Les Grosses Têtes
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week 7 / 12 February 2015 AIMING HIGH PAYS OFF How RTL Radio breathed new life into its cult hit programme Les Grosses Têtes Singapore Germany Germany RTL CBS Asia Clipfish launches new Deutschland 83 premieres Entertainment Network Smart TV movie channel at Berlinale kicks off in Hong Kong week 7 / 12 February 2015 AIMING HIGH PAYS OFF How RTL Radio breathed new life into its cult hit programme Les Grosses Têtes Singapore Germany Germany RTL CBS Asia Clipfish launches new Deutschland 83 premieres Entertainment Network Smart TV movie channel at Berlinale kicks off in Hong Kong Cover Laurent Ruquier, in the studio of RTL Radio (France), presenting Les Grosses têtes (Copyright of the photo: Abaca Press pour RTL) 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 Entertainment conquers Hong Kong RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network “The time had come for p.8 ASIA ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK RTL Radio to give this programme a makeover to set ourselves up for the future” New movie fun RTL Radio (France) with Clipfish p.4–7 RTL Interactive p.9 Successful premiere at the Berlinale Unexpected surprises! UFA Fiction / M6 RTL Television p.11–12 p.10 A clean sweep for La Isla Minima Atresmedia p.13 Big Picture p.14 SHORT NEWS PEOPLE p.15–16 p.17 “THE TIME HAD COME In September 2014, FOR RTL RADIO TO GIVE Laurent Ruquier took the helm of RTL Radio’s flagship programme THIS PROGRAMME A Les Grosses Têtes. Following this successful MAKEOVER TO SET changeover, Backstage interviewed RTL Radio’s OURSELVES UP FOR CEO Christopher Baldelli to lift the lid on the secret THE FUTURE” to the programme’s continuous success. France – 12 February 2015 RTL Radio Abaca Press pour RTL © Les Grosses Têtes presenter Laurent Ruquier with RTL Radio’s CEO Christopher Baldelli (from left to right) 4 At 16:00 sharp, the familiar jingle on RTL Radio over the past year. “Such rapid progress is pretty signals the start of Les Grosses Têtes. For two exceptional,” Baldelli admits, before conceding that hours, the team of the show comprised of six “the speed of this success was more than we had members put their mighty heads together to ever hoped for.” respond, in a lively, playful way, to current affairs and cultural issues raised by the listeners. Since the programme’s inception back in 1977, the show had been masterfully run by its iconic presenter Philippe Bouvard, who became one of the most celebrated Elodie Grégoire figures on FM radio in the process. “We are hugely © indebted to Philippe Bouvard for ensuring the continuing success of Les Grosses Têtes for 37 years,” Christopher Baldelli, CEO of RTL Radio says, hailing Philippe Bouvard’s achievement. Host Laurent Ruquier in action Fabrice Dall’Anese New, younger listeners © “When I decided to ask Laurent Ruquier to come on board and he accepted, we aimed high, wanting to remain the leader,” Baldelli highlights. Yet beyond attaining its prime objective of hanging on to its existing audience, the show also succeeded in Commenting on Les Grosses Têtes success, CEO Baldelli says: breaking new ground by attracting members of other “the speed of this success was more than target groups. While the programme’s established we had ever hoped for” listeners continued loyally tuning in, they were Given its decades-long success, Les Grosses Têtes, joined by new, younger fans and listeners from whose listeners today account for a full 20 higher occupational categories. Subsequently, the per cent of RTL Radio’s overall audience, has progress made by the programme and the attraction become a strategic asset for the first radio station of younger listeners during its designated time in France all the more so since the failure of slot boosted its attractiveness to advertisers, too, Philippe Bouvard’s replacement by Christophe catapulting it into the top three shows in RTL Radio’s Dechavanne in 2001 seriously dented not only schedule in terms of commercial revenue. the ratings of the programme itself, but also the broadcaster’s overall audience share, which An obvious choice as successor plummeted by almost 30 per cent. Having freshened up no less than 80 per cent of its programme Laurent Ruquier had spent 15 years presenting schedule over the past three seasons, “the time On va s’gêner, one of the most popular shows had come for RTL Radio to give this programme a on Europe 1, and the direct competitor of makeover, too, to set ourselves up for the future,” Les Grosses Têtes. He also hosted the TV show Baldelli explains. “Although its audience remains On a tout essayé on France 2 from 2000 to 2007, sizeable, it’s also ageing and gradually running out where Christopher Baldelli, the director general of steam.” at the time, first met Laurent Ruquier. Bearing in mind the solid ratings achieved by Since the adoption of the revamped version of programmes combining current affairs, culture the programme hosted by Laurent Ruquier, and humour, for Baldelli the selection of the Les Grosses Têtes has easily outperformed its programme’s new presenter was a no-brainer: time slot rivals, commanding an audience share “It was my choice to hire Laurent Ruquier to host of 15.5 per cent – an increase of 13 per cent in a Les Grosses Têtes, and I was determined to accept single year. With more than two million listeners the consequences of the change regardless of tuning in between 16:00 and 18:00, the programme whether they were positive or negative. I firmly has also succeeded in attracting 257,000 new fans believed that this was the best strategic choice to Next > 5 “I FIRMLY BELIEVED THAT THIS WAS THE Revitalising Les Grosses Têtes BEST STRATEGIC CHOICE TO MAKE, AND THE RESULTS AND RATINGS SUGGEST THAT MY GAMBLE HAS PAID OFF” Christopher Baldelli make, and the results and ratings suggest that my gamble has paid off.” It is also worth emphasising that the decision was a calculated risk. “According to my line of thinking, it would have been riskier not to change anything, because inaction would have jeopardised the future,” Baldelli continues. Les Grosses Têtes…Ruquier style La Valise RTL When Laurent Ruquier took over as the new presenter of Les Grosses Têtes, his mission was to freshen Between tackling successive questions up the show while retaining the elements that made Laurent Ruquier has also pledged to revive it a classic. One of the changes introduced to the the legendary game entitled La valise RTL. programme was to recentre the programme around La Valise RTL is a radio game broadcast by listeners’ questions, which had originally formed RTL Radio between 1974 and 2005 in which its backbone. Alongside the resident humourists, loyal listeners can win a sum of money Laurent Ruquier has assembled a clever blend of contained in a fictional suitcase provided that team members, retaining the main panellists who they can name it. make Les Grosses Têtes what it is today, calling upon a group of former regulars from On va s’gêner on Europe 1, and bringing in some fresh faces, too. So he now has a pool comprising 40 of the most renowned political commentators, journalists, actors and comedians on French radio. “I want to bring in people who are just as well-known as I am,” Ruquier said in an interview given to French daily Le Monde on 4 January 2015. “I no longer want to promise participants a regular spot on the show. Appearances on Les Grosses Têtes must be earned on merit.” Laurent Ruquier and Karine Le Marchand, one of the most renowned M6 presenters Next > “I WANT TO BRING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST AS WELL-KNOWN AS I AM” Abaca Press pour RTL Laurent Ruquier © Laurent Ruquier with Les Grosses Têtes team members 6 “Laurent Ruquier has done a perfect job of A major boost to the radio’s ratings revitalising Les Grosses Têtes, displaying great talent, professionalism and intelligence,” Christopher Following the radio station’s lower audiences for the Baldelli says enthusiastically. Although the daily 2014 season, the overhaul of Les Grosses Têtes work associated with the programme is supervised has clearly boosted the show’s ratings, as indicated by Station and Programme Director Jacques Expert, by the latest poll published by Médiamétrie, covering Baldelli also holds monthly meetings with Ruquier the period November to December 2014. The to analyse the programme’s strengths and identify arrival of Laurent Ruquier, as well as of Yves Calvi potential areas for improvement. to present RTL Radio’s prime time morning show, increased the station’s cumulative audience to nearly 6.5 million listeners, producing the steepest annual upturn in seven years and attracting 579,000 new fans, an increase of 10 per cent. “Laurent Ratings of Ruquier is precisely what RTL Radio is all about: Les Grosses Têtes a radio station aimed at everyone,” Baldelli said in an interview published in Le Monde on 8 February 2015. “Being the leading general-interest station in a world of target groups and increasing focus on niche listeners topics is a challenge to which we have successfully 2,198,000 risen,” Baldelli concludes. (up by 257,000 on the previous year) 15,5% audience share (up 13 per cent on the previous year) Watch what 14% cumulative audience happens when (up 14 per cent on the previous year for 25- to 49-year-olds) two big radio names meet 24% cumulative audience (up 24 per cent on the previous year for 50- to 59-year-olds) 12% cumulative audience (up 12 per cent on the previous year for 60- to 74-year-olds) 62% more listeners than the previous year from higher occupational categories (cumulative audience) Source: Médiamétrie audience poll for November to December 2014 7 ENTERTAINMENT CONQUERS HONG KONG RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network has sealed a carriage deal with PCCW Now, Hong Kong’s leading pay-TV operator and one of the world’s largest commercial deployments of IPTV.