week 04 / 28 January 2016 A FRESH START How radio station Mint is set to retrieve the Belgian audience Germany Germany North America Anke Schäferkordt IP Deutschland partners BroadbandTV participates gives speech on with MediaCom to launch in the World Economic digitisation programmatic TV Forum in Davos week 04 / 28 January 2016 A FRESH START How radio station Mint is set to retrieve the Belgian audience Germany Germany Spain Anke Schäferkordt IP Deutschland partners FremantleMedia Spain gives a speech on with MediaCom to launch launches a Spanish digitisation programmatic TV version of Web Therapy Cover Montage 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 Anke Schäferkordt gives a speech on digitisation Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland p.9–10 SPICING-UP THE AIRWAVES RTL Belgium Partnership with p.4–8 MediaCom to launch programmatic TV IP Deutschland p.11 Company’s CEO Shahrzad Rafati participates in the World Economic Forum BroadbandTV p.12 Production of a Spanish-language Big Picture adaptation of Web Therapy p.14 FremantleMedia Spain p.13 SHORT NEWS p.15–16 PEOPLE p.17 SPICING-UP THE AIRWAVES Belgium – 28 January 2016 RTL Belgium Mint, the radio station run by RTL Belgium that aired its own distinctive mix of pop and rock music from January 2007 to September 2008, resumed broadcasting on 4 January 2016. Backstage spoke to Eric Adelbrecht, Managing Director of RTL Belgium’s radio stations, about Mint’s return. © RTL Belgium / Jean-Michel Clajot © RTL “THE IDEA OF DRAWING ON THE MINT BRAND AND UNLEASHING ITS POTENTIAL VIA THE REGIONAL NETWORKS MAXIMUM FM AND MUST FM POPPED UP IMMEDIATELY” Eric Adelbrecht, Managing Director of RTL Belgium’s radio stations 4 Mint’s long-awaited comeback at the start of the The aforementioned clusters of affiliated radio year brought a breath of fresh air to the Belgian radio stations broadcast Mint’s music programming sector. While the station never actually disappeared whilst retaining their own identity and regional altogether, remaining very widely available online, appeal through specific programmes, except the pop/rock station now intends to win back certain slots aired across the entire cluster. This is an audience by joining two regional networks: an innovative set-up designed to ensure the Mint Maximum FM in the province of Liège and Must FM brand’s triumphant return to the FM airwaves. The in the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg. Three regional stations in question have recently started weeks after its fresh start, Mint’s reappearance broadcasting a morning show entitled À La Fresh. seems to be most welcome, judging by the warm But this is just the beginning as Adelbrecht explains: reactions received from listeners by e-mail and on “Other formats are in the pipeline. On 1 February social networks. 2016, the partners are going to launch their own programme between 16:00 and 19:00. This will be Mint was forced to stop broadcasting on FM radio followed on 15 February 2016 by a full schedule back in September 2008 following a decision by when slots with syndicated content will be offered for the Belgian Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA), broadcasting to our partners. Ultimately, depending stating that the RTL Belgium group’s stations on the achieved ratings and the trend in generated were occupying too dominant a position within the revenues, we really intend to develop the product, French-speaking Community, where it already consolidating it by providing more and more content.” operated Bel RTL and Radio Contact. But RTL Belgium’s managers never lost their desire to resurrect a station that was both well received by audiences at the time (commanding a market share of 3.8 per cent among listeners aged between 25 and 54) and complemented other stations. Consequently, the possibility of joining the regional networks Maximum FM and Must FM, which are keen to boost their profile nationwide and therefore came knocking at the door of the advertising sales company IP Belgium, was recognised as a great opportunity for Mint. So for Eric Adelbrecht “the idea of drawing on the Mint brand and unleashing its potential via the regional networks Maximum FM and Must FM popped up immediately.” Thomas Simonis, Station Manager at Mint Mint’s programming will remain true to the kind of timeless pop and rock music it broadcast in the past, which goes down particularly well with thirty-somethings. According to Thomas Simonis, Station Manager at Mint, the station has a nonconformist slant, designed to be refreshing, yet also have a slight kick to it, combined with real proximity to its listeners, who are asked for their views on its programming. Simonis will also be presenting the show Le Pop-Rock Café, which will focus on cultural, community-related and environmental issues. The range of music played by the station is a carefully concocted mix covering decades of pop and rock music, from the 1970s right up to the present day. Next > 5 THE PLAYLIST 5% Recurrent 13% New 80s 25% 90s 19% 80s 90s 70s 2000 Recent titlesNEW (< 2 years) 13% 25% 70s The range of music played by the station is a carefully concocted mix covering decades of pop and rock music, from the 1970s right up to the present day Apart from its presence on FM radio, the Mint to a player so that they can tune in to its broadcasts brand can also take advantage of a strong online live (MaRadio.be), access a list of FM frequencies, presence, having its own fully responsive website a calendar of the hottest pop and rock music dates (www.mint.be), where the watchwords are in Belgium and news about the station and the pop/ simplicity and clarity, delivered by an audaciously rock scene in general. uncluttered design. Mint.be gives Web users access Next > Screenshot of Mint.be website 6 Interactivity is key to the brand, which is also and Radio Contact, and to conquer it we are relying represented on social media (Twitter, Facebook and on an aspect that is very dear to listeners, namely Instagram) as well as on Deezer, in a selection of proximity, which we achieve primarily through our the best pop/rock songs. Between 1 December 2015 regional partners. This element was missing from and 4 January 2016, the date of Mint’s (re)launch, Mint’s first incarnation and is something we’ve the number of Mint’s fans on its Facebook page rose developed within this partnership. So there are from 1,650 to 2,600, an increase of 58 per cent. The ultimately two more reasons to be a player in this recently launched Twitter and Instagram accounts market: our regional footing and our reaching out also share news about the station and offer users a to a target audience that complements those of Bel peek behind the scenes at Mint. RTL and Radio Contact. So there is still plenty of leeway to make progress.” The station’s launch was preceded by an innovative The stated objective is to spread the Mint brand campaign run over social networks, where the focus and make it more attractive in order to seek other was on viral marketing and teasing. “We sought to potential partners, both in Belgium and abroad. “Our start a rumour and then confirm it bit by bit, then aim is to attain a market share of 2 per cent fairly follow up by offering teasers in the form of posted rapidly and establish Mint as a brand of choice. The video content, interviews, and small interactive search for partners for FM broadcasts is continuing. features that could be shared At the same time, we want to by Web users. The second “THE PROJECT underscore our vast potential phase of the campaign, WE’RE INVOLVED IN for digital distribution. As planned for 15 February 2016, you may recall, Mint is will be more conventional, HERE IS GEARED TO available to all digital homes taking the form of a TV ad A SEGMENT THAT in packages offered by cable aired mainly on RTL-TVI,” COMPLEMENTS THOSE operators. This represents a Adelbrecht explains. SERVED BY BEL RTL huge potential of 1.5 million AND RADIO CONTACT” French-speaking connected The Managing Director of Eric Adelbrecht households to tap into. And RTL Belgium’s radio stations that’s leaving aside the fact is upbeat about Mint’s prospects and development that Mint is also available over WiFi, primarily via potential within the context of the Belgian radio streaming. Moreover, by 2017 we are hoping to be sector today, saying: “There’s huge potential. able to offer Mint with video streams too, provided We saw this back then and still see it today. that all our commercial targets are reached.” We’re still offering a product that exists nowhere Next > else on a market which, unlike before 2008, is currently dominated by public-sector broadcasts. So the project we’re involved in here is geared to a segment that complements those served by Bel RTL 7 Sébastien Van Mulders, one of the main presenters So, resting on the laurels of the positive results frequency plan, which ultimately forced Mint off the achieved by Bel RTL and Radio Contact and then FM airwaves. Adelbrecht hopes that the frequency bank only on them is definitely not an option for plan scheduled for 2017 will take this context into Eric Adelbrecht, who quickly rattles off a number of account and not seek to clip the wings of projects as reasons why: the ever fiercer competition, mainly dynamic as Mint, which undeniably contribute added from content aggregators; the drop in listening value by enriching the pluralism of the Belgian radio duration among young people in particular, who sector.