Total Synergy Philippe Delusinne on Keeping the Number One Spot
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1 December 2011 week 48 Total synergy Philippe Delusinne on keeping the number one spot Luxembourg France RTL Group joins EU initiative Nicolas de Tavernost on to protect children online the French TV market Germany Spain IP Deutschland and Super RTL Antena 3 launches present new Kinderwelten study new mobile app the RTL Group intranet week 48 Cover: Philippe Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium. 2 the RTL Group intranet week 48 Spirit of a challenger, complementarity and proximity Philippe Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium, talked to Backstage about the future of the RTL Belgium family, about staying the number one in a market like French-speaking Belgium and about the various day-to-day challenges he has to face. Philippe Delusinne Belgium - 1 December 2011 RTL Belgium CEO Philippe Delusinne has This strategy is bearing fruit. Today the audiences been in charge of French-speaking Belgium’s of RTL Belgium’s three TV channels – RTL-TVI, leading media family for 10 years now. During Club RTL and Plug RTL – are drawing audiences that decade the group’s performance has been twice the size of those attracted by their direct virtually flawless and Delusinne is pretty happy competitor, RTBF. In radio, the general-interest with how things have gone. “Over the past ten station Bel RTL and the music station Radio years, the company’s EBITA has doubled. We Contact are respectively the leading and second are the leaders in television, radio and latterly most popular radio stations in French-speaking also in new media. The TV studios we have in Belgium. Furthermore, for several weeks now our recent RTL House building are amongst the RTL.be has been the most popular website most modern in the world. Moreover, thanks to an among Belgian French-speaking Internet users. improved structure, the company has managed Philippe Delusinne points out: “This success is to become an entity as a whole. More important, due to the complementarity we’ve established we are one of the RTL Group companies that between our various TV channels and radio has successfully negotiated a path through the stations. The homogeneous nature of our 2008/09 crisis,” Philippe Delusinne underlines programme grids also plays a key role. Both before adding: “General assessment is all about elements combined help us reach a fairly broad the past, but now I focus on the future, which I’m audience on all targets, at all times of the day, certain offers us great prospects.” either through TV or radio programmes such as games, entertainment, TV series and news. Philippe Delusinne’s objective regarding the In addition, thanks to the number one position future of RTL Belgium is straightforward: to recently gained by RTL.be, the RTL Belgium remain the number one on the market, and that’s brand is now in total synergy, transcending all an ambitious one. In actual fact, keeping that these domains.” highly coveted top ranking is one of the biggest challenges facing the company, especially in Delusinne is pretty confident that this synergy a market as small as that of French-speaking will not be disrupted in the slightest by the Belgium. “We have only a quarter of the staff recent departure of the group’s COO, Freddy and half of the budget that the public channels Tacheny. “There won’t be any reorganisation of have,” he stresses, “so it’s essential that we’re RTL Belgium. Its structure will remain unchanged committed to our efforts and determined to and the function will disappear,” Philippe keep our leadership. To that end, we avoid Delusinne confirms. Tacheny’s departure means resting on our laurels by adopting the mindset that from now on Delusinne will also be more of a challenger, persisting in our efforts and active in the group’s operational business. As he constantly endeavouring to innovate in our puts it: “The situation we had was rather unusual chosen areas of activity.” compared to the other subsidiaries of RTL Group 3 the RTL Group intranet week 48 because we had a CEO and a COO, so Freddy’s Today, as in the past, Philippe Delusinne departure will make our company just like all the explains the popularity of the RTL family in others, having just a CEO. At the same time, it terms of its closeness to its audience. As well will create opportunities for the other heads of as news programmes, RTL Belgium elicits this departments.” Then he concludes: “I’m grateful sense of attachment and proximity in three other for Freddy’s outstanding contribution over those ways: the audience’s fondness of presenters, 24 years. His departure was the result of a choice especially former beauty queens (Julie Taton, he made, which I respect.” Sandrine Corman, Sandrine Dans), who were familiar to and popular among the public before Nowadays, the RTL Belgium brand is frequently joining the RTL family; The Télévie, which is one associated with high-quality news coverage. As of the biggest charity appeals in Europe; and the number one in this field, the group’s flagship Christmas RTL Parade, attended by 100,000 to channel, RTL-TVI, is preferred to its competitors 120,000 people every year, who get the chance by most Belgian French-speaking viewers eager to meet their favourite presenters, talk to them for information. Moreover, politicians have and enjoy a festive occasion together. Philippe clearly grasped this, and turn to the private Delusinne confirms this, saying: “This is how we channel when they want to make important manage to be close to people and move them announcements. Philippe Delusinne explains: with serious issues thanks to our competence “News is the cornerstone of RTL Belgium’s grid as a news provider, but also with things that are and thus occupies an essential place within it. touching or simply fun. Maintaining this proximity That is one of our greatest achievements. Our necessitates unrelenting effort on our part.” prime concern in this context is proximity. In other words, we try to present the very latest news items of interest to our viewers or listeners.” Julie Taton Sandrine Corman Sandrine Dans The 2011 edition of the Télévie raised more than EUR 8 million 4 the RTL Group intranet week 48 RTL Group becomes a Founding Member of the “Coalition to make the Internet a better place for kids” On 1 December, the European Commission launched a new initiative on child protection and empowerment online. RTL Group joins the Coalition as a Founding Member. Gerhard Zeiler France - 30 November 2011 In July 2011, Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the Claude Schmit, Managing Director of Super RTL, European Commission and European Digital will be RTL Group’s representative in the Coalition. Agenda Commissioner, had invited RTL Group He says: “We are happy to join Commissioner and other media and technology companies to Neelie Kroes’s initiative to make the Internet a join a newly launched ‘Coalition to make the safer place for kids as a Founding Member and internet a better place for kids’. Gerhard Zeiler, we look forward to sharing our experiences as CEO of RTL Group, immediately accepted the a leading European online content provider with invitation. He said: “Our broadcasters across the other members of this Coalition.” Europe are among the leading online players in their respective markets. As we know from Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European our core business, the popularity of our content Commission and European Digital Agenda comes with a great deal of responsibility. It is vital Commissioner, says: “This new Coalition for us that our TV and radio programmes – as well should provide both children and parents with as our online services – communicate positive transparent and consistent protection tools to and educational messages.” Zeiler also stressed make the most of the online world.” The ‘Coalition that RTL Group supports the Commissioner’s to make the Internet a better place for kids’ is a declared goal to create a convergent regulatory cooperative, voluntary intervention designed to framework for the digital world, especially “as respond to emerging challenges arising from TV is still the most heavily regulated media the diverse ways in which young Europeans business”. Now, RTL Group has decided to join go online. It aims to achieve proportionate, the initiative as a Founding Member. pragmatic solutions to real problems, focusing Neelie Kroes Claude Schmit 5 the RTL Group intranet week 48 on five key topics: simple and robust reporting In France, Groupe M6 supports all year long, but tools for users; age-appropriate privacy settings; with a special emphasis during “Internet Week”, wider use of content classification; wider Action Innocence and E-enfance, NGOs which availability and use of parental control as well as campaign to teach children the basics of how to the effective takedown of child abuse material. protect themselves of the dangers of the Internet. “Working together we will be setting the pace for In addition, M6 aired the animated series Vinz the whole industry and have a great basis for et Lou sur Internet. By teaming up with the fully empowering children online,” says Kroes. French Ministry of Education and the European Commission, this M6 programme serves to alert A range of activities within RTL Group raise parents and minors to the risks associated with awareness among children and parents using the Internet. concerning dangers of the Internet: In Germany, Super RTL supports a variety of organisations Recently, RTL Group published the brochure designed to strengthen the protection of children “Entertain, Inspire, Educate: RTL Group and who use the Internet, including the EU initiative Children’s TV” which gives an overview of RTL Klicksafe.de.