime time slot welcomes two new characters this season: Juliette, who is Adam’s ﬁ rst real girlfriend, and Uskur, the manager of a fast-food restaurant and Adam’s boss.

On the love side, the channel launches a new speed-dating game show: Séduis-moi…si tu peux! (Take Me Out), which will air weekdays in access prime time. Created and produced by FremantleMedia France, This season on W9: Séduis-moi... si tu peux! the programme will be presented by Jérôme Anthony. It will feature 24 single women in search of love who will have suitors presented to them on stage. But watch out! These young ladies are demanding, to say the least. As long as their light remains on, it is a sign that the single man is of interest to them, but at the slightest disappointment, they will not hesitate to turn it off…

Finally, in the sport category, W9 will air Europa League matches, the Masters from Bercy and London, and, of course, the Super Bowl, whose broadcast rights have been acquired by the channel up to the year 2015.

17 JENNIFER LOPEZ AND HARRY CONNICK JR. JOIN KEITH URBAN ON IDOL FremantleMedia North America

Fox recently announced the return of global superstar Jennifer Lopez to the ABOUT HARRY CONNICK JR – season 13 American Idol jury. Joining DID YOU NOW? Lopez and previously-announced returning judge Keith Urban will be musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. What’s more, Randy Jackson is back in a new role… Harry Connick Jr. North America – 6 September 2013 He found multi-platinum success with the soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally While Lopez, Connick Jr. and Urban take their seats behind the panel, American Idol veteran Randy Jackson will lend his industry expertise He had a recurring role on to the contestants as an in-house mentor. Fan-favourite host Ryan American sitcom Will & Grace Seacrest will be back to hype up the crowd and navigate the judging He had roles in Independence panel for season 13 of the FremantleMedia produced show. Day, P.S. I Love You and New in Town, among others Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting He was signed to Columbia Company said, “American Idol has always been about discovering the Records aged 19 and has next singing superstar, and next season our judging panel will deliver released 29 albums a most impressive combination of talent, wisdom and personality to do just that: Jennifer Lopez, the triple-threat global superstar who loves Idol and whom Idol fans love; Harry Connick, Jr., a bona-ﬁ de musical genius and fantastic American Idol mentor whose honesty and expertise can help turn these hopefuls into stars; Keith Urban, a OVER THE PAST 12 SEASONS, multi-Grammy-winning artist who was such a positive force on the IDOL FINALISTS HAVE: show last season. We are also very excited to have our friend Randy Jackson now in a new role as mentor, and the captain of our team – the Released more than 200 heart and soul of American Idol – Ryan Seacrest returning as host.” albums scored 396 No.1 Billboard hits “I’ve always been a huge fan of American Idol and really enjoyed my time as a mentor on the show,” said Harry Connick, Jr. “And I garnered more than 250 am honoured that they’ve asked me to be a judge this season. As an million I-Tunes downloads entertainer, I am truly excited to bring my perspective to American Idol, and been certified with 95 Gold and to help emerging performers ﬁ nd their way.” and 83 Platinum records “Surprise, surprise! I am so happy to be back as part of this amazing American Idol contestants have show that started it all,” says Randy Jackson. “Season 13 is the place conquered Broadway, television and to be. The original talent show is back with a vengeance and ready to film and have won numerous awards discover the best talent in America.” and accolades, including American Country Music Awards, Country American Idol hopefuls will meet the season 13 team when the Music Awards, Grammy Awards and auditions travel to Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Detroit, Omaha, Salt Lake an Academy Award. City and San Francisco. American Idol XIII debuts in January 2014 on Fox.

18 BROADBAND TV HITS A BILLION MONTHLY IMPRESSIONS Broadband TV

In addition to reaching a billion monthly impressions, Broadband TV, one of the largest Multi-Channel Networks (MCN) on Youtube, now registers more than 100 million subscribers from over 10,000 content partners, an increase of 2,200 content partners in just two months. Canada – 10 September 2013

In June this year, the company announced an initial $36 million investment from RTL Group, the leading European entertainment network. At the time, the deal marked the largest private placement in a Canadian Internet media company since 2007 and will support the business in its expansion plans.

“With growth comes increased competition and we’re looking forward to showing the market how we are different,” said Shahrzad Rafati, Founder and CEO. “Our proprietary technology platform beneﬁ ts content creators of all sizes and we have a compelling road map of features that we can’t wait to release to make our content creator community even more successful.”

Broadband TV’s online Multi-Channel Network or “MCN” line of business consists of its two brands VISO and TGN. Together, VISO and TGN achieve more than one billion monthly impressions, from 100 million subscribers from over 10,000 content partners.

Headquartered in Canada, Broadband TV’s MCN business runs parallel with the company’s Content Management line of business. The business works with a number of major brands, including the NBA, Discovery and A&E to provide accurate and scalable content detection and monetisation solutions to generate signiﬁ cant revenues from their fan uploaded content.

19 THE X FACTOR USA RETURNS WITH HONDA AS AN OFFICIAL SPONSOR FremantleMedia North America

As The X Factor USA returns for its third season, the panel welcomes two new A NEW SPONSOR superstar judges; Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio will join returning judge Demi Lovato In a bid to help launch the redesigned 2014 Odyssey minivan, and X Factor mogul Simon Cowell in their Honda has partnered with The X quest to ﬁ nd America’s next big superstar. Factor as an official sponsor for North America – 11 September 2013 Season 3 of the US talent show. The campaign will feature digital voting sponsorship and off-air rights, as well as a Fan Rewards program. The Fan Rewards program offers fans reward points for clicking and interacting their way through The X Factor digital landscape, to use for exclusive show and Honda merchandise.

MEANWHILE IN ISRAEL… This season’s judging panel: Demi Lovato, Simon Cowell, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio (from left to right) Following the successful premiere of season ten of The X Factor in the UK and with the US version From the thousands of hopefuls that have auditioned across the US, returning on 11 September, The X solo acts and groups aged 12 and above will step in front of the judges, Factor Israel, set to air this autumn, the audience and all the viewers at home. They’re hoping to get a “Yes” premiered its first official promo from the judges and continue on their way towards the one-million- starring format creator Simon dollar recording contract. Mario Lopez will be back to host the series Cowell and supermodel Bar Refaeli, for a second season. who hosts the local edition of the show: The X Factor USA returned for its third season in a two-night premiere on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 of September.

In season one, Melanie Amaro was crowned the winner with Simon Cowell as her mentor. Season two saw country star Tate Stevens take it all the way, backed by L.A. Reid. Who will take the crown and the recording contract this season?

The X Factor is co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Syco Entertainment.

20 Two legends of showbiz unite on RTL Television Günther Jauch and Thomas Gottschalk are two grandmasters of German showbiz, best friends, and are taking on the whole of Germany together. On 9 September, the dream team of German TV entertainment returned to the screen on RTL Television. The programme scored a record audience share of 24.7 per cent in the 14 to 59-year-old target group. SHORT NEWS 1/2

RTL Radio’s Internet ﬁ gures for July RTL Net

In July 2013, RTL.fr conﬁ rmed its uncontested leadership since the start of the year and established itself as France’s number one radio website for the entire 2012/13 season. France – 6 September 2013

Radio stations in RTL’s portfolio clean up at the German Radio Awards 2013 RTL Radio Deutschland

In four out of ten categories, the coveted awards went to stations in the RTL portfolio. Germany – 10 September 2013

Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and Deutsche Telekom expand their partnership Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

At the beginning of September 2013, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and Deutsche Telekom announced that all of the Cologne-based media group’s HD channels are to be fed into Telekom’s Entertain service from now on. The free TV stations are receivable in the existing HD Start package. Germany – 11 September 2013

Fun Radio launches its new application Fun Radio

Fun Radio is the leading FM radio station in France, with over 3.5 million downloads from the App Store. It has just released version 3 of its application – a new and completely redesigned build. France – 11 September 2013

22 SHORT NEWS 2/2

Vox’s new look Vox

Accompanying the new season, Vox has revealed a new design. The result is a new look that is strong on all platforms – it is better graphically, more modern, brighter and more clearly structured. The red ball is and remains the core element of the logo. Germany – 12 September 2013

It’s been a great summer in Hungary RTL Klub

During the summer, RTL Group’s Hungarian channel, RTL Klub, increased its prime-time audience share by 1.6 per cent. Film Plusz and Cool were the most and second-most watched Hungarian language cable channels. Hungary – 12 September 2013

23 PEOPLE JONAS ENGWALL RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Singapore – 11 September 2013

RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network announced that Jonas Engwall has been appointed as its Chief Executive Ofﬁ cer (CEO), reporting to the new company’s Board of Directors. Jonas Engwall will be based in Singapore and will be employed directly by RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network.

Joint statement from Andreas Rudas, RTL Group’s Executive Vice President Regional Operations and Business Development CEE and Asia, and Reed Manville, Executive Vice President, International Channels at CBS Studios International: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Jonas Engwall as CEO of our new Asian venture. Jonas has vast experience in international broadcasting, and a passion for television. He has been with RTL Group for many years and was instrumental in launching its fi rst channel in India, Big RTL Thrill. As head of the new venture, Jonas will lead a strong team which brings together the best of two global TV giants RTL Group and CBS.” Jonas Engwall, CEO of RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network Jonas Engwall, Chief Executive Offi cer of RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, commented: “This is an unprecedented partnership between two leading global broadcasters in a region with huge growth potential. Together with my team, I look forward to launching our two fi rst channels, RTL CBS Entertainment HD and RTL CBS Extreme HD, across Asia. Our new channels will offer world-renowned content including exclusive fi rst runs of some of Asia’s favourite reality programmes America’s Got Talent, Fear Factor and The X Factor USA; dramas Under The Dome, Elementary and Beauty and the Beast and daily shows Entertainment Tonight and Late Show with David Letterman. I am very confi dent that these programmes will prove extremely popular across our footprint and represent a highly valuable proposition for all our partners. We have already had very positive feedback from all premier platform owners in the region.”

24 PEOPLE FREMANTLEMEDIA NAMES SENIOR TEAM FOR NEW DIGITAL & BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION FremantleMedia United Kingdom – 9 September 2013

FremantleMedia announced key appointments in the new Digital & Branded Entertainment Division, launched earlier this year as part of the company’s strategic realignment.

The division is spearheaded by Keith Hindle, CEO Digital & Branded Entertainment, who has appointed Olivier Delfosse to the position of SVP Digital for FremantleMedia Group, based in Los Angeles and reporting to Keith.

In his former role as SVP Digital for FremantleMedia Enterprises North America, Olivier was instrumental in developing market-leading digital activities for key brands such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and The X Factor USA. In his new position he will work with FremantleMedia teams around the world on key digital initiatives, and help develop Fremantle’s global strategy in digital content, digital distribution platforms and strategic investments.

Also based in Los Angeles is Tom Hoffman, who is taking on the role of Executive Director of Digital & Social Media and will report to Olivier. Tom brings a wealth of experience in digital content development and distribution, Keith Hindle, CEO Digital & Branded Entertainment having worked extensively on FremantleMedia’s digital content initiatives including Youtube original channel The Pet Collective. Tom will help transfer digital development, interactive and social media expertise to our digital teams around the world.

Based in Berlin, Jens-Uwe Bornemann takes on the role of Vice President Digital, Continental Europe, reporting to Keith. In this role he will co-ordinate FremantleMedia’s European digital businesses with the local teams, and implement the worldwide digital strategy. Jens is a highly experienced digital executive with excellent knowledge of European digital activity: as Vice President Digital Ventures & Innovation at UFA in Germany, he developed and implemented the digital strategy and transformation of the company over the past 8 years, in close cooperation with the UFA management board. Jens-Uwe also founded the UFA Lab which contains the digital business activities of UFA. He will stay in charge of UFA’s digital businesses, heading the UFA Lab in Berlin and Cologne, and as managing director of the pay-tv channel Passion jointly run with Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. Next > 25 Based in New York, Katharine Lewis has been appointed SVP Strategy & Operations for the company’s digital and branded entertainment activities. Katharine has previously served as Deputy MD for FremantleMedia’s Ventures group in London and as SVP Business Development for FremantleMedia Enterprises Americas, where she was instrumental in several strategic investments, including the Montreal-based gaming company Ludia and the international transmedia company @Radical Media. She also headed up FremantleMedia’s Participation TV business in Asia and the Americas, launching interactive shows in emerging markets and Australia. Katharine will work closely with Keith on the long-term direction of the company in these areas, and in the identiﬁ cation and implementation of key partnerships and investments.

Keith commented, “FremantleMedia is renowned for creating world-class content watched by millions around the world. Central to our continued innovation is the development of market-leading interactivity, digital brand extensions, and a closer working relationship with advertisers around the world. We aim to extend these relationships across our traditional TV activities, but also to bring them to the emerging world of digital distribution, Jens-Uwe Bornemann, VP Digital Continental Europe which now offer an unparalleled way for us to connect with our audiences. I am delighted to have been able to bring on a crack team to work with our highly skilled teams around the world”. The new division will work closely with FremantleMedia’s 22 production offices around the world, across activities such as TV show interactivity, social media extensions, second-screen apps, digital content production and distribution, and advertiser partnerships across new and existing IP.

FremantleMedia has already achieved a leading position on Youtube as the most viewed of any television producer, network, or movie studio worldwide, with 79.7 million monthly unique users in June 2013 alone, and over 4.5 billion views of FremantleMedia content globally in 2012.

26 PEOPLE QUENTIN MOSIMANN Fun Radio France – 10 September 2013

DJ Quentin Mosimann is now in command of the turntables on the Party Fun show every Saturday from 20:00 to midnight on Fun Radio.

Quentin Mosimann joins the team of DJs at Fun Radio in France, to host the programme Party Fun. With his arrival, Party Fun conﬁ rms its status as the standard dance music programme in France and in Europe, with events such as Party Fun Club, Party Fun Live and Fun Radio Dance. Every weekend, the programme draws 661,000 listeners, an increase of +29 per cent in one year (+149,000 listeners).

DJ Quentin Mosimann was voted “Best Dance DJ 2011”. DJ Mag rated him as number 74 out of the Top 100 DJs in the world and the number 5 DJ in France. He also won the title of “Francophone DJ Discovery” in 2013. He performs at 120 club and festival dates a year and his community of online fans is very active (220,000 Facebook fans and 73,000 followers on Twitter).

Party Fun airs every Saturday from 20:00 to midnight on Fun Radio.

Quentin Mosimann

27 More about Backstage

BACKSTAGE DAILY NEWS FROM ‘AT RTL GROUP, IS AVAILABLE ACROSS THE WE CARE’ IN THREE GROUP – DIRECTLY LANGUAGES IN YOUR INBOX

You can read In addition to the RTL Group is committed Backstage in your weekly newsletter we to effectively combine preferred language – offer to registered users business success with in English, German a daily newsletter socially responsible actions or French. available in three towards local communities languages. and to protect the environment. Visit the Corporate Responsibility news section on Backstage (CR news) and ﬁ nd out how RTL Group aims to improve the societies in which we operate.

backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de

For more information, don’t hesitate to contact the editorial team: [email protected]