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