week 7 the RTL Group intranet

Newsletter Neighbours moves Lisa Opie about moving Neighbours from BBC 1 to Five

Belgium Cohabitation Belgian style Germany Five questions about Das perfekte Dinner France M6 rolls out a new information magazine United Kingdom Series on contemporary folk music

People Chris Kerwin and Scott Jeffrey, Five Digital Media COVER: Neighbours marketing campaign week 7 the RTL Group intranet

“Many of us have grown up with it” This Monday, Five successfully started airing the popular Australian drama Neighbours that was previously broadcast on BBC 1. United Kingdom - 12 February 2008

The first evening episodes of Neighbours were into the bush and even the odd dream sequen- watched by more than 2 million viewers, giving ce, Neighbours has always been based around Five an average audience share of more than a set of comforting, recognisable characters. 13 per cent at that time, way above the chan- nel’s average. A Spokesman of Five described Upcoming storylines on the show see the trou- this as “a fantastic result, beyond our expecta- bled teenager Ringo Brown, played by Sam tions”. BBC Online wrote: “Neighbours holds Clark, developing an eating disorder. Pregnant audience on Five”. Carmelia Cammeniti, portrayed by Natalie Blair, lays her heart on the line when she tells the The Australian daily soap Neighbours explores father of her child, Oliver Barnes (David Hoflin), the lives and relationships of the residents of how she feels. Also Libby Kennedy (Kym Ramsay Street in the fictional community of Valentine) makes a surprising return and Susan Erinsborough (the name being an anagram of fights to clear her name after being involved in Neighbours plus an additional o and r). The first a hit-and-run accident, though doubt is cast on episode was broadcast in March 1985 and it is her defence when Karl is forced to testify that Australia’s longest-running TV series so far. the incident may have been her fault. Having been sold to 57 countries it is also one of the country's most successful media Several international stars, including Kylie exports. Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Valance and Delta Groodrem, and now world-famous Besides portraying countless weddings, divor- actors, like Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe, ces, deaths, fights, fires, plane crashes, car count Neighbours among their very first appea- accidents, kidnappings, ill-advised forays out rances.

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Having run on the BBC since 1986, Neighbours has now found a new home on Five, where it will be aired on week- days at 13.45 and 17.30 and shown on Five Life at 9.00 and 19.00. On this occasion Backstage spoke to Lisa Opie, Five's Managing Director Content.

What makes the Neighbours deal so special for Five? Neighbours is a much-loved program- me with an established and loyal follo- wing. Its many fans will have more opportunities to see it – since it will be aired twice a day on Five and Five Life, with omnibus editions screened on Five and Five Life every weekend. We have also invested in its promotion, both on- air and off-air. We are delighted to have Neighbours secured and intend to che- Lisa Opie, Managing Director for Content of Five rish it.

What makes Neighbours such a success What predictions do you have regarding the around the world? show’s ratings? Many of us have grown up with it. We love the Whilst we’re aware that for historical reasons characters and storylines and it's beautifully we're unlikely to attract the same audiences made. It also has the twin appeal of being that the show generated on BBC 1, we’re very vibrant and modern for younger audiences, confident that Neighbours will be a hit in the while dishing up a healthy dose of nostalgia for ratings within our frame of reference. older viewers. On top of this, the series has a consistently optimistic outlook, which is per- Why do you broadcast each episode twice a fectly in tune with Five's brand values. day? We're retaining the traditional slots the show Neighbours is already a very popular brand had on the BBC, i.e. airing it twice a day at in the UK. How are you going to exploit that 13.45 and 17.30, since viewers are used to brand for Five? watching it at these times and we wanted to We’ve already invested heavily in its promotion, cause as little disruption as we could. both in PR terms and in on- and off-air marke- ting and will continue to do so. The show will What does Five have lined up for viewers? also play a key role in Five Life’s programme We’re also really excited about the launch of schedule. It is, and will be treated as, part of the the new-look Five News with one of Britain’s Five family. most popular news readers, Natasha Kaplinsky, this month. Furthermore, we’ve got Will the change of broadcaster affect the some great entertainment and factual series behaviour of the programme’s viewers? lined up, including another travel programme That remains to be seen, but the response from with Paul Merton, this time in India, and a fan- fans on forums and in the press has been extre- tastic new series of Hotel Inspector. mely positive. Viewers have told us that they trust Five to provide ‘a good home’ for their favourite show.

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Cohabitation Belgian style Back in September 2007, the radio station Bel RTL launched its interactive Vivrensemble? (LiveTogether?) campaign, now a listener has been awarded by the Prince Philippe Fund. Belgium - 13 February 2008

The campaign was offering listeners a great The Fund has just awarded funds to three win- opportunity to vent their views on the future of ning projects, one of them being the idea sub- Belgium and either show how strongly attached mitted by Luc Renson from Nandrin. Luc was they are to their country or say why they think it one of the many listeners who were stirred into would be better if the country’s various com- action by Bel RTL’s campaign. In October, Bel munities ran their affairs separately and just RTL helped him put the finishing touches to his lived side by side. project, which will entail organising a relay race across Belgium’s 10 provinces. After success- By the time the campaign ended, the advoca- fully putting the case for his project to the tes of a united Belgium were in the majority. Fund’s jury, this proud Bel RTL listener has now Invariably, those who expressed their views been awarded EUR 2,000 to help turn his idea highlighted the other side’s lack of knowledge. into a reality. For this reason, Bel RTL decided to take part in a call for tenders issued by the Prince Philippe Bel RTL will definitely be monitoring the pro- Fund. The specifications for projects submitted gress made by this listener inspired by the need in response to the call for tenders were to bring Belgium’s communities closer toge- straightforward and entirely in keeping with ther. Bel RTL’s Vivrensemble? campaign: They had to help keep the dialogue going between Belgium’s various communities, in other words help Walloons get to know Flemings better, and vice-versa.

Vivrensemble? marketing campaign 4 week 7 the RTL Group intranet

Questions about Das perfekte Dinner On 13 February, Vox did broadcast the 500th episode of its popular cooking format. This gives us a great excuse to nose around behind the scenes and answer the questions most frequently asked about the show. Das Perfekte Dinner Germany - 12 February 2008

How many towns and cities has Das perfek- Which was the most unusual dish served te Dinner already visited? up? So far dinner parties have been held in 37 dif- Benjamin Craig, who’s a cultural attaché at the ferent towns and cities across Germany. There Australian Embassy in Berlin, served crocodile was also one special edition in Majorca. The to his guests. most frequent venue has been Cologne, which has served as a setting for 20 episodes of the Which episode did best in the ratings? programme. On 9 October 2007, the show attained a market share of 20.9 per cent in the 14-49 target Who does more cooking: men or women? group. Across all age groups it was watched by It’s pretty evenly balanced so far, with 240 men a total audience of 3.49 million viewers, equiva- and 260 women. lent to a market share of 14 per cent. The show’s average market share for the year 2007 Are the contestants allowed to cook what was 16.9 per cent among 14- to 49-year-old they want? viewers and 11.9 per cent overall. The contestants choose the menu to suit their personal taste, though the programme makers Vox airs Das Perfekte Dinner at 19.00 from do keep an eye on variety. If chocolate mousse Monday to Friday. On the 500th programme, to was served up three times in a row, the partici- be broadcast on Wednesday, 13 February, pants and viewers would get bored. Benjamin from Cologne will surprise his guests by serving up homemade pasta. A French So far filet of beef has been very popular, as adaptation of Das Perfekte Dinner made its have rosemary potatoes. Starters frequently debut on M6 on 11 February at 18.05. feature seafood, and rocket and lamb’s lettuce are also ‘in’ at the moment. The most frequently ser- ved desserts are panna cotta, tirami- su and raspberry delight.

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An almost perfect dinner Well, that’s the translated title of the new reality show that M6 has launched beginning of the week. Un dîner presque parfait is a canny blend of hosting, dining room decoration skills and cooking talent, with each contestant striving to astound their guests with their generosity and creativity. France - 11 February 2008

The programme may be making its debut in Hosts also have to decorate their table and France, but the rather original concept behind it create a pleasant atmosphere, so that all their has already proven to be a hit elsewhere, parti- guests feel at ease and have a good time. They cularly in Germany on Vox. In fact, the concept may opt for a themed evening, go all sophisti- has really caught on over there, prompting a cated or simply try to make the evening nice wave of dinner parties for family or friends and cosy. The choice is entirely theirs. But the where all those in attendance now award their more the evening progresses, the more outspo- hosts points. ken the guests become, so the show invariably provides an entertaining mix of sarcastic com- The rules of the show are simple. The partici- ments and views betraying intriguing differen- pants don’t know each other, but take turns to ces in taste. invite each other round for dinner on successi- ve nights of the same week. Each evening’s At the end of the evening, the guests each give host tries to impress their dinner guests by ser- the host a mark out of ten for the food, decor ving up mouth-watering regional specialities, and atmosphere. At the end of the week, the dishing up infallible family recipes, cooking host with the highest score wins EUR 1,000 something truly exotic or just preparing really and is crowned the ‘perfect host’. tasty vegetarian food.

“Chez Muriel”: Fernande, Muriel, Jean-Louis, Victor and Gregory 6 week 7 the RTL Group intranet

M6 rolls out a new information magazine 100% mag is the name of a new information magazine on M6, presented by Estelle Denis. The first edition was aired on 11 February. Estelle Denis France - 12 February 2008

100% mag is a new kind of live daily information ble way the various events, phenomena and magazine which M6 is now dishing up to viewers developments that characterise our society and at 18.50 from Mondays to Fridays. What makes genuinely impact on our daily lives, including the the genre new is that 100% mag will endeavour most striking anecdotal facts. And not just events to decipher current affairs differently than traditio- in France, of course, but also from around the nal news broadcasts do. Monday evening 1.4 world”. million viewers tuned in to watch the new maga- zine – 500.000 viewers more than last week at The show will be hosted by Estelle Denis, M6’s the same time. This equals a market share of football specialist. She described the concept 13.3 per cent among housewives under 50. behind 100% mag as follows: “It’s a magazine about all kinds of social trends and phenomena. Jérôme Bureau, Head of Information and Society is shifting and we’re going to try to shift Information Magazines at M6, commented on with it. The aim is to present viewers each eve- the launch of 100% mag by saying that its “aim ning with topics that concern them and are rele- is to bring across to viewers in an understanda- vant to their daily lives. The three keywords of 100% mag are astound, understand and inform.”

Innovative M6 Web M6jeux.fr, the website offering “the best online games”, is starting up a new game download service for Internet users.

France - 14 February 2008

M6jeux.fr, which is available on the m6.fr portal, The originality of m6jeux.fr lies in the diver- is expanding its range of services by offering over sity of its content. The site has over 1,000 600 downloadable games. Users can either games, covering the full range of topics, check out download flash games for free or buy best-selling notable inclusions being the games with www.m6jeux.fr PC video games by the unit as soon as they hit the M6 logo and created by the channel the shops. There's even a third possibility: to pay (Starsix, Instants gagnants and soon also a monthly lump-sum fee of around 10 euro for Wordous). unlimited downloads (with no obligation). The m6jeux.fr site attracts more than 250,000 single visitors a month (Netratings, December 2007). Users download 12,000 games a week. 7 week 7 the RTL Group intranet

Series on contemporary folk music Five Culture, the partnership between Five and Arts Council England, has commissioned an exclusive series of documentaries exploring the musical influences of four of the most successful contemporary folk musicians. United Kingdom - 8 February 2008

Produced by the Proudfoot Company, Five Culture Consultant, Kim Peat, said: My Music consists of four, hour-long program- “This series is superb. The quality of the music, mes which, for the first time, get under the the passion projected and the testimonies from creative skin of the musicians Seth Lakeman, so many people make it a joy to watch. Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy and Athena. Five is My Music will not only give people in the scene set to launch the series in the spring as the a reason to celebrate what they love about latest product of the Five Culture initiative, modern folk music, but also introduce a new under which Five and Arts Council England are audience to a diverse and influential part of our urging viewers to engage with the arts. culture.”

Tom Ravenscroft, son of legendary Radio One Five Culture is following on where the success- DJ John Peel, narrates the programmes, which ful three-year Fivearts Cities project left off, and focus on a separate artist in each episode. is designed to encourage viewers to participa- Meanwhile, high profile contributors including te in additional activities planned alongside its Billy Bragg, Jennifer Saunders, Stewart Lee forthcoming music projects. and Willy Russell comment on the artists and their contribution to popular culture. Executive Producer, Michael Proudfoot, secured exclusi- ve behind-the-scenes access to all the artists as well as conducting in-depth interviews that reveal the highs, lows, background and aspira- tions of the influential musicians covered.

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W9 is flying high Over the past year, W9’s national audience share climbed by more than that of any other channel. France - 8 February 2008

W9 no longer needs any introduction as M6 At the same time, W9’s audience share among Group’s DTT channel. But it can pride itself on DTT viewers climbed by 0.8 points since having achieved a national audience share of January 2007, having gained nearly 6 million 1.4 per cent among viewers aged 4 and over, viewers on average every week from one year throughout France by January of this year, to the next. Today more than 17 million viewers compared with 0.7 per cent at the same time tune in to the channel each week, over 50 per last year. In fact, W9 is the French channel that cent more than a year ago. made the most headway over the past 12 months.

Antena Neox is Spain’s most successful digital channel In January Antena Neox secured its leading position. Now the digital channel is airing Life On Mars, the first series to be broadcast exclusively on digital television before being broadcast on analogue TV. Life On Mars Spain - 12 February 2008

Antena Neox has been the top digital channel duction Life On Mars – will be shown exclusive- since digital TV came to Spain. The channel’s ly on digital television. The first episode of the average ratings of 0.22 per cent in 2007 made series will be aired on Antena 3, to give viewers it the clear leader. During the first month of a foretaste, but the remaining episodes will 2008, Antena Neox performed very well, achie- subsequently be broadcast on the digital chan- ving an overall audience share of 0.48 per cent. nel. However, if only those households capable of receiving digital television are included, Antena In addition, Antena Neox and its digital sister Neox can already be said to have a market channel Antena Nova are planning to tailor the share of 4.3 per cent. programme schedule exclusively for viewers by offering live broadcasts of sporting and social The digital channel is being supported by its events. For example, back in mid-November big sister, Antena 3. For instance, for the first Antena Neox already provided exclusive cove- time ever a series – in this case the British pro- rage of the skiing world championships.

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Television is the central pillar in the media mix The winners of the six top brand awards in 2007 invested an average of 67.5 per cent of their gross advertising volume in television, just under six percentage points more than the previous year. Germany - 8 February 2008

According to a survey conducted by the adver- tising sales company SevenOne Media, award- winning brands still regard TV commercials as by far the most important form of advertising in the media mix, followed by ads placed in print media, which account for 20.7 per cent of their advertising expenditure. The remaining 11.8 per cent of investments in advertising are divi- ded over all other media.

A comparison with the figures from the pre- vious year shows that television is still gaining ground, becoming increasingly important. For whereas award-winning brands’ TV advertising budgets accounted for just 61.6 per cent of their overall expenditure in 2006, last year that figure rose to 67.5 per cent. And further analy- sis shows that ‘emotionalising’ brands by screening TV ads is a key factor in determining the success of a marketing campaign.

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In search of a lost identity Fifty-two minutes is all the time five elite police officers have to put a name to the body of an unknown individual who died under highly suspicious circumstances. France - 8 February 2008

January best ever month for RTL Gemist 2008 has kicked off with a record month for RTL Nederland’s online ‘catch-up’ service, RTL Gemist, with over 7.5 million videos watched in January. The Netherlands - 11 February 2008

Two records broken by N-TV’s website In January the popular German news website notched up 132.6 million page impressions and recorded some 16 million visits. Both figures are all-time records. Germany - 11 February 2008

Embarkation of the production of advertising films All four of RTL Nederland’s channels performed well in January, and both RTL 7 and RTL 8 even recorded their best month ever. Germany - 13 February 2008

M6 fiction series bags award On Saturday, 9 February 2008, the grand prize for Best Series at the 10th Luchon International TV Film Festival went to Merci, les enfants vont bien ! (Thanks, the Kids Are Fine!), produced by DEMD Productions for M6. France - 13 February 2008

FremantleMedia’s DVDs label Down Under In a concerted effort to spread the word, FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) is setting up its own DVD label, FHE Australia, to manage home entertainment content in Australia and New Zealand. France - 14 February 2008

A fresh serving of N-TV Deluxe Starting on 1 March, N-TV will be airing new episodes of its style and luxury magazine presented by the German countess Tamara Gräfin von Nayhauss. France - 14 February 2008 11 week 7 the RTL Group intranet

People Chris Kerwin and Scott Jeffrey, Five Digital Media United Kingdom - 8 February 2008

Chris Kerwin and Scott Jeffrey will join Five to Jonathan Lewis said: “The team is responsible strengthen its newly-formed Digital Media for driving the development of five.tv and mul- team. Five has also restructured its content tiple online propositions. I’m delighted that team, hiring three senior producers who will these two crucial posts have attracted the oversee the building of new websites in the experience and expertise of Chris and Scott.” coming months. Prior to joining Five, Chris Kerwin published T3 Chris Kerwin has been appointed to serve in magazine and T3.com, which he relaunched in the newly created role of Digital Controller, with December last year. Before that he was a com- responsibility for the commercial side of the mercial and strategy manager, then head of channel’s digital businesses, including Video new media at BBC Magazines. On Demand (VOD) and Online. As VOD Editor, Scott Jeffrey will be responsible for Five’s new Scott Jeffrey joins Five from the Australian VOD services. Digital Advertising Distribution company, Adstream. He also worked for the new media The appointments reflect the investment in and company CNET Networks and Sky Racing. development of Five’s digital media strategy, which is being spearheaded by Five’s Head of Digital Media, Jonathan Lewis.

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