18 February 2010 week 07 Gadgets galore How Five’s The Gadget Show becomes a role model of diversification France Germany Groupe M6 reports stable FremantleMedia Licensing results develops Merlin App Germany / France Netherlands RTL Group companies cover RTL Nederland partners the Olympics with Philips week 07 the RTL Group intranet 18 February 2010 week 07 Jason Bradbury and Suzi Perry, both presenters of Five’s The Gadget Show, trying to survive in the Liwa desert using a range of hi-tech gadgets and garments. Gadgets galore 2 How Five’s The Gadget Show becomes a role model of diversification France Germany Groupe M6 reports stable FremantleMedia Licensing results develops Merlin App Germany / France Netherlands RTL Group companies cover RTL Nederland partners the Olympics with Philips week 07 the RTL Group intranet “Technology brings benefits” The Gadget Show demonstrates how a TV format can be extended off screen. Backstage talked to Emma Derrick about Five’s diversification strategy. Emma Derrick, Commercial Development Controller at Five United Kingdom - 18 February 2010 Presented by a team of four – Jason Bradbury, Suzi Perry, Jon Bentley and Ortis Deley – The Gadget Show presents and reviews the latest technology news and gadgets. The show is aimed at giving the mass consumer an insight into the gadget world. In addition, it aims to give enough information for the more “geeky” audi- ence while still making it accessible to the more casual viewer. When The Gadget Show was first broadcast in 2004 it was planned as weekly programme of The Gadget Show team: Jason Bradbury, Ortis Deley, 30 minutes. Later it was extended to air for 60 Suzi Perry and Jon Bentley minutes each week. Now in its 13th season, the team still tests the latest high-tech gadgets using Additionally, Future, a special-interest innovative methods involving epic challenges media group and UK’s market-leading consumer and big stunts. They offer advice on buying new technology publisher, will launch The Gadget technology, bring news of the latest games and Show Magazine, the programme’s first ever gizmos, as well as giving viewers the opportu- print edition. Created as a one shot special, The nity to win some of the best buys on the market. Gadget Show Magazine goes on sale this April, With more than two million viewers each week, with a cover price of GBP 5. The Gadget Show The Gadget Show is one of Five’s most popular Magazine promises to bring the popular TV tech- formats. nology show to life in print. The 132-page title will look back at The Gadget Show’s ultimate gear In 2009, the show was extended off air with from 2009, with an eye on the best of the year The Gadget Show Live – a four-day exhibi- ahead. The magazine will be widely available at tion. Last year’s inaugural show attracted more retail outlets throughout the UK with advertising than 50,000 gadget enthusiasts. This year, the sold by Future’s technology sales team. event has been extended to a fifth day to cater for increased demand for tickets, as more than Following the announcement of the magazine 65,000 visitors are expected. It will be held from and in the lead-up to this year’s live event, 8 to 11 April at the NEC, Birmingham. Backstage talked to Emma Derrick, Five’s Commercial Development Controller, about the format itself and its brand extension. 3 week 07 the RTL Group intranet During the ‘desert challenge’ Suzi Perry and Jason Bradburry face their most punishing challenge ever Does the average viewer of The Gadget Show differ from the average Five-viewer? Yes. The Gadget Show is younger, slightly more upmarket and male than the average Five viewer. A third of Gadget Show viewers are aged between 16 and 34 years and half of them are ABC1s – a premium target group. And despite the show being in its 13th season, it continues to grow in popularity. Last year’s series was the biggest ever and a Christmas special was the single most watched episode in the show’s history. This is how the magazine could look like include a fully equipped studio and editing suit Why is The Gadget Show so suitable for and merchandise stand selling a select range of brand extensions off screen? Gadget Show products. The Gadget Show is now in its 13th series and has gradually built up an incredibly loyal What’s the role of the 132-paged Magazine audience. The excitement and passion that the which you launch this year to accompany the presenters and format portray makes it highly live event? engaging. Last season – the 12th – was The The Gadget Show Special Edition is a one-off, Gadget Show’s most successful to date attract- premium quality annual, celebrating the show, ing an average of 1.62 million viewers across the gadgets, and giving the inside track on each the series and a 6.6 per cent share. Also, it’s of the presenters – their likes, their loathes and one of the five most-streamed programmes the kit they use every day. With in-depth Q&A’s, on our catch-up TV service, Demand Five. behind the scenes insight and a mammoth look It appeals to people at all levels of technical back at the kit that’s made technology great over ability cutting through the jargon by the past 20 years, The Gadget Show Special demonstrating the actual benefits that Edition brings classic moments of the show to life the technology brings to the consumer in layman in print for the first time ever. The special will be terms. As a result the viewers trust and want to retailed from strategic sites within Gadget Show buy into Gadget Show beyond the TV screen. Live, including the main entrance and concourse as well as on newsstands. In April you are going to organize The Gadget Show Live for the second year now. What What is your favorite gadget? makes this brand extension work? My Sky + box and new blu-ray DVD player which Our live event partner Upper Street Event I’ve been really impressed with. completely understood the brand and ensured that the ethos of this was maintained throughout After the live show and the magazine – are the show and that the feature reflected all that there any more plans to diversify the format represents the Gadget Show. four out of five visi- even further? tors to the 2009 event rated it as ‘excellent’. The Yes, we hope to appoint a creative marketing event has doubled in size in 2010 and all 56,000 agency to look at partner promotions and we’d tickets sold out on the 9 February, two months also like to take our live event merchandise into prior to the show opening. This year we will have the high street retailers in 2011. a prominent Gadget Show / Five stand which will 4 week 07 the RTL Group intranet Stable results in 2009 Groupe M6 reports operating result and net profit on par with previous year and a slight increase in revenue thanks to strong digital and diversification businesses. France - 12 February 2010 In 2009, in a tough economic and fiercely Meanwhile, Groupe M6 recorded significant competitive environment, Groupe M6 proved revenue growth from its digital channels the strength of its business model: consolidated (by 19.7 per cent to EUR 22.7 million) and revenues increased by 1.6 per cent to EUR diversification businesses (by 23.4 per cent to 1,376.6 million. This increase was fuelled mainly EUR 52.2 million). by growth in the digital channels and the diversi- fication businesses. Net profit for the publicly traded Group amounted to EUR 139.2 million, a slight increase over the At EUR 190.3 million, Groupe M6’s operat- previous year’s result (EUR 138.4 million). ing result (EBITA) was only slightly below the previous year’s value of EUR 190.3 million. Groupe M6 exercised its put option relative to Return on Sales remained high at 13.8 per cent. its 5.1 per cent shareholding in Canal Plus France. On 22 February 2010, the Group will Mainly due to lower ad sales, the main receive a payment of EUR 384.2 million for this channel M6’s result declined by 14.4 per cent to shareholding from Vivendi. EUR 117.9 million. Considerable cuts in programme costs compensated for part In view of Groupe M6’s business results and of this decline in advertising income, cash position at 31 December 2009, the without adverse consequences for the Management Board has proposed to the Annual channel’s audience shares. General Meeting, which takes place on 4 May 2010, the payout of an extraordinary dividend of EUR 1.50 per share in addition to the stable ordinary dividend of EUR 0.85 per share. Grupo Antena 3 publishes its results for 2009 Grupo Antena 3 − in which RTL Group has a 21.5 per cent shareholding − reported its full year results 2009 which were significantly impacted by Spain’s severe economic downturn. Spain - 18 February 2010 Grupo Antena 3’s net profit was down 33 per In the fourth quarter, the TV channel Antena 3 cent to EUR 60.7 million (2008: EUR 91 million), clearly outperformed the market. While the over- while the company’s operating result (EBITDA) all advertising market was down 11.2 per cent, decreased from EUR 164 million in 2008 to Antena 3 could increase its advertising revenues EUR 81 million in 2009.