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Home , Chris Medina, Haley Reinhart, Idol Gives Back, Jennifer Hudson, Randy Jackson, Scotty McCreery

19 May 2011

week 20

The facelift How came up with a new jury, warmth and emotion

Luxembourg France RTL Group publishes new M6 enriches its corporate responsibility brochure -Pad app

Germany France RTL Interactive launches RTL Radio honours Clipfish Music young journalists the RTL Group intranet week 20

Cover: Montage with , and (from left to right) who performed on American Idol during season 10.

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“Format is king” In the run-up to the American Idol finale, Backstage looks back on the anniversary season of the most watched series in the world’s biggest TV market. - 19 May 2011

Many contestants who audition for American Idol tell moving and emotional stories. Perhaps the most touching of them was told by Chris Medina who performed Breakeven by The Scripts at the auditions in . He told the judges of his fiancée Juliana Ramos who had suffered a brain injury after a car accident that left her in a wheelchair – able to move only her left arm and little more. After Chris sang, he brought his fian- cée to the audition room at the judges’ request. While and Jennifer Lopez intro- duced themselves, Steven Tyler shook her hand saying: “Hi, girl. I just heard your fiancée sing, and he’s so good.” He added in a warm, tender whisper: “That’s why he sings so good, because he sings to you.” called the moment “a stellar embrace” and praised Tyler as “deeply practiced and deeply humane” and an “unalloyed genius”.

This scene can be seen as a perfect example of what has changed at American Idol. In 2010, after nine seasons as an American Idol judge, Cécile Frot-Coutaz in had announced that he would ‘good luck’. Management is on your back every quit the show’s panel of judges to launch a day, you go through lists and you throw in crazy US version of the worldwide hit show X Factor. ideas.” The media reported different names, Both shows – American Idol and X Factor bringing in new rumours almost every day until – are or will be aired by the US network Fox. the final judging panel for season ten was The production feverishly searched for a announced. , creator and Executive replacement. “That was a very tough few Producer of American Idol, had told the news- months”, said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of paper The Mirror about his approach to finding FremantleMedia North America and Executive new judges: “We wanted to lose the negativity Producer of American Idol, in an interview with and be more motivational. We understand this The Hollywood Reporter. “It felt like a losing show’s success is based entirely on the authen- exercise, as if you’re limiting the scale of a car tic journey of real people with a passion and a crash. And everybody around you – the press, dream, no gimmicks, no spin, no smoke and the competition, the other networks – is like mirrors.”

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The top three candidates: , Scotty McCreery and Lauren (from left to right)

The result: In season ten, multi-talented singer value, credibility and so on. It’s really all about and actress Jennifer Lopez and songwriter, chemistry and likability. It doesn’t matter if multi-instrumentalist and Aerosmith frontman there’s a Mr. Nasty; they just have to be honest Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson on the panel and care.” of judges. Cecile Frot-Coutaz said: “It’s exciting to have such a diverse cast of industry profes- During the live shows several stars like Rihanna, sionals, each with distinctive passions for music, Jennifer Hudson, Enrique Iglesias or the Black lead the charge in discovering the next American Eyed Peas had guest appearances presenting Idol. From dancing sensation to pop, film and their latest songs. Also, Jennifer Lopez’ latest fashion superstar, Jennifer has experienced a video On the floor premiered on American Idol. It career that exemplifies the American dream, is Jennifer’s first top ten single since 2003. and Steven is a rock icon whose performances, accomplished song-writing and personal style For the first time in the history of American Idol, are as relevant today as ever.” the winner will receive a recording contract with Universal Music. , chairman “The addition of Steven Tyler and Jennifer of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, joined Lopez, real stars who also shared that dream, American Idol as an in-house mentor. Throughout has brought a new level of understanding the season, Iovine is featured working and and empathy to the show”, Fuller told The sharing his expertise with contestants. As part Mirror, adding: “They can identify with each and of Universal Music Group’s long-term alliance every one of those contestants and what it really with American Idol, Interscope Geffen A&M will means to have a dream.” When the team was handle the global marketing, promotion and taping an audition in with the new judges, Executive Producer Ken Warwick sent a text message to Frot-Coutaz just two hours after Jennifer and Steven had taken their seats. It said: “Best judging session ever”. At that point, Frot-Coutaz said, she knew everything would be okay. She told the Hollywood Reporter: “At the end of the day, format, not the cast, is king. If you have a crap panel of judges, then your show’s not going to work. If you have an okay panel of judges and fantastic contestants, you’ll be in better shape than the other way around. But the judges are a really important part of the mix, because they give you entertainment Jennifer Lopez presented her new single

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James Durbin went full steam ahead but was eliminated in the top four show distribution of by American Idol finalists Chris Medina made it to the Top 40. His song and winning contestants across a broad array of What Are Words about his fiancée was released retail and new media platforms. on 25 February 2011 and made it to number 83 on the charts. On 24 May, Fox In season ten, American Idol is attracting more will broadcast the spectacular season finale of than 20 million viewers each week, 23.2 million this year’s American Idol and reveal who the on average. Overall, the show exceeds next American Idol will be one day later, on 25 Fox’s prime time average audience share by May. In January 2012, the show will return for 164 per cent in the commercial target group of its 11th season – most probably with the same adults aged 18 to 49, making it, once again, judging panel. Randy Jackson and Steven the number one show on US television in the Tyler have multi-year contracts and programme year to date. “Some think American Idol is executives at Fox are currently in talks with corny – yeah it probably is a little bit. But people Jennifer Lopez about extending her one-year like it,” Cecile Frot-Coutaz said. Looking back, deal. “We’re talking to her about her schedule she explained that she was pleased with this for next year,” Peter Rice, Fox Networks Group anniversary season of American Idol, when chairman of entertainment, told the Hollywood she told the Hollywood Reporter: “We had Reporter. “And we hope and expect her to amazing talent, the kids were the best we’d had return.” in years. And then this panel was getting on really well. You can’t ask for more than that.”

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Helping, informing, promoting solutions Each year RTL Group companies make a significant contribution to the global fight against poverty, disease and pollution. This year – again – a handy brochure explains how and why. Luxembourg - 16 May 2011

Three pages of the new brochure

“Television’s popularity comes with a great In terms of environmental protection, the bro- responsibility,” says Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of chure recaps several environmental action RTL Group, in the opening editorial. “Television days that were held in 2010, building aware- can be a force for good, and ‘help-TV’ ness among RTL Group’s employees of climate programmes raise awareness of serious change issues, and to highlight what action issues that are otherwise often ignored. As they can take to tackle them. With special pro- a mass medium, television is ideally positioned grammes like Destination RTL on RTL Radio in to champion charitable causes.” France, N-TV’s Energy Day or Vox’s Planet Blue, RTL Group’s profit centres also raise awareness This is what the new brochure is all about. It with their broadcasts. describes that RTL Group not only raises huge sums of money with the , the The new edition of the brochure How RTL-Spendenmarathon or the Télévie initiatives, RTL Group pays back to society is available but also aims to raise awareness of social and on RTLGroup.com. Printed copies can be environmental issues through the programmes it found at the Reception of broadcasts and produces. RTL Group’s Corporate Centre in Luxembourg What’s new in this year’s brochure is a special or ordered via the part about RTL Group’s employees who are per- Order Documents Order or download sonally committed to doing their bit – whether on form on the web- the brochure on: or off screen. In Hungary, Antónia Erös had been site. named health ambassador for her work to raise RTLGroup.com awareness of diabetes, while Ivana Vujnovic and Andreas Prelas of RTL Televizija help sick, poor or mentally handicapped children.

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A new music site on the Internet Clipfish.de is vastly expanding its music site under its new ‘Clipfish Music’ brand, and now offers a broad portfolio of more than 33,000 music clips in a new, much-improved multipurpose player. Germany - 18 May 2011

Cooperation agreements with the global music majors Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI Music and Warner Music, as well as independents like the Beggars Group, one of the world’s leading networks of Indy labels, Kontor Records, Embassy of Music and Armada Music have resulted in one of the biggest selections of music videos offered on the German-language Internet. It gives users free access to most of the Top 100 Charts, as well as an extensive music archive. Logo of Clipfish Music

The video clip portal serves as Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s new online destination for music. Here, under the new Clipfish Music brand, users will find one of Germany’s most extensive and eclectic collections of music videos. With over 33,000 music video clips, the range includes songs from every genre: pop and alternative rock, hip-hop, soul and dance. A new, vastly expanded music video player now serves up the clips throughout the site, and most of the music videos are also available via the Clipfish I-Pad and I-Phone App.

Thorsten Sandhaus, Managing Director of Clipfish, says: “Clipfish Music gives users a unique platform for enjoying music videos by everyone from top acts to independent bands. The new site greatly expands the range of profes- sionally produced content we make available to users, and shows our strengthened commitment to musical entertainment. We’ve seen enormous Screenshot of Clipfish Music growth in the use of our music offerings in recent months, and the new site is a response to this development.”

The launch of Clipfish Music will be accompa- nied by an extensive on-air campaign featuring TV spots on RTL Television and online ads on the RTL Interactive network. IP Deutschland will handle ad sales for the new site. In addition to pre-rolls and break ads in the video player, advertisers will be offered new branded entertainment options, such as playlist sponsorships.

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More community and interactivity Since its launch the M6 application has been very popular, with more than 1.5 million downloads to date. It was now enriched with new functionalities. France - 17 May 2011

M6 app on I-Pad

Available on I-Phone and I-Pod touch since The application also allows internet users to 29 September 2010 and on I-Pad since access the programmes’ web apps (mobile 19 October, the M6 application has been a sites optimised for smartphones), to connect to dazzling success since it was first launched: the Facebook fan pages or to inform one’s friends free application has just passed the 1.5 million with the “I’m watching the programme” button. mark in downloads. In addition, the application’s new functions offer It now has new community and interactive a 15-day interactive TV guide with a programme functionalities. Available at the App Store, this alert and community functions (Facebook, update offers viewers, while they are watching and e-mail sharing) along with the latest M6, to enjoy complementary information on the news about programmes and the channel via programme, to comment and to interact with the alerts. Finally, viewers have the possibility of show’s fan community through social networks voting for their favourite contestant on the directly from the application. X Factor programme or other shows to come through their I-Tunes account. Besides the M6 channel live stream 24 hours a day and the M6 Replay catch-up TV service, the Free and accessible via the 3G and Wi-Fi M6 application now offers a new graphic inter- networks, the M6 application won the IAB face for the homepage and new services such 2010 prize for digital innovation. Furthermore, as M6 Talk, a Social TV service allowing users to measuring 443,000 unique visitors for the first comment on each of the channel’s programmes. four months of 2011, M6 has the highest mobile application rating out of all the major channels.

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Rewarding young talents Every year RTL Radio awards the Jean-Baptiste Dumas grant to young journalists who have distinguished themselves in various journalistic trials. For the 2011 edition, the first prize has been given to Jean-Baptiste Durand. France - 13 May 2011

Nicolas Demorand, Sina Mirabdolbaghi, Christopher Baldelli, Cindy Hubert, Jean-Baptiste Durand and Jacques Esnous (from left to right)

Every year since 1995, RTL Radio has awarded This grant, which attracts a high number of the Jean-Baptiste Dumas grant to journalism budding young journalists each year, was students who have distinguished themselves created to honour and perpetuate the memory in rigorous selection trials. For the 2011 edition, of Jean-Baptiste Dumas, a reporter at the future journalists had to focus on the theme: RTL Radio, who died after the Furiani disaster “How does one live with expensive petrol?”. of 1992, when one of the terraces of the The report submitted by Jean-Baptiste Durand Stade Armand Cesari in Furiani, Corsica, succeeded in convincing the jury, and he was collapsed just minutes before the semifinal offered a one year work contract in RTL Radio’s match of the French Cup between SC Bastia editorial department. The second and third prizes and Olympique de Marseille. went to Cindy Hubert and Sina Mirabdolbaghi, who each obtained a three months contract.

Their work was judged by a jury made up exclusively of journalists and presided over by Nicolas Demorand, Editorial Director of the daily newspaper Libération. The prizes were awarded on 11 May 2011 in the presence of RTL Radio CEO Christopher Baldelli and RTL News Director Jacques Esnous, among other people. Jean-Baptiste Durand’s report was broadcast that evening on the programme RTL Soir.

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Awards in April In April, numerous RTL Group companies again won kudos from a variety of quarters. Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland companies swept the ‘Eyes & Ears Trailerfestival’ in Cologne, scoring more than 15 awards. Germany / Belgium - 16 May 2011

Alarm für Cobra 11 is Germany’s most popular action series

At the ‘Eyes & Ears Trailerfestival’, as best ‘360 Degree Promotion Campaign’, seven awards went to RTL Creation. The while the launch campaign for Star Wars: The ‘RTL-Psst’ image trailer announcing the Clone Wars won the prize for best ‘Promotion channel’s January highlights was deemed Campaign’. The image trailer for the preschool prize-worthy in the category ‘Promotion Spot’, as brand Toggolino took first place in the ‘Promotion was a spot produced for the big screen, promo- Spot’ contest. The campaign for the channel’s ting the past season of Deutschland sucht proprietary mobile communications offering for den Superstar. The award for the best promo- children, Toggo Mobile, prevailed in ‘Merchan- tion campaign in Sports went to the trailer for RTL Fifa WM 2010. The campaign for the latest season of Let’s Dance won an award in the ‘Show’ category. The judges felt the ‘RTL Junescreening 2010’ had the best opening credits in the ‘Event’ segment, and RTL Creation won two awards for ‘Interactive & Online Promotion’: one for the Image trailer promoting the ‘RTL-App’ and another for a viral spot for Alarm für Cobra 11. Super RTL was the recipient of five awards: The channel’s biggest advertising campaign ever, initiated for the launch of the series Glee, won over the judges With Planet Blue, Vox dedicated a whole day to the topic of water 10 the RTL Group intranet week 20

In April, the Central Ruhr Region chapter of Amnesty International announced that the Honorary Award at the ‘6th Marl TV Awards’ for Human Rights goes to Pia Schrörs, China correspondent for Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, and RTL Television’s Editor- in-Chief Peter Kloeppel. With this award, which has no monetary value, the human rights organisation pays tribute to TV productions whose content and cinemato- graphy are especially helpful to promoting human rights. The Honorary Award goes to Schrörs and Kloeppel for five reports summed up under the heading Chinas ungehörte Hilfeschreie (China’s Unheard Cries For Help).

Adel Lassouli of RTL Belgium won the Prix de la press télé at the ‘2011 Prix Dexia’, for his Pia Schrörs report Les urgentistes de la Justice, which dising & Ambient Promotion’ and an award for takes a closer look at work in the legal com- best ‘Interactive & Online Promotion’ went to munity. The report, for which the journalist the campaign for the online learning platform accompanied several lawyers, was aired as part Scoyo.de. The news channel N-TV won two of the Reporters series on RTL-TVI. Frédéric awards: its 360-degree campaign ‘Reality is the Moray of Bel RTL won the ‘Prix de la press radio’ best director’ prevailed in the ‘Image’ and ‘News for his report Kigali 2020, which explores the & Information’ categories. Vox also had return of Rwandan refugees. an award-winning trailer: the complete on- air package promoting the all-day special on water, Vox Planet Blue – Der Tag des Wassers, was named best ‘Promotion Campaign’. IP Deutschland won an Event award for its presentation at the Primetime 2010/11 tradeshow. RTL II won an award in the ‘News & Information’ category for an awareness trailer starring singer Kesha. The spot promotes the RTL II News to young audiences, cleverly combining the empty phrases uttered by politicians with Blah Blah Blah.

Das Lied in Mir (The Song In Me) won two German Film , known as ‘Lolas’: ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for Beatriz Spelzini and ‘Best Film Music’ for Mathias Klein. The Teamworx-produced box-office movie starring Jessica Schwarz and Michael Gwisdek opened in German theatres in February. Nina Kunzendorf

Nina Kunzendorf, who plays a former hardliner poised to leave a religious cult in the Teamworx-produced film Bis nichts mehr bleibt, won the ‘2011 Jupiter’ for ‘Best TV Actress’ for her outstanding performance. She accepted her award on the evening of 1 April.

11 Love is in the air Since this week, RTL-TVI broadcasts the third season of ‘L’amour est dans le pré’ featuring hopeful farmers from Wallonia on their search for a wife presented by Julie Taton (picture). 480,300 viewers tuned in to the first episode, which translates to a total audience share of 28.2 per cent. the RTL Group intranet week 20

An outstanding collaboration Since its launch on 6 May 2011, the 2012etvous.fr site created by RTL Radio and M6 in collaboration with MSN has been a big hit with internet users eager to get information on the electoral campaign. On 17 May 2011 alone, when Dominique Paillé happened to be the first guest of the monthly live show, 2012etvous.fr attracted more than a million visitors in just 24 hours. France - 19 May 2011

D&CO is 5 years old… already M6 aired a special episode of the makeover show D&CO to celebrate its five years on the air. Viewers are in for plenty of surprises and touching moments. France - 13 May 2011

Young athletes wanted Super RTL and Karamalz are again partnering on a cross-media image campaign to get kids excited about exercise and sport. Germany - 13 May 2011

Launching new image campaign The news channel launched a new image campaign that builds on the ‘Reality Writes the Best Stories’ campaign begun last autumn. Germany- 16 May 2011

A guideline to strengthen Corporate Responsibility policies Grupo Antena 3 recently approved its first corporate responsibility guideline, which aims to reinforce the social activities of its different companies. Spain - 16 May 2011

Royal pains to provide royal pleasure RTL Television broadcasts 17 episodes of Royal Pains, a US series featuring a ‘doctor for hire’ to the rich and famous, told with a fine sense of humour and against an exquisite backdrop. Germany - 17 May 2011 13 the RTL Group intranet week 20

Taking stock of Dina Foxx The cross-media project Dina Foxx ended last week – the broadcaster ZDF and production teams at Teamworx and UFA Lab are very happy with the results. Germany - 17 May 2011

Another prestigious guest at Ruttes Rapport Ivo Opstelten, Dutch Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, was a guest of RTL Z’s Ruttes Rapport where he replied to a series of questions related to his governmental tasks. Netherlands - 18 May 2011

Going digital Grundy UFA’s digital archive has been fully operational since this month. The whole archive is now digital. Germany - 18 May 2011

Marketing Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen and UFA Sports have signed an extensive cooperation agreement, whereby UFA Sports will henceforth act as the club’s exclusive marketing partner. Germany - 19 May 2011

Presenting ‘Hidden Champion’ awards The news channel N-TV has presented its first ‘Hidden Champion’ awards for small and mid-sized enterprises. The top prize went to Wurst Stahlbau, a steel construction company in Bersenbrück. Germany - 19 May 2011

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