How UFA Fiction and RTL Television Produce the Historical Large-Scale Event Series Deutschland!

week 46 / 13 November 2014

COLD WAR GETTING HOT How UFA Fiction and RTL Television produce the historical large-scale event series Deutschland!

Luxembourg Belgium The Netherlands RTL Group Q3 results: ‘360° Expert Meeting RTL Nederland Solid results driven by on Media – Convergence – launches brand new slight improvement in Regulation’ multi-channel network advertising revenue in key markets week 46 / 13 November 2014

COLD WAR

GETTING HOT How UFA Fiction and RTL Television produce the historical large-scale event series Deutschland!

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

Q3/2014: Solid results driven by slight improvement in advertising revenue in key markets RTL Group “The drama highlight p.8–9 of 2015” RTL Television / UFA Fiction “We need fair p.4–7 competition and modern regulation” RTL Group p.10–11

RTL Nederland launches brand new multi-channel network RTL Nederland p.12–13

Big Picture p.14

SHORT NEWS p.15 With the production of Deutschland! RTL Television and UFA “THE DRAMA Fiction try their hand at a new generation of TV series, with a large-scale event, HIGHLIGHT horizontally narrated series set against a historical backdrop. OF 2015”

Germany – 13 November 2014 RTL Television / UFA Fiction ©RTL

In eight 45-minute episodes, Deutschland! tells the story of the protagonist Moritz Stamm during 1983 4 The man in the dark suit slowly gets out of the taxi. based storytelling. This will be the drama highlight of He looks aghast at the crowd of protesters: “Make 2015.” In an interview with Stern magazine, Hofmann Love – Not War” is on one of the banners held adds: “Complex material, courageously told. by young, longhaired men and women. They are There are no stand-alone episodes, the individual demonstrating against the deployment of American instalments can only be understood as part of the Pershing II missiles on West German territory. It whole. I believe that we will be able to reach the is 1983 and Germany is divided – the arms race mass market with it, although Deutschland! isn’t between East and West is pushing it towards nuclear as easily digestible as say, an access prime-time catastrophe. series.”

In the background, the director shouts: “Cut”. The 1983: The crisis year in the shadows scene is in the can. What was reality over 30 years ago now serves as the setting for the mini-series The series concept is the brainchild of US writer Deutschland!. In eight 45-minute episodes, RTL Anna Winger. She has lived in Germany for the Television and UFA Fiction tell the story of the last twelve years and developed the story from her protagonist Moritz Stamm during 1983 – the year the personal experiences: “In addition to discussions world came to the brink of nuclear catastrophe when with experts, I asked strangers to share their the Soviet Leader Juri Wladimirowitsch Andropov experiences and tell me their stories. In the process mistakes NATO’s manoeuvres on German soil for I found that this isn’t just about the past, but also the dreaded nuclear ‘ﬁ rst strike’ by the US. about the present. Many of the problems back then are still around today, which makes this interesting The beginning of a whole new kind of for younger generations as well. I wanted to show series how much the historical past has shaped Germany’s self-image.” Winger wrote the scripts with the Nico Hofmann, Producer and Managing Director of support of her husband, producer Jörg Winger, and UFA Fiction, remembers the 1980s as a turning point: a German-American team of writers. “The series is “I can’t imagine a more exciting period for relating a journey back in time to 1983 that confronts the experiences about the East/West German border.” viewer with their own memories. Besides the main He is convinced that broadcasting Deutschland! on protagonist’s story, secret historical events are also RTL Television during 2015 will have a big impact told, which younger generations are otherwise not on series production: “With Deutschland! we are taught. The beginning of the reuniﬁ cation process completely reinventing the standards of scenario- thanks to the peace movement in the East and ©RTL

Moritz Stamm is sent to West Germany as a Stasi spy and quickly realises that the situation between the two German states is escalating Next > 5 The main cast and producers of Deutschland!: (from left to right) Philipp Steffens, Head of Fiction at RTL Television, Sonja Gerhard, Jonas Nay, Lisa Tomaschewsky, Ludwig Trepte and Nico Hofmann, Producer and Chairman of the Board of UFA Fiction

West, contrasted with the military escalation, creates According to Nico Hofmann, some of the promising a striking contradiction that shows how paranoia young actors in the cast of Deutschland! “grew up can cause real conﬂ icts to arise on a global scale,” with UFA Fiction”. Like many of their generation, explains Jörg Winger. before the shooting, which began in September and will continue until December 2014 in Berlin and Klaas Voß served as the academic consultant for the surrounding area, they did not have any close integrating historical facts into the script. The idea association with East and West German history was to include the complex historical contexts of the 1980s. Lead actor Jonas Nay plays Moritz without reducing the entertainment value. “The Stamm, a spy who travels to West Germany as Martin series has succeeded in doing this in an exemplary Rauch. “To me the script felt like historical material manner. The overall package is coherent and completely removed from my life, even though the consistent, thanks in part to the very promising events occurred only a few decades ago,” says the casting. Deutschland! is a ﬁ ctional production that 24-year-old. “The series tells a part of our history keeps pace with the perceived authenticity of high- that is not covered in school. It’s exciting to relive the quality American TV.” events in person whilst shooting the series.”

Philipp Steffens, Head of Fiction at RTL Television, is Actress Lisa Tomaschewsky has lived in the delighted about the creative collaboration within the German capital for a year. To prepare for her role as team: “The series delivers the excitement of a spy Yvonne Edel, a young girl who fl ees from the East thriller and gives the novel perspective of an East and returns shortly afterwards, the 26-year-old was German spy in 1980s West Germany.” Together, he given a tour of the city by a historian: “Since then said, everyone involved had succeeded in creating I see Berlin with different eyes. I have much more an exciting and dramatic story from beginning to respect for the subject and for German history now.” end, set against the backdrop of historical events. As with any role, native Berliner Sonja Gerhardt, who An experience for every generation plays the devoted Communist Annett Schneider, says she learned a lot by being part of Deutschland!: RTL Television Editor Ulrike Leibfried says that “Documentaries, books and especially the intense Deutschland! is an original German series that conversations with my parents about their own stands out from US series: “The issue affects us experiences and impressions helped me prepare.” all. The personal anchoring catapults us back Like most young Germans, the 25-year-old fi nds into emotional situations. I’m excited that younger it very diffi cult to imagine the living conditions in generations will get the chance to come into contact the GDR. “While some Berliners still differentiate with the period.” between East and West, the division is completely irrelevant for our generation. We’re extremely lucky and privileged to be living in freedom and have freedom of speech.”

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6 ©RTL

Main protagonist Moritz Stamm is overwhelmed by what the Western world offers

THE STORY OF DEUTSCHLAND!

In 1983, NATO rehearsed the nuclear worst case so convincingly on West German soil that Soviet Leader Andropov was misled into assuming this was in fact the dreaded nuclear ‘first strike’ by the US. While panic ensued in East Germany, people were demonstrating for peace in Western Europe. Indeed the nuclear emergency was closer than the demonstrators and young people of the ‘New German Wave’ suspected. The story of the series’ main protagonist Moritz Stamm (played by Jonas Nay) is set against this backdrop. The 23-year-old Stamm is sent to West Germany as a Stasi spy, infiltrating the West German army as an agent and quickly realising that the situation between the two German states is escalating. Caught between loyalty to his native East Germany, and the tempting freedom of the West, he decides to try to save world peace, in the process also trying to cope with his own love life, his family conflicts, and his personal problems.

Deutschland! is being shot in Berlin from September to December 2014. RTL Television plans to broadcast it in autumn 2015.

7 Q3/2014: SOLID RESULTS DRIVEN BY SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN ADVERTISING REVENUE IN KEY MARKETS RTL Group

RTL Group announces its results for the nine months ending 30 September 2014. Luxembourg – 13 November 2014

Q3/2014: continued improvement of TV advertising market conditions

TV advertising markets across Europe were up in the third quarter – with the exception of Belgium

However, the third quarter, with the summer holiday season, is a traditionally weaker quarter in terms of advertising revenue (seasonality)

In the third quarter of 2014, reported Group revenue was stable at €1,259 million (Q3/2013: €1,257 million), while reported EBITA was €160 million (Q3/2013: €161 million)

January to September 2014: exchange rate effects and new advertising tax in Hungary weigh on RTL Group results

TV advertising markets across Europe continued to show signs of improvement over the ﬁ rst nine months of 2014. With the exception of France – which was stable – and Belgium – which was down 0.7 per cent – all European net TV advertising markets in RTL Group’s territories were up year-on-year

Reported Group revenue decreased slightly to €3,946 million (January to September 2013: €4,012 million), mainly due to negative exchange rate effects, lower advertising sales in France along with lower revenue from FremantleMedia and UFA Sports

RTL Group’s digital revenue* continued to show dynamic growth, up 16 per cent to €180 million beneﬁ tting from organic growth and new acquisitions

Reported EBITA was €679 million compared to €713 million in the ﬁ rst nine months of 2013. The decrease is mainly due to lower proﬁ t contributions from FremantleMedia and RTL Group’s broadcasting operations in France, which offset growth from Germany and the Netherlands Next >

* Excluding e-commerce, home shopping and distribution revenue for digital TV

8 Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-Chief Executive Ofﬁ cers of RTL Group

EBITA margin at 17.2 per cent (January to September 2013: 17.8 per cent)

Net profi t attributable to RTL Group shareholders decreased by 42.8 per cent to €306 million (January to September 2013: €535 million). As described at the half year, this was principally due to movements in impairment charges. In the fi rst nine months of 2014, RTL Group recorded a goodwill impairment on RTL Hungary amounting to €77 million. Conversely, the net profi t for the fi rst nine months of 2013 included a signifi cant positive one-off effect of €72 million, resulting from the reversal of an impairment on RTL Group’s holding in the Spanish broadcasting company Atresmedia

Net cash from operating activities was €586 million, resulting in an operating cash conversion of 86 per cent

Following the payment of an extraordinary interim dividend of €307 million on 4 September 2014, RTL Group had net ﬁ nancial debt of €926 million as of 30 September 2014 (30 June 2014: €475 million)

“A global force in online video”

Joint statement from Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-Chief Executive Ofﬁ cers of RTL Group:

“After nine months, we see a similar picture as at our half-year results in August. While Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and RTL Nederland report signifi cant profi t growth, the economic situation in France and for FremantleMedia remain challenging. In the third quarter, signifi cant revenue and EBITA growth in Germany led to stable Group results, and we had a good start into the important fourth quarter.

Given our high cash ﬂ ows and strong ﬁ nancial position, we won’t wait for the economic condition to improve, but invest today in new For more information, growth drivers for RTL Group. This year, we will invest more than €240 please see million in rapidly growing digital businesses – while also launching RTLGroup.com new channels and further diversifying our content production arm. This is the highest investment level for acquisitions since 2005. With the recent acquisitions of SpotXchange and Style Haul, we have made strategically important progress to make RTL Group a global force in online video and online video advertising.”

9 “WE NEED FAIR COMPETITION AND MODERN REGULATION” RTL Group

How can we adapt outdated regulation and promote Europe as a competitive market for the creative industries? That was the key question addressed at a high-ranking expert meeting on ‘Media convergence and regulation’, held in Brussels on 4 November 2014 and co-organised by RTL Group. Luxembourg – 7 November 2014

Following the success of the ﬁ rst ‘360o Expert Meeting on Convergent Regulation’ held in September 2012, RTL Group commissioned two eminent professors – Prof. Nico van Eijk from the Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam, and Prof. Wolfgang Schulz from the Hans-Bredow-Institute for Media Research, University of Hamburg – to conduct an independent study on the future of European audiovisual regulation in the face of convergence. The aim of the Hermes Project, as it was called, is twofold: to outline the changes along the value chain and to discuss concrete ideas for implementing future media regulation that would create a level playing ﬁ eld.

The keynote speech by RTL Group’s Co-CEO Guillaume de Posch set the tone of the meeting: “The combination of comprehensive and out-dated regulation run the risk to put European media companies in a structurally disadvantaged situation. To be more precise: in an increasingly borderless, global and worldwide media environment, EU broadcasters are now competing with global tech and Internet players which are not subject to the same regulation, often as a result of being based outside the EU. This means that different rules and regulations apply to players competing in the same environment – and of course for the same viewers.” This description underlines the need to adapt audiovisual regulation in the European Union.

The ‘360° Expert Meeting on Media – Convergence – Addressing the topic of linear and non-linear viewing, de Posch Regulation’ took place in Brussels underlined: “Changes in the way audiovisual media is consumed do not follow a unifi ed pattern. Habits vary by country, depending on factors such as local tastes, cultural context and the availability of high-speed Internet access. But we see a massive increase in non-linear viewing, in particular of short-form content on Youtube. And in most countries, Youtube is currently not even measured either in the offi cial linear and non-linear viewing fi gures.”

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10 In his conclusion, Guillaume de Posch called on EU policymakers to ensure that the right environment is created for continued investment in high quality Guillaume de Posch also addressed the topic of the biased competition content. with international Internet giants that, because they are based in the US, are not subject to the EU laws. He underlined the need for European companies to develop state-of-the-art technology and win the battle of content. In de Posch’s words: “This leads me to the key question of today’s event: How can we adapt outdated regulation and promote Europe as a competitive market for our creative industries? In other words, how do we win the last battle, the battle of content? How do we foster new programming ‘made in Europe’ that can be sold across the world?”

In his conclusion, Guillaume de Posch called on EU policymakers to ensure that the right environment is created for continued investment in high quality content and reiterated: “We, collectively, cannot afford to lose the content battle – and this is why we need fair competition and modern regulation to preserve and boost Europe’s hugely diverse and creative output.”

Following de Posch’s speech, Profs Nico van Eijk and Wolfgang Schulz presented to the approximately 110 representatives from academia, business and politics gathered at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the EU the key fi ndings of the Hermes Project. The professors found that changes in the way audiovisual media is consumed do not follow a clear pattern, and therefore stressed the necessity of taking a different approach to regulation. Their proposed approach is to start with identifying the regulation’s objectives, rather using linearity as the defi ning criterion. According to the professors, this kind of approach – called ‘fl ipping the regulatory structure’ – requires close interfacing with other areas of regulation such as fundamental rights, copyright law, and e-commerce regulation. The report also raises the question of how to defi ne and promote ‘public value services’ and suggests the introduction of opt-in approach balancing obligations and benefi ts.

Read the full text of The ‘360° Expert Meeting on Media – Convergence – Regulation’ was Guillaume de Posch’s speech jointly organised by RTL Group, the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union, and the Institute of European Media Law.

RTL Group’s EU Affairs Steering Committee initiated the Hermes Project. Its members are: Vincent de Dorlodot (General Counsel, RTL Group), Tobias Schmid (Executive Vice President Governmental Affairs, RTL Group Deutschland) and Lyn Trytsman-Gray (Senior Vice President European Affairs, RTL Group).

11 RTL NEDERLAND LAUNCHES BRAND NEW MULTI-CHANNEL NETWORK RTL Nederland

RTL Nederland has ofﬁ cially launched its own multi-channel network (MCN), combining its own expertise in online video technology, marketing and sales with the experience of Youtube and MCN experts to reach a strong, wide fan base. The Netherlands – 13 November 2014

RTL Nederland has ofﬁ cially launched its own multi-channel network

Arno Otto, Managing Director Digital Media at RTL Nederland, explains that after investing heavily in new and existing digital platforms in recent years, a proprietary MCN is the logical next step for increasing the company’s growth in the non-linear market. “As we forge ahead into the future, we underline once again that RTL has become an all-around multimedia and entertainment company,” says Otto. The MCN also helps RTL to present itself as even more open Check out towards social networks such as Youtube and to attract new audiences RTL Nederland’s MCN. while simultaneously helping new talent to promote itself and generate revenue. Otto continues: “This is a whole new approach, but one that really ﬁ ts with what RTL stands for: creating talent as well as informing and entertaining our audience.” Next >

12 Erik Kepper, who joined RTL Nederland as Manager of RTL MCN on 1 November 2014, explains that he aims to cover the needs of the growing target group by offering relevant content at any time and on any device. “With RTL I get the chance to do that with professionals from the TV and digital industries. I believe in the power of this combination and that’s why I chose RTL,” he explains. Although the online Youtube talents “know exactly how to make successful videos for their target audience and build a bond with their fans,” he says RTL’s help and guidance in building, maintaining and promoting their channels will structurally increase their income.

A ﬁ rst partnership has already been signed with the Dutch music interview platform Toazted for a period of two years. Kepper feels that “the collaboration with Toazted shows that we take serious steps and act quickly.” Toazted CEO Paul van der Vlist is excited about the cooperation: “We have high expectations in RTL’s expertise and experience. This partnership gives global reach to the musicians we interview and allows us to expand our capacity by creating more unique Watch the trailer for interviews in the future.” Toazted

BroadbandTV is the technical partner of RTL MCN.

FACTS

• The RTL MCN is based in Amsterdam

• The RTL MCN focuses on the best content from the music, entertainment, beauty, urban, fun, fashion, sports and food sectors

• The MCN relies on RTL’s in-house expertise in online video technology, marketing and sales

• The music platform Toazted is RTL Nederland MCNs first cooperation partner

• RTL Group has majority interests in the big MCNs StyleHaul and Broadband TV, plus a minority share in European MCN Divimove

13 Three little pigs

On Monday 10 November 2014, at 22:40, over 2.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere of Antena 3’s original series Cuéntame un cuento, a retelling of popular fairy tale stories as action thrillers in an urban setting. The ﬁ rst episode, Los tres cerditos (The Three Little Pigs), attracted a 17.6 per cent share among 16- to 54-year-old (average: 13.4 per cent). SHORT NEWS 1/1

25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall: Travel back in time with Vox and N-TV Vox / N-TV

9 November 2014 was the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. To mark the anniversary, Vox and N-TV dedicated their programme line-up to the historic event. Germany – 7 November 2014

Welcome to the No. 1 in children’s entertainment Super RTL

Super RTL is breaking new ground in employer branding by developing an elaborate recruitment campaign entitled ‘Ready for the toughest audience in the world?’. Germany – 12 November 2014

Regional culinary challenges are on the menu M6 / RTL-TVI

Since 10 November 2014, M6 offers its viewers a new cooking show in access prime-time: Objectif Top Chef. The ﬁ rst episode attracted 1.7 million viewers, an audience share of 19 per cent among housewives under 50. The programme will also be screened on RTL-TVI from 17 November 2014. France / Belgium – 11 November 2014

Spain rolls out the red carpet for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Atresmedia

On Tuesday 11 November 2014, Atresmedia, in collaboration with eOne Films Spain, kicked off the Spanish premiere of the much-anticipated third installment of the global blockbuster. Spain – 11 November 2014

15 More about Backstage

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