Or How the Ch'tis Have Conquered Digital Terrestrial Television

week 43 / 25 October 2012

CH’TIS MANIA or how The Ch’tis have conquered digital terrestrial television

Germany France United States The Netherlands Sonja Zietlow and Groupe M6 Fox commissions RTL Nederland Daniel Hartwich go announces changes a third season of acquires Videostrip into the jungle in its organisation The X Factor week 43 / 25 October 2012

CH’TIS MANIA or how The Ch’tis have conquered digital terrestrial television

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

Sonja Zietlow and Daniel Hartwich to present Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus! RTL Television p. 8

Fox orders third Reorganisation season of The X Factor FremantleMedia North in Groupe M6 Groupe M6 America p. 10 p. 9

Strengthening its position in the digital advertising markets RTL Nederland p.11 Culture shock W9 (France) p. 4 - 7

A new lab for better service Big Picture RTL Nederland p. 13 p. 12

SHORT NEWS p. 14 - 15 Reality series Les Ch’tis was launched in 2011 and duly became a smash hit in its own right. In fact, season three of the programme enabled W9 to lay claim to being France’s most popular channel among young viewers during that time slot even ahead of TF1. Backstage decided to “CULTURE do a little digging and find out why the programme commands such popular appeal. SHOCK”

France – 25 October 2012 W9

Les Ch’tis débarquent à Mykonos

4 The concept behind the programme is simple, dream of achieving professional success in a newly but its very simplicity is what wins people over. adopted home town. That destination is not chosen For example, on 16 October 2012 the French TV at random. In season one it was Ibiza, in season news website Toute la télé wrote: “The Ch’tis are two the Ischgl ski resort in Austria, and last season sending W9 into orbit”, whereas the headline it was Mykonos – all places with a strong reputation chosen on 19 September by audiovisual weekly for a particularly vibrant night life. The basic Ecran total for its Hit of the Week section underlying idea was to induce “culture shock” translates as “Les Ch’tis land in force on W9”. And and ‘parachute them’ into a destination that was for good reason, because the third season of The radically different from their place of origin, explains Ch’tis, dubbed Les Ch’tis débarquent à Mykonos Alexia Laroche-Joubert, who produces the reality (The Ch’tis Land on Mykonos), which aired from series. “We sought out a community that had not 3 September to 19 October, drew unprecedented been shown on TV before and we wanted the series audiences. More speciﬁ cally, the reality series was to feature authentic people”. watched by an average of no fewer than 623,000 viewers, up a massive 66 per cent on the previous season. In total audience that corresponds to a 5 per cent share, a signiﬁ cant increase on season two, which scored an average share of 4.3 per cent.

The outcome? Torrents of laughs and some truly precious moments. Between facing their professional challenges and meeting new people, the ch’tis are given an unforgettable experience, to the great enjoyment of the programme’s viewers, more and more of whom have succumbed to their charm with each new series. Each season, fans of the series tune in to follow the exploits of the same group of friends. “It’s a daily date with a group of youngsters with whom they can identify, and people share in their adventures, just like it happens with shows like Friends, Beverly Hills or How I Met Your Mother,” so Fréderic De Vincelles, Deputy Managing Director of W9. “But the really important thing,” he goes on, “is that the show offers these youngsters the chance to exercise a profession. They take part in the show not to become famous, Season one: Les Ch’tis à Ibiza but to land a job, and that’s what sets this programme apart from others in the same genre.” Fans of the series all agree that a large part of Alexia Laroche-Joubert underscors that difference, the programme’s attractiveness stems from its saying: “No script is written in advance. It’s a easy-going atmosphere and the cheery disposition reality series, not a reality show. There is no of the people cast in it, who are all from the ﬁ xed prize to win and there are no contestants or Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, eliminations. They go on TV to gain recognition, not known for its distinctive accent and the festive renown.” spirit of the local inhabitants. W9’s young ch’tis are barmen, waiters, dancers, DJs and models. It was this difference, in what the 6 September Back home they are real party people, edition of the French magazine VSD called a kings even, but in the series they face the “successfully rejuvenated genre,” that caused considerable challenge of accomplishing their the series’ audiences to skyrocket during its third

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5 season, leaving all the competition way behind in its As Fréderic De Vincelles puts it: “A daily programme wake. As another magazine, L’Express, reported on like The Ch’tis is inevitably predestined to be 17 October: “The Ch’tis are annihilating Hollywood watched on video on demand, because not all Girls, the rival programme aired on NRJ12.” viewers have the time to tune in every day. So it’s important to give them a chance to watch the series Les Ch’tis débarquent à Mykonos also proved online, whenever and wherever they want.” tremendously popular in the digital domain, accounting for nearly 13 million video downloads Meanwhile, shooting has already begun on the next on M6 Replay, Groupe M6’s catch-up TV service. season. And this time our friends from northern That was double the demand registered during the France will ﬁ nd themselves trying their luck in Las previous season of The Ch’tis (in terms of the Vegas, USA, no less. The series is scheduled to air average number of videos viewed per episode). in 2013.

Kelly Hilary Gaëlle Serena Cindy

Mike Christopher Vincent Charles Jordan

The cast of Les Ch’tis à Mykonos

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6 FACTS & FIGURES ON LES CH’TIS

The reality series is produced by Banijay

Seasons one and two were watched by average audiences of 340,000 and 380,000 respectively, giving the series an audience share of 4.4 per cent for Les Ch’tis à Ibiza (The Ch’tis Hit Ibiza) and 4.3 per cent for Les Ch’tis font du ski (The Ch’tis Go Skiing) respectively

Episode one of season three achieved the programme’s highest ever ratings so far for the first episode in a series, being watched by 450,000 viewers. This landed the programme with an overall audience share of 5.5 per cent

The episode that aired on 17 October was watched by 1 million viewers, the largest total day-time audience ever recorded for a reality TV programme broadcast by W9

The Ch’tis is also the most popular programme among French 15 to 24-year-olds, commanding an average audience share of 22 per cent

Season three of the reality series proved very successful in northern France: W9 was the most popular digital terrestrial channel amongst viewers living in the region in question, where the programme achieved an audience share of 8.2 per cent

W9 will soon be launching a brand new programme along similar lines, called Les Marseillais à Miami (The Marseillans Hit Miami)

CLASSIC CH’TI QUOTES

The Ch’tis Hit Ibiza “I love dressing up to pull the birds, four or five chicks a night. They flock to me, y’know. I’ve practically lost count.” Jordan

“Psst. Wanna know a really cracking secret? The allure of an open shirt, man. I DEFY anyone to look better than me. I mean, it’s UNTHINKABLE!” Vincent

“I’d sent postcards before, but that was way back. I couldn’t remember how it was supposed to work. You just stick it in an envelope with a stamp on, or something?” Jordan

The Ch’tis Go Skiing “We’re trying to zoom in with our eyes.” Tressia

“I don’t even know how to spell Hillary.” Vincent (talking about his girlfriend)

“We don’t use the button with V on it, ‘cos V’s a totally useless letter.” Tressia

“Shogun to night!” Vincent

7 SONJA ZIETLOW AND DANIEL HARTWICH TO PRESENT ICH BIN EIN STAR – HOLT MICH HIER RAUS! RTL Television

Daniel Hartwich (34) and Sonja Zietlow will jointly moderate the upcoming season of Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!. Hartwich succeeds the actor, presenter and comedian Dirk Bach, who died unexpectedly on 1 October. Germany – 25 October 2012

Germany’s seventh season of Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus! starts in January 2013, when a new group of celebrities sets out on the jungle camp adventure. Daniel Hartwich and Sonja Zietlow will report Sonja Zietlow and Daniel Hartwich (right) live from the jungle, commenting on the events in the camp. Only one thing is certain: viewers will be treated to two weeks of unusual comedy entertainment. Comments Zietlow, “Daniel has already proven that he is jungle-proof, treehouse-trained and suspension bridge-hardy. Now we’ll have to see whether he can also cope with lack of sleep, night shifts and me. I look forward to it.”

Hartwich adds: “I’ve been a big fan of the show from the beginning. And I was really looking forward to sitting on my sofa and laughing out loud with Sonja and Dirk in Season Seven. Dirk Bach’s tragic death has unfortunately precluded this. Naturally, I felt honoured when RTL Television asked me to take on the moderation.”

Mark Kuettner, RTL Head Comedy & Real Life, brought Hartwich to RTL Television in 2005: “On Let’s Dance, Daniel proved that he can take on very large tasks. I am happy that my preferred candidate will take on the moderation of the show and very much look forward to working with Sonja and Daniel in Australia.”

Daniel Hartwich was born in Frankfurt am Main in 1978. He spent seven years moderating a wide range of programmes for the Hessischer Rundfunk radio station before joining Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland in 2005, initially as a reporter for Vox programmes. In 2012 he and Sylvie van der Vaart jointly presented Lets Dance, for which he was honoured with the Bavarian TV Award. He is also the sole presenter of Das Supertalent since 2012.

8 REORGANISATION IN GROUPE M6 Groupe M6

Groupe M6 announced a reorganisation of the Paris Première channel, and the Department of Strategy, Development and Distribution. France – 19 October 2012

In a context of reinforcing the public affairs ﬁ les, Karine Blouët will now focus exclusively on her responsibilities as Secretary General in charge of institutional relations.

Since 22 October, Jérôme Bureau occupies the position of President of Paris Première, while maintaining his duties as News Director of Karine Blouët M6. Anaïs Bouton, Editorial Director of Paris Première since 2005, has been named the channel’s Programme Director.

Jonathan Curiel, currently responsible for coordination with Groupe M6’s Chairman of the Board, has been named Paris Première’s Editorial Director reporting to Anaïs Bouton. His previous duties will now be handled by Quentin de Revel, who since October 2009 has served as Project Manager in the group’s Department of Strategy and Development.

All of Paris Première’s activities are in the direct responsibility of Thomas Valentin. Furthermore, Jacques Expert is leaving Paris Jonathan Curiel Première to devote himself to new activities.

With regard to the Department of Strategy, Development and Distribution, Pascale Chabert, who is currently Director of Distribution of Audiovisual Services, has been named Assistant Director of Strategy, Development and Distribution, reporting to Guillaume Charles.

Mathilde Begramian, in charge of relations with distributors, will maintain her current functions and has joined this department.

Pascale Chabert

9 FOX ORDERS THIRD SEASON OF THE X FACTOR FremantleMedia North America

The US network Fox has commissioned a third season of The X Factor from FremantleMedia North America and Syco Television. North America – 24 October 2012

“I couldn’t be happier about The X Factor already being renewed for another season,” says Simon Cowell. “I am so proud of the show and the team who have made it this season. I want to thank our incredible sponsors for their support and creativity, and Fox for going out of their way to do everything they can to make this show a success.”

Trish Kinane, President of Entertainment Programming at FremantleMedia North America, adds “We’re absolutely thrilled that The X Factor will be returning to Fox for a third hit season. We’ve seen an incredible range of talent so far and we’re getting set for some truly blockbuster live shows this season that viewers will love. The X Factor has really come into its own this year, ﬁ nding its unique place and cementing its position as one of the leading talent shows in the entertainment landscape, as well as showing clear potential to build into a brand with true longevity. We’re looking forward to working with the fantastic teams at Fox and Syco, along with our sponsors, to build upon the show’s success.” Trish Kinane, President of Entertainment Programming at FremantleMedia North America Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, said: “This season, Simon and the producers of The X Factor took an already strong show and made it absolutely fantastic. The format changes are working, the contestants are unbelievably talented, and Britney and Demi – alongside Simon and LA – have brought an incredibly fun new chemistry to the judges’ panel that our fans really love.”

The X Factor continues to break social TV records with the most fan engagement of any series on television. Each episode consistently achieves more Twitter trending topics than the competition. The second season premiere of The X Factor shattered the record for a series premiere, garnering 1.4 million social comments with the season to date averaging a total of 10.6 million viewers.

10 STRENGTHENING ITS POSITION IN THE DIGITAL ADVERTISING MARKETS RTL Nederland

RTL Nederland acquired Videostrip, the country’s biggest online video-advertising network. The Netherlands – 19 October 2012

Videostrip logo

This new acquisition reduces RTL Nederland‘s dependence on third parties for the distribution and exploitation of its VOD content.

Arno Otto, Managing Director at Digital RTL Nederland, comments: “The Videostrip platform and its technology correspond to current market trends. We often partner with companies we believe will enrich us with their knowledge and expertise. Videostrip is not only prepared for the future of multi-screens; its platform is fully in line with our own distribution strategy: large-scale distribution of our video content via several sites, partners and platforms. This strengthens our position in the digital advertising market.”

Dolf Kars, Director of Videostrip, adds: “With the addition of RTL Nederland’s content to our portfolio, our offer to advertisers becomes more attractive. Our clients get the same level of service, and additionally we create a larger network. We are now able to operate even more on the frontline.”

Launched in 2006, Videostrip will remain a separate company operating under the same name. There will be no changes for its staff and management.

11 A NEW LAB FOR BETTER SERVICE RTL Nederland

The weather site Buienradar has just launched the Buienradar Lab for the purpose of gathering feedback and improvement suggestions from users on new features. The Netherlands – 24 October 2012

Buienradar.nl Buienradar’s Niels de Kind explains: “The Dutch are constantly preoccupied with the weather and like to voice their opinion. In the Buienradar Lab we combine these two activities. Together with users, we will test new ideas at an early stage and improve them based on their real-life experiences.”

The ﬁ rst innovation in connection with the Buienradar Lab is the launch of an improved Buienradar. In addition to radars in the Netherlands, the service will also use radars based close to the German border and, soon, England. In this way rain clouds can be displayed earlier, and the Visit The Buienradar Lab weathercasters can see them as soon as they appear in Germany or on the North Sea.

“If the feedback on the new radars is positive, we will permanently integrate in the website as well as the app,” says de Kind.

12 Hit songs and records On 20 October 2012, Fun Radio transformed Paris-Bercy into a giant dance ﬂ oor with the musical evening called Starﬂ oor. The show was broadcast live on Fun Radio and W9. With a 20 per cent share of men aged 15 to 24, W9 ranked the leading national channel that day with this audience. The Funradio.fr website registered its best day ever, with 223,000 visits and 730,000 pages viewed; there were a total of 120,000 connections to the live stream. SHORT NEWS 1/2

Live from the royal wedding RTL Lëtzebuerg / RTL Belgium

RTL Lëtzebuerg and RTL-TVI set up a special operation to cover the wedding of Guillaume of Luxembourg and the Belgian countess Stéphanie. Luxembourg / Belgium – 19 October 2012

Magdalena Brzeska becomes a sponsor Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

The former professional gymnast Magdalena Brzeska travelled to the capital of Togo in September 2012 in her role as a sponsor of the ‘RTL - Wir helfen Kindern’ children’s relief organisation. Her aim is to gradually establish eye-care services for children across all of Togo in conjunction with the Christoffel Mission for the Blind. Germany – 22 October 2012

Dynamic and modern Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

Clipﬁ sh presents a redesigned look, improved loading times, a new, improved Clipﬁ sh Music, and increased interlinking with social networks. Germany – 22 October 2012

BCE launches Kombat Sport BCE

BCE has launched Kombat Sport, the ﬁ rst channel dedicated to combat sports. Broadcast using BCE’s multi-playout infrastructure, the new Sport TV channel is available in High-Deﬁ nition. Luxembourg – 22 October 2012

A new season of Monsuno FremantleMedia Enterprises

FremantleMedia Enterprises, Jakks Paciﬁ c and Dentsu Entertainment USA will be creating another season of the epic boys’ action-adventure series Monsuno. United Kingdom – 23 October 2012

14 SHORT NEWS 2/2

More original and incredible than ever M6

La France a un Incroyable Talent returned to M6 for a seventh season that promises to be amazing, spectacular and unprecedented: 17.9 per cent of housewives under 50 tuned in. France – 23 October 2012

A new look Super RTL

Uncluttered and modern, targeted, educational and varied: Super RTL has given its paid-content site Toggo Clever Club offer an extensive makeover and realigned its content. Germany – 24 October 2012

The farmers discover their letters RTL-TVI

The Belgian version of L’Amour est dans le pré returned to RTL-TVI for Season 4’s latest instalment in the series. Gathering 476,176 viewers, the episode dedicated to delivering the letters sent by viewers left no one indifferent. Belgium – 24 October 2012

Getting viewers in on the action RTL 5

RTL 5’s talent show So You Think You Can Dance has launched a brand-new Facebook app called ‘It’s up to u’.

The Netherlands – 25 October 2012

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