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Fremantle revenues dropped 9.2% in the first quarter of 2024 to €395m, with parent company Rtl blaming ‘timing effects’ of show deliveries in the UK, Italy and Germany for the fall.
Rtl said it was confident Fremantle will make up the shortfall in the second quarter, citing the delivery of productions such as the second season of The Responder and new thriller series Nightsleeper for the BBC in the UK as well as season 19 of America’s Got Talent for NBC in the US.
The first quarter drop comes after Fremantle’s full-year 2023 turnover fell by 3.5%, leading Rtl to delay by up to...
Rtl said it was confident Fremantle will make up the shortfall in the second quarter, citing the delivery of productions such as the second season of The Responder and new thriller series Nightsleeper for the BBC in the UK as well as season 19 of America’s Got Talent for NBC in the US.
The first quarter drop comes after Fremantle’s full-year 2023 turnover fell by 3.5%, leading Rtl to delay by up to...
- 5/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
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Fremantle revenues dipped almost 10% during Q1 but owner Rtl is hoping for a bounceback and has set company growth targets for full-year 2024.
Rtl put the Poor Things and Got Talent producer’s weak Q1 performance, which saw its revenue tumble by 9.2% year-on-year to €395M ($424m), down to “timing effects in the UK, Italy and Germany” of show launches.
An improvement is expected during this quarter, Rtl added, pointing to the launch of a second season of BBC drama The Responder and new BBC series Nightsleeper, as well as season 19 of America’s Got Talent for NBC and Race To Survive: New Zealand for the USA Network in the U.S. Fremantle will also start realizing its €200M investment in Death in Paradise content group Asacha and 80% of Singapore’s Beach House Pictures.
Fremantle’s full-year 2023 turnover fell by 3.5%, revealed last month, at which point Deadline reported that Rtl had delayed the...
Rtl put the Poor Things and Got Talent producer’s weak Q1 performance, which saw its revenue tumble by 9.2% year-on-year to €395M ($424m), down to “timing effects in the UK, Italy and Germany” of show launches.
An improvement is expected during this quarter, Rtl added, pointing to the launch of a second season of BBC drama The Responder and new BBC series Nightsleeper, as well as season 19 of America’s Got Talent for NBC and Race To Survive: New Zealand for the USA Network in the U.S. Fremantle will also start realizing its €200M investment in Death in Paradise content group Asacha and 80% of Singapore’s Beach House Pictures.
Fremantle’s full-year 2023 turnover fell by 3.5%, revealed last month, at which point Deadline reported that Rtl had delayed the...
- 5/8/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based Rtl Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, rose 2.6% to €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion), for the first quarter of 2024, driven by buoyant TV advertising and streaming.
However, this was offset by decreased revenues at the group’s global content business. Fremantle revenues were down 9.2% to €395 million (Q1/2023: €435 million), due to what Rtl describes as “timing effects in the U.K., Italy and Germany.”
“Revenue from Fremantle is recognized when a show or series is delivered to its clients, i.e. the broadcasters and streaming services. One example: The German version of ‘Idols’ (‘Deutschland Sucht den Superstar’) has been on air for many years in the first quarter of the year. In 2024, the show will be on air in autumn [fall] – thus the revenue will be recognized in the second half of 2024,” an Rtl spokesperson told Variety.
Otherwise, it was a rosy picture for Rtl, after a 2023 financial...
However, this was offset by decreased revenues at the group’s global content business. Fremantle revenues were down 9.2% to €395 million (Q1/2023: €435 million), due to what Rtl describes as “timing effects in the U.K., Italy and Germany.”
“Revenue from Fremantle is recognized when a show or series is delivered to its clients, i.e. the broadcasters and streaming services. One example: The German version of ‘Idols’ (‘Deutschland Sucht den Superstar’) has been on air for many years in the first quarter of the year. In 2024, the show will be on air in autumn [fall] – thus the revenue will be recognized in the second half of 2024,” an Rtl spokesperson told Variety.
Otherwise, it was a rosy picture for Rtl, after a 2023 financial...
- 5/8/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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German media giant Bertelsmann booked record profits for 2023, recording a 25 percent jump in group profits to €1.3 billion ($1.43 billion), the company reported on Tuesday. Operating revenue was flat at €20.2 billion ($22.2 billion), just short of the record figure recorded by the company in 2022.
Bertelsmann’s one-off sale of its shares in digital business services company Majorel to market
leader Teleperformance for just over $1 billion helped keep profits up while several of the company’s core media operations, particularly the free-tv business of its broadcasting subsidiary Rtl, look shaky.
The company is in the midst of a major transformation of its television business, investing heavily in original production through its subsidiary Fremantle and expanding its subscription streaming services in Germany, France and Hungary to counter falling TV ad sales.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe highlighted success at Fremantle, which has been on a buying spree as its aims to hit the target of €3 billion ($3.25 billion) in annual revenue,...
Bertelsmann’s one-off sale of its shares in digital business services company Majorel to market
leader Teleperformance for just over $1 billion helped keep profits up while several of the company’s core media operations, particularly the free-tv business of its broadcasting subsidiary Rtl, look shaky.
The company is in the midst of a major transformation of its television business, investing heavily in original production through its subsidiary Fremantle and expanding its subscription streaming services in Germany, France and Hungary to counter falling TV ad sales.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe highlighted success at Fremantle, which has been on a buying spree as its aims to hit the target of €3 billion ($3.25 billion) in annual revenue,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Revenues and profits at European production group Fremantle, whose labels are behind films such as Oscar winner Poor Things and Italian box office hit There’s Still Tomorrow, fell in 2023.
Revenue was down by 3.5% to €2.27bn while adjusted Ebita declined 14.2% to €139m.
The figures were published this morning (March 14) as Fremantle parent company Rtl Group announced its annual results for 2023.
Fremantle’s revenue fall comes as it seeks to hit a well-publicised target of €3bn in revenues by 2025/26.
Rtl Group said Fremantle’s 2023 fall in revenue was “mainly due to timing effects and negative foreign exchange rate effects”.
Rtl reiterated its...
Revenue was down by 3.5% to €2.27bn while adjusted Ebita declined 14.2% to €139m.
The figures were published this morning (March 14) as Fremantle parent company Rtl Group announced its annual results for 2023.
Fremantle’s revenue fall comes as it seeks to hit a well-publicised target of €3bn in revenues by 2025/26.
Rtl Group said Fremantle’s 2023 fall in revenue was “mainly due to timing effects and negative foreign exchange rate effects”.
Rtl reiterated its...
- 3/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
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Revenues and profits at European production group Fremantle, whose labels are behind films such as Oscar winner Poor Things and Italian box office hit There’s Still Tomorrow, fell in 2023.
Revenue was down by 3.5% to €2.27bn while adjusted Ebita declined 14.2% to €139m.
The figures were published this morning (March 14) as Fremantle parent company Rtl Group announced its annual results for 2023.
Fremantle’s revenue fall comes as it seeks to hit a well-publicised target of €3bn in revenues by 2025/26.
Rtl Group said Fremantle’s 2023 fall in revenue was “mainly due to timing effects and negative foreign exchange rate effects”.
Rtl reiterated its...
Revenue was down by 3.5% to €2.27bn while adjusted Ebita declined 14.2% to €139m.
The figures were published this morning (March 14) as Fremantle parent company Rtl Group announced its annual results for 2023.
Fremantle’s revenue fall comes as it seeks to hit a well-publicised target of €3bn in revenues by 2025/26.
Rtl Group said Fremantle’s 2023 fall in revenue was “mainly due to timing effects and negative foreign exchange rate effects”.
Rtl reiterated its...
- 3/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
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Rtl Group, the European media giant that owns Fremantle, saw revenues and profits slip in the second half of 2023, amid a stubbornly weak market for traditional TV advertising.
Group revenue at Bertelsmann-owned group was down 5.4 percent to €6.2 billion ($6.8 billion), which Rtl attributed to “lower TV advertising revenue and lower Fremantle revenue.” Adjusted profits (Ebita) fell to €782 million ($855 million) from €922 million ($1 billion) over the same period in 2022.
TV ad revenue across the group dropped 8.2 percent year-over-year, a sign that free-to-air television in Europe continues to struggle. Revenue from Rtl’s in-house streaming operations — Rtl+ in Germany and Hungary, and France’s M6+ — were up an impressive 72.6 percent to €283 million ($310 million) from €164 million ($179 million) a year earlier, but the company still booked €179 million ($196 million) in start-up losses for its streaming operations.
Rtl said it currently has 5.6 million paying subscribers across its German, French and Hungary SVOD services and hopes to hit...
Group revenue at Bertelsmann-owned group was down 5.4 percent to €6.2 billion ($6.8 billion), which Rtl attributed to “lower TV advertising revenue and lower Fremantle revenue.” Adjusted profits (Ebita) fell to €782 million ($855 million) from €922 million ($1 billion) over the same period in 2022.
TV ad revenue across the group dropped 8.2 percent year-over-year, a sign that free-to-air television in Europe continues to struggle. Revenue from Rtl’s in-house streaming operations — Rtl+ in Germany and Hungary, and France’s M6+ — were up an impressive 72.6 percent to €283 million ($310 million) from €164 million ($179 million) a year earlier, but the company still booked €179 million ($196 million) in start-up losses for its streaming operations.
Rtl said it currently has 5.6 million paying subscribers across its German, French and Hungary SVOD services and hopes to hit...
- 3/14/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Revenues and profits fell at Poor Things super-indie Fremantle last year as the outfit’s lofty €3B ($3.2B) revenue target draws ever nearer.
In a difficult market, Fremantle’s turnover fell slightly by 3.5% to €2.26B, while adjusted Ebita was down by the sharper 14.2% to €139M.
Fremantle’s €3B revenue target set for 2025/26 has been well publicized and the company now has just a year to achieve the goal.
After the results period unveiled today, Fremantle spent more than €200M ($216M) on Death in Paradise group Asacha Media Group and 80% of Singapore’s Beach House Pictures. This followed a quiet 2023 for acquisitions.
Fremantle owner Rtl said today that it still aims to achieve the €3B target and will continue to invest across “entertainment, drama and film, and documentaries – both organically and via acquisitions.”
It added that Fremantle’s Adjusted Ebita margin is expected to increase to 9% by 2026.
The super-indie had a...
In a difficult market, Fremantle’s turnover fell slightly by 3.5% to €2.26B, while adjusted Ebita was down by the sharper 14.2% to €139M.
Fremantle’s €3B revenue target set for 2025/26 has been well publicized and the company now has just a year to achieve the goal.
After the results period unveiled today, Fremantle spent more than €200M ($216M) on Death in Paradise group Asacha Media Group and 80% of Singapore’s Beach House Pictures. This followed a quiet 2023 for acquisitions.
Fremantle owner Rtl said today that it still aims to achieve the €3B target and will continue to invest across “entertainment, drama and film, and documentaries – both organically and via acquisitions.”
It added that Fremantle’s Adjusted Ebita margin is expected to increase to 9% by 2026.
The super-indie had a...
- 3/14/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based Rtl Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, dipped 5.2% to €6.2 billion ($6.7 billion) for the financial year 2023.
The company attributed this to lower TV advertising revenue and lower Fremantle revenue. The company’s Ebita slid to €782 million, down from €922 million in 2022.
Fremantle, Rtl’s content arm, had a strong year from an awards point of view, with its Element Pictures producing Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar winner “Poor Things.” However, revenue fell from €2.3 billion to €2.2 billion and Ebita from €162 million to €139 million. Rtl is targeting full-year revenue of €3 billion for Fremantle by 2025/2026.
There was good news on other fronts. Rtl Group’s family of TV channels in Germany increased its lead over main commercial competitor ProSiebenSat1 to 5.8 percentage points, the highest lead in the last 10 years, the company said. Paying subscribers for Rtl Group’s streaming services in Germany, Hungary and France were up 30.5% to 5.6 million...
The company attributed this to lower TV advertising revenue and lower Fremantle revenue. The company’s Ebita slid to €782 million, down from €922 million in 2022.
Fremantle, Rtl’s content arm, had a strong year from an awards point of view, with its Element Pictures producing Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar winner “Poor Things.” However, revenue fell from €2.3 billion to €2.2 billion and Ebita from €162 million to €139 million. Rtl is targeting full-year revenue of €3 billion for Fremantle by 2025/2026.
There was good news on other fronts. Rtl Group’s family of TV channels in Germany increased its lead over main commercial competitor ProSiebenSat1 to 5.8 percentage points, the highest lead in the last 10 years, the company said. Paying subscribers for Rtl Group’s streaming services in Germany, Hungary and France were up 30.5% to 5.6 million...
- 3/14/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Stephan Schmitter will take over as the new CEO at German broadcast giant Rtl Deutschland as of January 1, 2024.
Schmitter will add the CEO duties to his current responsibilities as chief content officer at Rtl. As CEO, Schmitter will oversee Rtl Deutschland’s broadcasting business in Germany, including its free-to-air Rtl and Vox channels, its streaming service Rtl+, and the company’s publishing business Gruner + Jahr.
“Stephan Schmitter lives and embodies Rtl,” said Thomas Rabe, CEO of parent company Rtl Group. “This year, Rtl was the only main channel in Germany to increase its audience share in the key target group. Vox became the second-most popular commercial channel, and our family of channels significantly expanded its market leadership. At the same time, we continued the growth trajectory of
our streaming service Rtl+, which currently has around 4.7 million subscribers.”
In fact, Rtl is struggling in Germany, its core market, amid a stubbornly weak television ad market.
Schmitter will add the CEO duties to his current responsibilities as chief content officer at Rtl. As CEO, Schmitter will oversee Rtl Deutschland’s broadcasting business in Germany, including its free-to-air Rtl and Vox channels, its streaming service Rtl+, and the company’s publishing business Gruner + Jahr.
“Stephan Schmitter lives and embodies Rtl,” said Thomas Rabe, CEO of parent company Rtl Group. “This year, Rtl was the only main channel in Germany to increase its audience share in the key target group. Vox became the second-most popular commercial channel, and our family of channels significantly expanded its market leadership. At the same time, we continued the growth trajectory of
our streaming service Rtl+, which currently has around 4.7 million subscribers.”
In fact, Rtl is struggling in Germany, its core market, amid a stubbornly weak television ad market.
- 11/15/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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German TV giant Rtl Deutschland has named Stephan Schmitter as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
In addition to his current role of chief content officer, Schmitter will take on responsibility for streaming service Rtl+ and the reorganized publishing business Gruner + Jahr (G+J) as CEO of Rtl Deutschland.
As of Jan. 1 2024, the management board of Rtl Deutschland will comprise Schmitter as CEO, Matthias Dang as chief commercial, technology and data officer, Andreas Fischer as COO and Ingrid Heisserer as CFO and chief human resources officer.
In 2022, Matthias Dang and Stephan Schäfer were appointed co-CEOs of Rtl Deutschland. However, Schäfer exited the company less than a year later “on the best of terms.” A management reshuffle followed, with Thomas Rabe taking over as chair of the management board.
Last week, the Rtl group’s third quarter results revealed a 6.9% drop in revenue from January to September, due in part to the “persistent weakness” of TV advertising markets.
In addition to his current role of chief content officer, Schmitter will take on responsibility for streaming service Rtl+ and the reorganized publishing business Gruner + Jahr (G+J) as CEO of Rtl Deutschland.
As of Jan. 1 2024, the management board of Rtl Deutschland will comprise Schmitter as CEO, Matthias Dang as chief commercial, technology and data officer, Andreas Fischer as COO and Ingrid Heisserer as CFO and chief human resources officer.
In 2022, Matthias Dang and Stephan Schäfer were appointed co-CEOs of Rtl Deutschland. However, Schäfer exited the company less than a year later “on the best of terms.” A management reshuffle followed, with Thomas Rabe taking over as chair of the management board.
Last week, the Rtl group’s third quarter results revealed a 6.9% drop in revenue from January to September, due in part to the “persistent weakness” of TV advertising markets.
- 11/15/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Long-serving Rtl exec Stephan Schmitter has landed the big seat in Germany. He has been named CEO of Rtl Deutschland, effective January 1, 2024.
Schmitter is currently Chief Content Officer, a role he will retain in his new post, which hands him responsibility for the Rtl+ streaming service and restructured publishing unit Gruner and Jahr.
Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe took on leadership of Rtl Deutschland in August 2022, and has been searching for a new leader for the business since then as Chairman. Previous CEO Stephan Schäfer exited his post less than a year after taking the role.
Reports in Germany say Schmitter was the front runner from an early stage. Once he takes on the new role, Rtl Deutschland’s Management Board will comprise Schmitter, Matthias Dang as Chief Commercial, Technology and Data Officer, Andreas Fischer as Chief Operating Officer and Ingrid Heisserer as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Human Resources Officer. Dang...
Schmitter is currently Chief Content Officer, a role he will retain in his new post, which hands him responsibility for the Rtl+ streaming service and restructured publishing unit Gruner and Jahr.
Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe took on leadership of Rtl Deutschland in August 2022, and has been searching for a new leader for the business since then as Chairman. Previous CEO Stephan Schäfer exited his post less than a year after taking the role.
Reports in Germany say Schmitter was the front runner from an early stage. Once he takes on the new role, Rtl Deutschland’s Management Board will comprise Schmitter, Matthias Dang as Chief Commercial, Technology and Data Officer, Andreas Fischer as Chief Operating Officer and Ingrid Heisserer as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Human Resources Officer. Dang...
- 11/15/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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Rtl Group, the European broadcasting company that owns Fremantle, reported a 6.9% drop in revenue from January to September, due in part to the “persistent weakness” of TV advertising markets.
In Q3 alone, group revenue was down 10.3% to €1.6 billion, with the company saying 9.2% of this happened organically due to “timing effects at Fremantle and lower TV advertising revenue.”
Due to the current advertising landscape, particularly in Germany, Rtl expects that TV ad revenue will decline by a “mid-single-digit percentage” in the second half of the year, with Fremantle’s yearly revenue also tracking lower than expected because of a decrease in buyer activity.
However, there has been continued growth in Rtl’s streaming sector comprising Rtl+ and Videoland. The group reported that paying subscribers are up 30.3% year over year to 6.2 million, while streaming revenue rose 21%.
Now, full-year revenue is estimated to fall around €6.9 billion, down from a previous figure of €7 billion,...
In Q3 alone, group revenue was down 10.3% to €1.6 billion, with the company saying 9.2% of this happened organically due to “timing effects at Fremantle and lower TV advertising revenue.”
Due to the current advertising landscape, particularly in Germany, Rtl expects that TV ad revenue will decline by a “mid-single-digit percentage” in the second half of the year, with Fremantle’s yearly revenue also tracking lower than expected because of a decrease in buyer activity.
However, there has been continued growth in Rtl’s streaming sector comprising Rtl+ and Videoland. The group reported that paying subscribers are up 30.3% year over year to 6.2 million, while streaming revenue rose 21%.
Now, full-year revenue is estimated to fall around €6.9 billion, down from a previous figure of €7 billion,...
- 11/8/2023
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
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European broadcasting heavyweight Rtl has warned of “persistent weakness” in the TV advertising market, as it posted Q3 revenue down more than 10% year-on-year.
Group revenues for the quarter were €1.6B ($1.7B), with timing effects at production arm Fremantle and the TV ad market cited as organic reasons. Full year revenue is now expected to be down about €100M to €6.9B, while adjusted Ebita will come in €50M at €900M.
Within the Q3 stats, TV ad revenue was down 3.7% and guidance has been changed from an expectation of small growth to mid-single-digit percentage” declines in the second half of 2023. However, Rtl’s family of channels in its main market, Germany, gained audience share over key commercial rival ProSiebenSat.1. Rtl boss Thomas Rabe added “the decrease in TV advertising revenue has slowed down significantly” in September.
Like UK counterpart ITV, Rtl’s difficulties in linear broadcasting this year have been partially offset...
Group revenues for the quarter were €1.6B ($1.7B), with timing effects at production arm Fremantle and the TV ad market cited as organic reasons. Full year revenue is now expected to be down about €100M to €6.9B, while adjusted Ebita will come in €50M at €900M.
Within the Q3 stats, TV ad revenue was down 3.7% and guidance has been changed from an expectation of small growth to mid-single-digit percentage” declines in the second half of 2023. However, Rtl’s family of channels in its main market, Germany, gained audience share over key commercial rival ProSiebenSat.1. Rtl boss Thomas Rabe added “the decrease in TV advertising revenue has slowed down significantly” in September.
Like UK counterpart ITV, Rtl’s difficulties in linear broadcasting this year have been partially offset...
- 11/8/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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A still-soft advertising market pulled down revenue at European broadcast giant Rtl Group, Fremantle’s parent company, which reported a 6.9 percent drop in turnover from January to September 2023 to €4.66 billion ($4.98 billion). Group CEO Thomas Rabe put the blame on “challenging market conditions,” in particular cronically-weak ad sales. Rtl Group now expects TV ad revenue, its core source of income, to drop by a mid-single-digit pecentage in the second half of 2023 and for Fremantle’s full-year revenue to be lower than expected.
Rtl Group’s streaming business, in contrast, continues to post strong growth, with the company’s German and Hungarian platform Rtl+ and its Dutch service Videoland, marking a 30.3 percent jump in paying subscribers, year-on-year, to 6.2 million. Streaming revenue for the nine-month period of this year was up 21 percent, the company said. Rabe confirmed Rtl Group’s growth targets for its streaming business, which will see the company boost its...
Rtl Group’s streaming business, in contrast, continues to post strong growth, with the company’s German and Hungarian platform Rtl+ and its Dutch service Videoland, marking a 30.3 percent jump in paying subscribers, year-on-year, to 6.2 million. Streaming revenue for the nine-month period of this year was up 21 percent, the company said. Rabe confirmed Rtl Group’s growth targets for its streaming business, which will see the company boost its...
- 11/8/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Thomas Rabe was born in tiny Luxembourg, the mini-nation squeezed in between France, Germany and Belgium. But when it comes to business, as CEO of pan-European broadcast giant Rtl Group and chairman and CEO of Rtl’s parent, global media conglomerate Bertelsmann, Rabe likes to think big.
At an Rtl shareholders’ meeting back in August 2021, Rabe dropped a bombshell: Fremantle, Rtl’s production division, making of entertainment formats like X Factor and American Idol and already one of the biggest independent TV producers in the world, was about to get a lot bigger. In four years, Rabe said, Fremantle would boost revenue by a cool $1.1 billion (€1 billion) to hit a new revenue target of $3.3 billion (€3 billion) by 2025.
Rtl gave Fremantle the cash to pump into M&a expansion, fueling a buying spree that has seen the company spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the past three years snatching up independent companies,...
At an Rtl shareholders’ meeting back in August 2021, Rabe dropped a bombshell: Fremantle, Rtl’s production division, making of entertainment formats like X Factor and American Idol and already one of the biggest independent TV producers in the world, was about to get a lot bigger. In four years, Rabe said, Fremantle would boost revenue by a cool $1.1 billion (€1 billion) to hit a new revenue target of $3.3 billion (€3 billion) by 2025.
Rtl gave Fremantle the cash to pump into M&a expansion, fueling a buying spree that has seen the company spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the past three years snatching up independent companies,...
- 8/28/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Banijay, the superindie behind such global entertainment formats as Big Brother and MasterChef, on Wednesday unveiled that it was setting up a creative fund to develop television formats focused on, and using, artificial intelligence.
The fund will give producers and labels from across Banijay’s global footprint — the company controls more than 130 production companies across 21 territories worldwide — backing to developing new formats that use or explore “the endless possibilities” of artificial intelligence.
“The age of AI is upon us, and as it begins to shape our world, there is an increasing demand for people to create fresh, forward-thinking formats in the technology space,” Banijay said in a statement.
Banijay isn’t the only TV giant going big on AI. Unveiling its (somewhat disappointing) first-half figures earlier this month, Fremantle parent Rtl Group said it would be plowing money into artificial intelligence to “increase efficiency and generate content.” Rtl Group CEO...
The fund will give producers and labels from across Banijay’s global footprint — the company controls more than 130 production companies across 21 territories worldwide — backing to developing new formats that use or explore “the endless possibilities” of artificial intelligence.
“The age of AI is upon us, and as it begins to shape our world, there is an increasing demand for people to create fresh, forward-thinking formats in the technology space,” Banijay said in a statement.
Banijay isn’t the only TV giant going big on AI. Unveiling its (somewhat disappointing) first-half figures earlier this month, Fremantle parent Rtl Group said it would be plowing money into artificial intelligence to “increase efficiency and generate content.” Rtl Group CEO...
- 8/23/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Rtl Group, the European television giant and parent company of production powerhouse Fremantle, reported a 9 percent drop in revenue for the first quarter of 2023 to €1.4 billion ($1.56 billion), largely due to a slump in its core free-tv business in Germany and France.
Rtl Group, reporting its latest figures on Thursday, said TV ad markets were down significantly in Germany and France and slightly down in the Netherlands year-over-year and that the company does not expect to see a recovery this quarter. Rtl Group’s quarterly advertising revenue fell to €700 million, down 16 percent from €829 million in the year-ago period, including TV ad revenue of €545 million, down 17 percent from €653 million and €76 million in digital advertising, down 8 percent from €83 million.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group parent company Bertelsmann, said an ad rebound in the second half of the year would be needed if Rtl was to meet its full-year targets of €7.4 billion ($8.23 billion...
Rtl Group, reporting its latest figures on Thursday, said TV ad markets were down significantly in Germany and France and slightly down in the Netherlands year-over-year and that the company does not expect to see a recovery this quarter. Rtl Group’s quarterly advertising revenue fell to €700 million, down 16 percent from €829 million in the year-ago period, including TV ad revenue of €545 million, down 17 percent from €653 million and €76 million in digital advertising, down 8 percent from €83 million.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group parent company Bertelsmann, said an ad rebound in the second half of the year would be needed if Rtl was to meet its full-year targets of €7.4 billion ($8.23 billion...
- 5/4/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Fremantle’s revenues fell by 5.6% in the first quarter of this year as owner Rtl saw turnover tumble by nearly 10%.
The Planet Sex, Normal People and American Gods outfit’s turnover slipped from €461M ($509.80) in Q1 2022 to €435M for the first three months of this year.
Delivering its Q1 results this morning, Rtl, which is owned by Bertelsmann, put this down to “timing effects of production deliveries.” Nonetheless, Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe said the global producer-distributor had “continued its creative success story across drama and film, entertainment and documentaries, with numerous awards” during the quarter, pointing to partnerships with All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger and The Case Against Adnan Syed‘s Amy Berg, along with the purchase of a majority stake in Belgium’s A Team Productions.
The results will be a blow to Fremantle, which is targeting €3B turnover by 2025. Fremantle’s full-year 2022 results showed much improvement,...
The Planet Sex, Normal People and American Gods outfit’s turnover slipped from €461M ($509.80) in Q1 2022 to €435M for the first three months of this year.
Delivering its Q1 results this morning, Rtl, which is owned by Bertelsmann, put this down to “timing effects of production deliveries.” Nonetheless, Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe said the global producer-distributor had “continued its creative success story across drama and film, entertainment and documentaries, with numerous awards” during the quarter, pointing to partnerships with All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger and The Case Against Adnan Syed‘s Amy Berg, along with the purchase of a majority stake in Belgium’s A Team Productions.
The results will be a blow to Fremantle, which is targeting €3B turnover by 2025. Fremantle’s full-year 2022 results showed much improvement,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based Rtl Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, slid 9% to €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) for the first quarter of 2023, financial results released on Thursday have revealed.
The group attributes this to “significantly lower TV advertising revenue,” particularly in Germany, and the disposals of Rtl Belgium and Rtl Croatia.
Fremantle’s revenues were down 5.6% to €435 million (Q1/2022: €461 million), mainly due to timing effects of production deliveries, the group said.
The group’s total advertising revenue fell to €700 million (Q1/2022: €829 million), of which €545 million represented TV advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €653 million), €76 million digital advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €83 million) and €39 million radio advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €46 million). Distribution revenue was down by 1.8% to €107 million (Q1/2022: €109 million).
On the positive side, the group’s streaming services Rtl+ and Videoland continued growing, with paying subscribers up 37.1% to 5.9 million and streaming revenue up 15.6% in Q1/2023.
The quarterly results note the successes of Fremantle,...
The group attributes this to “significantly lower TV advertising revenue,” particularly in Germany, and the disposals of Rtl Belgium and Rtl Croatia.
Fremantle’s revenues were down 5.6% to €435 million (Q1/2022: €461 million), mainly due to timing effects of production deliveries, the group said.
The group’s total advertising revenue fell to €700 million (Q1/2022: €829 million), of which €545 million represented TV advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €653 million), €76 million digital advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €83 million) and €39 million radio advertising revenue (Q1/2022: €46 million). Distribution revenue was down by 1.8% to €107 million (Q1/2022: €109 million).
On the positive side, the group’s streaming services Rtl+ and Videoland continued growing, with paying subscribers up 37.1% to 5.9 million and streaming revenue up 15.6% in Q1/2023.
The quarterly results note the successes of Fremantle,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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German media giant Bertelsmann closed out 2022 on a high, with overall revenue hitting $21.9 billion (20.2 billion euro), the highest in the company’s history. But the group, which controls European TV conglomerate Rtl Group and production subsidiary Fremantle, music division BMG and leading publisher Penguin Random House, saw its profits more than cut in half to $1.14 billion (1.05 billion euro) compared to 2021 as Bertelsmann invests heavily to juice the creative and streaming sides of its businesses.
That M&a strategy is most evident at Fremantle, where revenue jumped 22 percent year-on-year to $2.49 billion (2.3 billion euro), helped by the acquisitions of a 70 percent stake in leading Italian TV producer Lux Vide (Devils, Medici) and 51 percent of the Irish group Element Pictures (Normal People, The Favourite). Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe has set Fremantle a revenue target of $3.25 billion (3 billion euro) by 2025.
BMG, which acquired the German music label Telamo last year, continues to gobble up music rights,...
That M&a strategy is most evident at Fremantle, where revenue jumped 22 percent year-on-year to $2.49 billion (2.3 billion euro), helped by the acquisitions of a 70 percent stake in leading Italian TV producer Lux Vide (Devils, Medici) and 51 percent of the Irish group Element Pictures (Normal People, The Favourite). Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe has set Fremantle a revenue target of $3.25 billion (3 billion euro) by 2025.
BMG, which acquired the German music label Telamo last year, continues to gobble up music rights,...
- 3/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Superindie’s revenues hit €2.35 billion in 2022 says parent company Rtl.
Global producer and distributor Fremantle saw its revenues grow by 22% to €2.35bn in 2022, according to financial results published today by parent company Rtl Group.
Rtl said Fremantle is on track to meet its target of becoming a €3bn company by 2025.
Fremantle completed eight production company transactions during the year: Lux Vide, Dancing Ledge, Element Pictures, Eureka, 72 Films, Wildstar Films and Silvio Productions. It also delivered over 100 scripted productions including high-end-series, daily dramas and films in 2022.
Fremantle’s Ebitda stood at €162m in 2022.
According to Rtl, Fremantle generated 35% of its...
Global producer and distributor Fremantle saw its revenues grow by 22% to €2.35bn in 2022, according to financial results published today by parent company Rtl Group.
Rtl said Fremantle is on track to meet its target of becoming a €3bn company by 2025.
Fremantle completed eight production company transactions during the year: Lux Vide, Dancing Ledge, Element Pictures, Eureka, 72 Films, Wildstar Films and Silvio Productions. It also delivered over 100 scripted productions including high-end-series, daily dramas and films in 2022.
Fremantle’s Ebitda stood at €162m in 2022.
According to Rtl, Fremantle generated 35% of its...
- 3/16/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
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Fremantle’s revenues rose 21% to €2.3B ($2.44B) and profits were up 15% last year as the super-indie inches toward its target to hit €3B ($3.2B) turnover by 2025.
Significant investment – both organically and via acquisitions – is to come across all genres this year, according to owner Rtl Group, following a year in which Fremantle’s adjusted Ebitda increased by nearly 15% to €162M.
Fremantle’s growth helped German-headquartered Rtl’s turnover to rise by 8.8%, although overall adjusted Ebitda for the group fell 6%.
American Gods and Planet Sex producer Fremantle was set the ambitious revenue target last year and went on a major buying spree in 2022, acquiring the likes of Normal People producer Element Pictures, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story indie 72 Films and Italian producer Lux Vide. It also struck talent deals with big names including Angelina Jolie, All Quiet on the Western Front’s Edward Berger and, most recently, The Case Against Adnan Syed director Amy Berg.
Significant investment – both organically and via acquisitions – is to come across all genres this year, according to owner Rtl Group, following a year in which Fremantle’s adjusted Ebitda increased by nearly 15% to €162M.
Fremantle’s growth helped German-headquartered Rtl’s turnover to rise by 8.8%, although overall adjusted Ebitda for the group fell 6%.
American Gods and Planet Sex producer Fremantle was set the ambitious revenue target last year and went on a major buying spree in 2022, acquiring the likes of Normal People producer Element Pictures, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story indie 72 Films and Italian producer Lux Vide. It also struck talent deals with big names including Angelina Jolie, All Quiet on the Western Front’s Edward Berger and, most recently, The Case Against Adnan Syed director Amy Berg.
- 3/16/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based Rtl Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, climbed 9% to a record €7.2 billion ($7.6 billion) for the financial year 2022.
However, the company’s Ebita slid 6% to €1.08 billion, down from €1.15 billion in 2021. Rtl attributes this to higher streaming start-up losses and lower TV advertising revenue at Rtl Deutschland, and the exits of Rtl Belgium and Groupe M6. These effects were partly offset by record adjusted Ebita contributions from Rtl Nederland and Fremantle, Rtl said.
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, nine streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Group profit was €766 million, down from €1.4 billion in 2021. But 2021 was positively impacted by capital gains of €717 million from the sale of video advertising platform SpotX.
Fremantle’s revenue was up 22% to €2.3 billion,...
However, the company’s Ebita slid 6% to €1.08 billion, down from €1.15 billion in 2021. Rtl attributes this to higher streaming start-up losses and lower TV advertising revenue at Rtl Deutschland, and the exits of Rtl Belgium and Groupe M6. These effects were partly offset by record adjusted Ebita contributions from Rtl Nederland and Fremantle, Rtl said.
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, nine streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Group profit was €766 million, down from €1.4 billion in 2021. But 2021 was positively impacted by capital gains of €717 million from the sale of video advertising platform SpotX.
Fremantle’s revenue was up 22% to €2.3 billion,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Thomas Coesfeld has been named the new boss of music company BMG and will succeed current CEO Hartwig Masuch on Jan. 1 after Masuch steps down at the end of this year. German media giant Bertelsmann, which owns BMG, made the announcement on Monday.
Coesfeld is currently BMG CFO, a post he took over in April 2021. He will take on the CEO role as of the start of 2024 at which time he will also take a seat on the Bertelsmann Group management committee, which advises the group executive board.
Coesfeld joined Bertelsmann in 2016 and worked with BMG, as well as with Bertelsmann subsidiary Relias, a healthcare data company, in the U.S. Before that, he was a management consultant at McKinsey.
Masuch, who has been with Bertelsmann for 32 years, has been at the company’s music division since BMG was relaunched in 2008 following Bertelsmann’s sale of its stake in the Sony BMG label.
Coesfeld is currently BMG CFO, a post he took over in April 2021. He will take on the CEO role as of the start of 2024 at which time he will also take a seat on the Bertelsmann Group management committee, which advises the group executive board.
Coesfeld joined Bertelsmann in 2016 and worked with BMG, as well as with Bertelsmann subsidiary Relias, a healthcare data company, in the U.S. Before that, he was a management consultant at McKinsey.
Masuch, who has been with Bertelsmann for 32 years, has been at the company’s music division since BMG was relaunched in 2008 following Bertelsmann’s sale of its stake in the Sony BMG label.
- 1/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Last year, Rtl’s merger plans in France were halted by regulators and it has now suffered the same fate in the Netherlands.
Dutch competition authority ACM has informed Rtl Group and John de Mol’s Talpa Network that it won’t approve their planned merger of their channels.
Rtl Nederland and Talpa Network had entered into an agreement to merge their operations in June 2021 in a bid to better battle local streamers.
The official decision won’t come for a few weeks but the deal is already off.
A statement from Rtl noted both sides had “fully cooperated” to address the ACM’s concerns of the merged business’ likely domination of the TV ad market, with a proposal to “completely outsource” the advertising sales of Talpa Network’s TV channels to Mediahuis Nederland.
However, this had not satisfied the concerns.
“Rtl Group and Talpa Network regret that ACM did...
Dutch competition authority ACM has informed Rtl Group and John de Mol’s Talpa Network that it won’t approve their planned merger of their channels.
Rtl Nederland and Talpa Network had entered into an agreement to merge their operations in June 2021 in a bid to better battle local streamers.
The official decision won’t come for a few weeks but the deal is already off.
A statement from Rtl noted both sides had “fully cooperated” to address the ACM’s concerns of the merged business’ likely domination of the TV ad market, with a proposal to “completely outsource” the advertising sales of Talpa Network’s TV channels to Mediahuis Nederland.
However, this had not satisfied the concerns.
“Rtl Group and Talpa Network regret that ACM did...
- 1/30/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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European media giant Rtl Group has dropped plans to merge its Dutch TV operations, Rtl Nederland, with Talpa Networks, the TV group controlled by TV mogul and The Voice creator John de Mol.
Rtl Group on Monday said the Dutch competition authority ACM had informed them it planned to block the deal, first announced in 2021, which would have created a regional TV giant.
It’s the second time in less than a year that Rtl has seen its expansion plans stymied by regional competition authorities. Last September, Rtl walked away from an agreement to merge its French commercial network M6 with French broadcaster TF1 after French anti-trust authorities opposed the move.
Rtl’s strategy, in France and the Netherlands, was to create “local language champions” with sufficient scale in their individual markets to take on Netflix and other global streamers. The success of streaming platforms poses a threat for traditional free-tv networks in Europe,...
Rtl Group on Monday said the Dutch competition authority ACM had informed them it planned to block the deal, first announced in 2021, which would have created a regional TV giant.
It’s the second time in less than a year that Rtl has seen its expansion plans stymied by regional competition authorities. Last September, Rtl walked away from an agreement to merge its French commercial network M6 with French broadcaster TF1 after French anti-trust authorities opposed the move.
Rtl’s strategy, in France and the Netherlands, was to create “local language champions” with sufficient scale in their individual markets to take on Netflix and other global streamers. The success of streaming platforms poses a threat for traditional free-tv networks in Europe,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Content division helps European media giant grow revenues in challenging market.
European media giant Rtl has posted revenues of €5bn for the first nine months of 2022, with its film and TV content division Fremantle playing a key part in driving up revenues.
Fremantle posted a 27.8 jump in revenues to €1.6bn, boosted by acquisitions in 2021 and 2022 and positive foreign exchange rate effects. Recent Fremantle acquisitions include Element Pictures and Lux Vide. Fremantle’s revenue was up 9.8 organically compared to the first nine months of 2021.
Rtl noted the delivery of the second season of The Mosquito Coast to Apple TV+ significantly boosted Fremantle’s third quarter results.
European media giant Rtl has posted revenues of €5bn for the first nine months of 2022, with its film and TV content division Fremantle playing a key part in driving up revenues.
Fremantle posted a 27.8 jump in revenues to €1.6bn, boosted by acquisitions in 2021 and 2022 and positive foreign exchange rate effects. Recent Fremantle acquisitions include Element Pictures and Lux Vide. Fremantle’s revenue was up 9.8 organically compared to the first nine months of 2021.
Rtl noted the delivery of the second season of The Mosquito Coast to Apple TV+ significantly boosted Fremantle’s third quarter results.
- 11/4/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
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Luxembourg-based Rtl Group saw a 12 jump in revenue to 5 billion (€5 billion) for the first nine months of 2022, according to its third-quarter statement which was released on Friday.
UK-based international film and TV production and distribution company Fremantle had played a significant role in the jump in revenue, said Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe
From January to September, Fremantle revenue rose 27.8 per cent and streaming revenue jumped 20.4 per cent, but TV advertising revenue eased down by 1.3.
“Rtl Group had a solid first nine months of the year 2022, in the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment and its impact on advertising markets,” said Rabe.
“The high revenue growth in the third quarter was primarily driven by Fremantle, which continues to deliver on its boost plan and is on track to reach a new record revenue in 2022. Organically, Fremantle grew 10 per cent from January to September 2022.”
Rtl Group’s streaming services also played...
UK-based international film and TV production and distribution company Fremantle had played a significant role in the jump in revenue, said Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe
From January to September, Fremantle revenue rose 27.8 per cent and streaming revenue jumped 20.4 per cent, but TV advertising revenue eased down by 1.3.
“Rtl Group had a solid first nine months of the year 2022, in the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment and its impact on advertising markets,” said Rabe.
“The high revenue growth in the third quarter was primarily driven by Fremantle, which continues to deliver on its boost plan and is on track to reach a new record revenue in 2022. Organically, Fremantle grew 10 per cent from January to September 2022.”
Rtl Group’s streaming services also played...
- 11/4/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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Production powerhouse Fremantle (The X Factor, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent) helped drive revenue gains at media giant Bertelsmann’s Rtl Group over the first nine months of 2022.
Luxembourg-based TV and streaming company Rtl Group on Friday reported revenue for the January-September period of 5.01 billion euro (4.90 billion), up 12 percent from the same period in 2021.
Fremantle revenue for that same period jumped 27.8 percent to 1.65 billion euro (1.61 billion). “Fremantle reported a successful first nine months of the year 2022 across all three pillars of entertainment, drama and film and documentaries,” Rtl said. “Within its entertainment business, Fremantle scored successes with America’s Got Talent, the quiz show Password and various adaptations of Farmer Wants a Wife. Within drama and film, the delivery of the second season of The Mosquito Coast to Apple TV+ significantly boosted Fremantle’s third-quarter results. Within the documentary business, Fremantle Italy launched Wanna on Netflix,...
Production powerhouse Fremantle (The X Factor, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent) helped drive revenue gains at media giant Bertelsmann’s Rtl Group over the first nine months of 2022.
Luxembourg-based TV and streaming company Rtl Group on Friday reported revenue for the January-September period of 5.01 billion euro (4.90 billion), up 12 percent from the same period in 2021.
Fremantle revenue for that same period jumped 27.8 percent to 1.65 billion euro (1.61 billion). “Fremantle reported a successful first nine months of the year 2022 across all three pillars of entertainment, drama and film and documentaries,” Rtl said. “Within its entertainment business, Fremantle scored successes with America’s Got Talent, the quiz show Password and various adaptations of Farmer Wants a Wife. Within drama and film, the delivery of the second season of The Mosquito Coast to Apple TV+ significantly boosted Fremantle’s third-quarter results. Within the documentary business, Fremantle Italy launched Wanna on Netflix,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant Rtl Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenue of €5.06 billion (4.97 billion) for the first nine months of 2022, a growth of 12 from the corresponding period in 2021.
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Group revenue was up mainly thanks to the strong performance of Fremantle and Rtl Nederland, scope effects at Rtl Deutschland from the acquisitions of Gruner + Jahr and Super Rtl and positive foreign exchange rate effects, the Rtl Group said.
Revenue at Fremantle was up 27.8 to €1.65 billion. Group revenue in the third quarter of 2022 was up 18.9 to €1.7 billion as strong growth from Fremantle revenue and streaming revenue more than compensated for lower TV advertising revenue,...
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Group revenue was up mainly thanks to the strong performance of Fremantle and Rtl Nederland, scope effects at Rtl Deutschland from the acquisitions of Gruner + Jahr and Super Rtl and positive foreign exchange rate effects, the Rtl Group said.
Revenue at Fremantle was up 27.8 to €1.65 billion. Group revenue in the third quarter of 2022 was up 18.9 to €1.7 billion as strong growth from Fremantle revenue and streaming revenue more than compensated for lower TV advertising revenue,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Stephan Schäfer is exiting his post at German media giant Rtl Deutschland after less than a year, amid a management restructure that follows the takeover of publishing company Gruner + Jahr (G+J).
A new look management board will see Bertelsmann and Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe taking over as Chairman of the German operation, with other seats going to Deutschland Co-CEO Matthias Dang, CFO Alexander Glatz, and Oliver Radtke, who is responsible for coordinating the combination of Rtl Deutschland and G+J, along with group Executive Vice President of Business Development Andreas Fischer, who also becomes COO.
Schäfer, who was placed in post alongside Dang last year, is leaving “on the best of terms,” according to the company. He will remain associated with Rtl in an advisory capacity.
This comes after Rtl Deutschland and G+J, which is owned by Rtl parent Bertelsmann, merged in August last year, creating one...
A new look management board will see Bertelsmann and Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe taking over as Chairman of the German operation, with other seats going to Deutschland Co-CEO Matthias Dang, CFO Alexander Glatz, and Oliver Radtke, who is responsible for coordinating the combination of Rtl Deutschland and G+J, along with group Executive Vice President of Business Development Andreas Fischer, who also becomes COO.
Schäfer, who was placed in post alongside Dang last year, is leaving “on the best of terms,” according to the company. He will remain associated with Rtl in an advisory capacity.
This comes after Rtl Deutschland and G+J, which is owned by Rtl parent Bertelsmann, merged in August last year, creating one...
- 8/17/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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Streaming
HBO Max has revealed the first teaser for Max original “García!” (6 x 60′), which will have its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September and European premiere at Sitges.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, the series is set in a present-day Spain, which is divided and on the brink of political chaos. It follows an inquisitive millennial investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically frozen super-agent, García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services. After sixty years in deep sleep, this perfect soldier with incredible physical strength, programmed to obey orders without question, is woken by Antonia. García finds himself disoriented and confused in a Spain that has changed beyond recognition. The old-world collides with the new as García and...
HBO Max has revealed the first teaser for Max original “García!” (6 x 60′), which will have its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September and European premiere at Sitges.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, the series is set in a present-day Spain, which is divided and on the brink of political chaos. It follows an inquisitive millennial investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically frozen super-agent, García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services. After sixty years in deep sleep, this perfect soldier with incredible physical strength, programmed to obey orders without question, is woken by Antonia. García finds himself disoriented and confused in a Spain that has changed beyond recognition. The old-world collides with the new as García and...
- 8/17/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Stephan Schäfer has resigned as co-ceo of German TV giant Rtl amid a management shake-up at Europe’s largest commercial broadcaster.
Schäfer stepped down Wednesday, leaving a quartet of executives in charge of Rtl: co-ceo Matthias Dang, CFO Alexander Glatz, newly-appointed COO Andreas Fischer and Oliver Radtke, who is responsible for coordinating the strategic link-up between Rtl and Gruner + Jahr, the publishing giant controlled by Rtl parent company Bertelsmann.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe takes over as chairman of Rtl’s management board. Schäfer will remain associated with Rtl in an advisory capacity.
The executive shuffle comes amid a push by Bertelsmann to transform its largely legacy media operations into digital-first operations and to find synergies between them.
One of the first steps in this direction has been a merger between Rtl which owns some 15 TV channels, and Gruner + Jahr (G+J) which publishes...
Stephan Schäfer has resigned as co-ceo of German TV giant Rtl amid a management shake-up at Europe’s largest commercial broadcaster.
Schäfer stepped down Wednesday, leaving a quartet of executives in charge of Rtl: co-ceo Matthias Dang, CFO Alexander Glatz, newly-appointed COO Andreas Fischer and Oliver Radtke, who is responsible for coordinating the strategic link-up between Rtl and Gruner + Jahr, the publishing giant controlled by Rtl parent company Bertelsmann.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe takes over as chairman of Rtl’s management board. Schäfer will remain associated with Rtl in an advisory capacity.
The executive shuffle comes amid a push by Bertelsmann to transform its largely legacy media operations into digital-first operations and to find synergies between them.
One of the first steps in this direction has been a merger between Rtl which owns some 15 TV channels, and Gruner + Jahr (G+J) which publishes...
- 8/17/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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European broadcasting giant Rtl Group has reaffirmed its belief the merger of its French subsidiary M6 with local rival TF1 must go ahead to keep competing with the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon.
The merger is under threat after France’s competition authority raised concerns about the deal, which would unite Bouygues-owned TF1 and Rtl’s M6, both leading commercial broadcasters in the country. A plan to merge Rtl Nederland with Dutch broadcaster Talpa Network is also being looked into by local competition watchdogs.
In Rtl Group’s half-year financial results revealed this morning, CEO Thomas Rabe addressed the situations as the company posted H1 revenue of €3.28Bn (3.35Bn). “We expect the competition authorities in France and the Netherlands to decide on the proposed combinations of both Groupe TF1 and Groupe M6, and Talpa Network and Rtl Nederland in autumn,” he said. “We remain convinced that market consolidation is...
The merger is under threat after France’s competition authority raised concerns about the deal, which would unite Bouygues-owned TF1 and Rtl’s M6, both leading commercial broadcasters in the country. A plan to merge Rtl Nederland with Dutch broadcaster Talpa Network is also being looked into by local competition watchdogs.
In Rtl Group’s half-year financial results revealed this morning, CEO Thomas Rabe addressed the situations as the company posted H1 revenue of €3.28Bn (3.35Bn). “We expect the competition authorities in France and the Netherlands to decide on the proposed combinations of both Groupe TF1 and Groupe M6, and Talpa Network and Rtl Nederland in autumn,” he said. “We remain convinced that market consolidation is...
- 8/5/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Rtl Group Increases Revenue to 3.3 Billion Despite Macro Uncertainties, But First-Half Profits Slide
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Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant Rtl Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenue of €3.26 billion (3.35 billion) for the first half of 2022, a growth of 9 from the corresponding period in 2021.
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.” Revenue at Fremantle was up 8 to €983 million.
Adjusted group earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (Ebita) for the group was up 3.7 to €501 million, “despite more challenging macroeconomic conditions and higher streaming start-up losses,” Rtl said in a statement. However, streaming was the star performer in some markets. Paying subscribers for the group’s streaming services in Germany and the Netherlands soared 48 to more than 4.5 million and streaming revenue was up 22 to €130 million.
Distribution revenue was up 3 to €220 million.
The Rtl Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.” Revenue at Fremantle was up 8 to €983 million.
Adjusted group earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (Ebita) for the group was up 3.7 to €501 million, “despite more challenging macroeconomic conditions and higher streaming start-up losses,” Rtl said in a statement. However, streaming was the star performer in some markets. Paying subscribers for the group’s streaming services in Germany and the Netherlands soared 48 to more than 4.5 million and streaming revenue was up 22 to €130 million.
Distribution revenue was up 3 to €220 million.
- 8/5/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Fremantle Boosts Revenue By 25% For Rtl Group
Hand of God outfit Fremantle increased its revenue by 25% last year to €1.9Bn ($2.1Bn) as owner Rtl Group, the European media conglomerate, recorded a 10% turnover rise to €6.6Bn ($7.3Bn) and a profit boost of 35% to €1.1Bn ($1.2Bn). Rtl this morning said it is making progress on Fremantle’s growth plan, following four acquisitions in the past year including, most recently, the purchase of 70% of respected Italian producer Lux Vide, along with 12 Nent Group production labels. Fremantle put 81 drama productions into production across the year and scored hits with the likes of Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated Hand of God for Netflix. The previous year saw a big drop in returns due to the impact of the Coronavirus. The outfit, which has just struck a talent deal with Angelina Jolie, is targeting €3Bn returns by 2025. Overall, Rtl’s revenue was up 10.3% to €6.6Bn, with adjusted...
Hand of God outfit Fremantle increased its revenue by 25% last year to €1.9Bn ($2.1Bn) as owner Rtl Group, the European media conglomerate, recorded a 10% turnover rise to €6.6Bn ($7.3Bn) and a profit boost of 35% to €1.1Bn ($1.2Bn). Rtl this morning said it is making progress on Fremantle’s growth plan, following four acquisitions in the past year including, most recently, the purchase of 70% of respected Italian producer Lux Vide, along with 12 Nent Group production labels. Fremantle put 81 drama productions into production across the year and scored hits with the likes of Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated Hand of God for Netflix. The previous year saw a big drop in returns due to the impact of the Coronavirus. The outfit, which has just struck a talent deal with Angelina Jolie, is targeting €3Bn returns by 2025. Overall, Rtl’s revenue was up 10.3% to €6.6Bn, with adjusted...
- 3/17/2022
- by Max Goldbart and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant Rtl Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared a group profit of €1.5 billion ($1.65 billion) for 2021, up from €625 million in Covid-affected 2020.
The Rtl Group has interests in 67 television channels, 10 streaming platforms and 38 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Full-year group revenue was up 10.3% to €6.6 billion of which Fremantle accounted for €1.92 billion, a 25.3% increase. The group’s full-year adjusted Ebita climbed 35.1% to €1.1 billion, up from €853 million in 2020. Of this Fremantle accounted for €141 million.
The group reiterated its ambition of growing Fremantle’s revenue to €3 billion by 2025.
TV advertising revenue was up 16% and streaming revenue rose 31.2% compared to 2020.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group, said: “Rtl Group’s growth businesses of streaming and content progressed significantly in 2021, with more than 3.8 million...
The Rtl Group has interests in 67 television channels, 10 streaming platforms and 38 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”
Full-year group revenue was up 10.3% to €6.6 billion of which Fremantle accounted for €1.92 billion, a 25.3% increase. The group’s full-year adjusted Ebita climbed 35.1% to €1.1 billion, up from €853 million in 2020. Of this Fremantle accounted for €141 million.
The group reiterated its ambition of growing Fremantle’s revenue to €3 billion by 2025.
TV advertising revenue was up 16% and streaming revenue rose 31.2% compared to 2020.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group, said: “Rtl Group’s growth businesses of streaming and content progressed significantly in 2021, with more than 3.8 million...
- 3/17/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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Rtl Group and Big Brother and The Voice creator John de Mol’s Talpa Network announced today that that they have reached an agreements to merge their broadcasting and affiliated media businesses in the Netherlands. The transaction, which has been approved by the Board of Directors of Rtl Group and Talpa Holding, is expected to close in the first half of 2022, subject to regulatory approval.
Talpa Network will contribute its TV, radio, print, digital, e-commerce and other assets, most notably its TV channels that originated as a Dutch arm of Sbs Broadcasting, in exchange to a 30% stake in the enlarged Rtl Nederland. Rtl Group will hold the remaining 70% in the combined group.
Not part of the deal are Talpa Network’s content units, Talpa Concepts and Talpa Entertainment Producties. They will enter into a content agreement with Rtl Netherlands for newly developed formats for linear TV channels and for the streaming service Videoland.
Talpa Network will contribute its TV, radio, print, digital, e-commerce and other assets, most notably its TV channels that originated as a Dutch arm of Sbs Broadcasting, in exchange to a 30% stake in the enlarged Rtl Nederland. Rtl Group will hold the remaining 70% in the combined group.
Not part of the deal are Talpa Network’s content units, Talpa Concepts and Talpa Entertainment Producties. They will enter into a content agreement with Rtl Netherlands for newly developed formats for linear TV channels and for the streaming service Videoland.
- 6/23/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
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Fremantle, the Rtl-owned global production empire behind shows including American Idol, Too Hot To Handle, and We Are Who We Are, suffered a 39% drop in earnings as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out TV shoots across the world.
Fremantle’s adjusted earnings before interest, tax, and amortization (Ebita) stood at €87 million ($104M) in the full-year 2020, down €55M ($66M) on €142M in 2019, according to Rtl’s annual report. Revenue also dropped 14.3% to €1.79 billion over the same period.
Fremantle’s financial woes are not unusual, with other production groups reporting similar trends in recent days. Red Arrow Studios, another European-owned production company, recorded a 12.6% decline in Ebitda to €42M last year. ITV Studios’ profits sunk 43% to £152M ($212M).
Fremantle group CEO Jennifer Mullin said: “As 2020 came to a close, 90% of all Fremantle productions affected by the pandemic were either fully delivered or back in production. Throughout 2020 our global gameshows and continuing dramas...
Fremantle’s adjusted earnings before interest, tax, and amortization (Ebita) stood at €87 million ($104M) in the full-year 2020, down €55M ($66M) on €142M in 2019, according to Rtl’s annual report. Revenue also dropped 14.3% to €1.79 billion over the same period.
Fremantle’s financial woes are not unusual, with other production groups reporting similar trends in recent days. Red Arrow Studios, another European-owned production company, recorded a 12.6% decline in Ebitda to €42M last year. ITV Studios’ profits sunk 43% to £152M ($212M).
Fremantle group CEO Jennifer Mullin said: “As 2020 came to a close, 90% of all Fremantle productions affected by the pandemic were either fully delivered or back in production. Throughout 2020 our global gameshows and continuing dramas...
- 3/12/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
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Updated with comment by News Corp CEO Robert Thomson:
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson called the ViacomCBS’s announcement regarding the sale of Simon & Schuster to Bertelsmann as defying “market logic.”
“There is clearly no market logic to a bid of that size – only anti-market logic. Bertelsmann is not just buying a book publisher, but buying market dominance as a book behemoth,” the executive said Wednesday on the nearly 2.2 billion combination of Simon & Schuster with Bertelsmann’s Penguin Random House announced earlier in the day. News Corp.’s owns publisher HarperCollins and was also in the running for Simon & Schuster.
The deal needs regulatory approval.
“Distributors, retailers, authors and readers would be paying for this proposed deal for a very long time to come. This literary leviathan would have 70 percent of the US Literary and General Fiction market. There will certainly be legal books written about this deal, though...
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson called the ViacomCBS’s announcement regarding the sale of Simon & Schuster to Bertelsmann as defying “market logic.”
“There is clearly no market logic to a bid of that size – only anti-market logic. Bertelsmann is not just buying a book publisher, but buying market dominance as a book behemoth,” the executive said Wednesday on the nearly 2.2 billion combination of Simon & Schuster with Bertelsmann’s Penguin Random House announced earlier in the day. News Corp.’s owns publisher HarperCollins and was also in the running for Simon & Schuster.
The deal needs regulatory approval.
“Distributors, retailers, authors and readers would be paying for this proposed deal for a very long time to come. This literary leviathan would have 70 percent of the US Literary and General Fiction market. There will certainly be legal books written about this deal, though...
- 11/25/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., Bertelsmann’s Penguin Random House and French conglom Vivendi have emerged as top contenders for Simon & Schuster with bids for the storied ViacomCBS publisher due in before Thanksgiving, according to a person familiar with the situation.
ViacomCBS put the company on the block in early March before the pandemic hit along with several other assets it considers non-core as looks to build up cash to invest in content and streaming. In late March, it said it had received several dozen inquiries. Those have now been narrowed down with three of the sector’s biggest strategic buyers in pole position. The sale could bring in as much as $1.7 billion, the person said.
The publisher’s revenue rose 20% last quarter on bestselling titles Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump and Bob Woodward’s Rage. On...
ViacomCBS put the company on the block in early March before the pandemic hit along with several other assets it considers non-core as looks to build up cash to invest in content and streaming. In late March, it said it had received several dozen inquiries. Those have now been narrowed down with three of the sector’s biggest strategic buyers in pole position. The sale could bring in as much as $1.7 billion, the person said.
The publisher’s revenue rose 20% last quarter on bestselling titles Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump and Bob Woodward’s Rage. On...
- 11/17/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
![Thomas Rabe](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGQyODYxOTItOTg3MS00MjdjLTk4NzEtNWQwM2Y2MjNmZjY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEzNTE2NzQx._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Thomas Rabe](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMGQyODYxOTItOTg3MS00MjdjLTk4NzEtNWQwM2Y2MjNmZjY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTEzNTE2NzQx._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
European television giant Rtl Group is starting to feel the pain of Covid-19.
Advertising revenue at the company, which operates such commercial networks as Rtl in Germany and France's M6, started to dip in early March as the novel coronavirus infection rate began to spike in northern Europe. That drove overall revenue for the first quarter of 2020 down 3.4 percent to $1.59 billion (€1.466 billion), Rtl reported Thursday.
"At the beginning of March, we registered first cancellations of advertising bookings, as well as postponements of productions," said Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe....
Advertising revenue at the company, which operates such commercial networks as Rtl in Germany and France's M6, started to dip in early March as the novel coronavirus infection rate began to spike in northern Europe. That drove overall revenue for the first quarter of 2020 down 3.4 percent to $1.59 billion (€1.466 billion), Rtl reported Thursday.
"At the beginning of March, we registered first cancellations of advertising bookings, as well as postponements of productions," said Rtl Group CEO Thomas Rabe....
- 4/30/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
![Jude Law and John Malkovich in The New Pope (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGQzZDk2NTgtNTRjMS00MDI0LWIwZWQtNDZjODZhOGI1YzliXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jude Law and John Malkovich in The New Pope (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGQzZDk2NTgtNTRjMS00MDI0LWIwZWQtNDZjODZhOGI1YzliXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Fremantle’s revenue rose 12% to €1.8 billion ($2 billion) last year, according to German parent company Rtl Group. The producer’s Ebitda hit €184M ($205M), which was up 25% on 2018’s €147M ($164M).
Rtl’s earnings for the financial year ended December 2019 showed that drama played a big role in Fremantle’s growth, with the company pointing to shows including Starz’s American Gods and HBO’s The New Pope.
More from DeadlineBBC Cuts Audience At 'Qi' Recording, Forges On With Studio Shows Amid Coronavirus OutbreakFremantle Hires Former Wme Literary Agent Raffaella de Angelis As It Bolsters Search For IPSimon Andreae To Run Fremantle In The UK After Group Takes Full Control Of Naked Television
Fremantle’s drama revenue grew 36% to €414M ($462M) and now makes up 23% of the producer’s total revenue. Beyond scripted, the company — which has production labels in 30 countries — is known for making shows including America’s Got Talent and The Farmer Wants a Wife.
Rtl’s earnings for the financial year ended December 2019 showed that drama played a big role in Fremantle’s growth, with the company pointing to shows including Starz’s American Gods and HBO’s The New Pope.
More from DeadlineBBC Cuts Audience At 'Qi' Recording, Forges On With Studio Shows Amid Coronavirus OutbreakFremantle Hires Former Wme Literary Agent Raffaella de Angelis As It Bolsters Search For IPSimon Andreae To Run Fremantle In The UK After Group Takes Full Control Of Naked Television
Fremantle’s drama revenue grew 36% to €414M ($462M) and now makes up 23% of the producer’s total revenue. Beyond scripted, the company — which has production labels in 30 countries — is known for making shows including America’s Got Talent and The Farmer Wants a Wife.
- 3/13/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
![Crispin Glover, Demore Barnes, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Omid Abtahi, and Bruce Langley in American Gods (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdhNGE2MGQtNzMxYi00ZTNlLWFkMzAtMDY3OGZiNjQxZWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Crispin Glover, Demore Barnes, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Omid Abtahi, and Bruce Langley in American Gods (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdhNGE2MGQtNzMxYi00ZTNlLWFkMzAtMDY3OGZiNjQxZWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
European broadcasting giant Rtl Group on Friday reported a 10% increase in 2019 profit as revenue reached a record €6.65 billion ($7.44 billion), driven mainly by higher sales from global content unit Fremantle and its digital business.
With sales up 3.2%, 2019 marked the fifth consecutive year that Rtl’s revenue reached record levels.
The group’s earnings grew 10.1% to €864 million ($966.3 million) year on year, due largely to the capital gain from the disposal of film distribution unit Universum Film, which was bought by U.S. investment firm Kkr last year and merged into Munich-based studio Leonine, which also includes the former assets of Tele München Group. Lower impairments also contributed to Rtl’s profit boost.
With regard to the coronavirus crisis, Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe said it was currently too early to quantify its impact on Rtl Group’s results. The group has already seen the first cancellations of advertising bookings and impacts on productions,...
With sales up 3.2%, 2019 marked the fifth consecutive year that Rtl’s revenue reached record levels.
The group’s earnings grew 10.1% to €864 million ($966.3 million) year on year, due largely to the capital gain from the disposal of film distribution unit Universum Film, which was bought by U.S. investment firm Kkr last year and merged into Munich-based studio Leonine, which also includes the former assets of Tele München Group. Lower impairments also contributed to Rtl’s profit boost.
With regard to the coronavirus crisis, Rtl CEO Thomas Rabe said it was currently too early to quantify its impact on Rtl Group’s results. The group has already seen the first cancellations of advertising bookings and impacts on productions,...
- 3/13/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
![Crispin Glover, Demore Barnes, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Omid Abtahi, and Bruce Langley in American Gods (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdhNGE2MGQtNzMxYi00ZTNlLWFkMzAtMDY3OGZiNjQxZWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Crispin Glover, Demore Barnes, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, Omid Abtahi, and Bruce Langley in American Gods (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTdhNGE2MGQtNzMxYi00ZTNlLWFkMzAtMDY3OGZiNjQxZWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
America’s Got Talent: The Champions and the second season of American Gods helped drive revenues and profit at Fremantle.
The Rtl-owned producer and distribute reported revenue growth of 23.2% in the first half of 2019 to €828M ($747M) from €672M in the same period last year. Ebita was also up significantly from €33M to €52M.
America’s Got Talent: The Champions was a hit on NBC with an average audience of 12.4M viewers resulting in a 12.3 share, 50% higher than the network’s primetime average. Similarly, the 14th season of America’s Got Talent launched in May 2019 performed well, while American Idol was ABC’s number one entertainment series of the 2018/19 season.
In scripted, the second season of American Gods was the highest-rated season launch on the Us pay-tv channel Starz in over two years with 816,000 watching the premiere. A third season has already been commissioned.
In Germany, the second season...
The Rtl-owned producer and distribute reported revenue growth of 23.2% in the first half of 2019 to €828M ($747M) from €672M in the same period last year. Ebita was also up significantly from €33M to €52M.
America’s Got Talent: The Champions was a hit on NBC with an average audience of 12.4M viewers resulting in a 12.3 share, 50% higher than the network’s primetime average. Similarly, the 14th season of America’s Got Talent launched in May 2019 performed well, while American Idol was ABC’s number one entertainment series of the 2018/19 season.
In scripted, the second season of American Gods was the highest-rated season launch on the Us pay-tv channel Starz in over two years with 816,000 watching the premiere. A third season has already been commissioned.
In Germany, the second season...
- 8/28/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Rtl has created a new unit that will work up unscripted formats exclusively for broadcasters and streaming services in the group. Fremantle, which is a major force in unscripted, is part of the Rtl Group, and makes shows for Rtl and third parties. The new Format Creation Group will develop ideas exclusively for in-house outlets. It will focus on factual entertainment and reality shows.
Broadcasters in the Rtl Group include Rtl in Germany and M6 in France. The French broadcaster’s boss, Nicolas de Tavernost, was a driving force in the creation of the new division.
“We have noted that successful programs in France also often work well in Germany, the Netherlands or Spain,” the M6 chief said. “And that a format that is a flop in one country is generally also a flop in the other European countries. With this new development unit, we now have the opportunity to...
Broadcasters in the Rtl Group include Rtl in Germany and M6 in France. The French broadcaster’s boss, Nicolas de Tavernost, was a driving force in the creation of the new division.
“We have noted that successful programs in France also often work well in Germany, the Netherlands or Spain,” the M6 chief said. “And that a format that is a flop in one country is generally also a flop in the other European countries. With this new development unit, we now have the opportunity to...
- 7/18/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Media giant Rtl is bringing its digital businesses together and said it expects the combined entity to more than double revenues to €100 million ($112.7 million) by 2022.
The pan-European broadcast and media group is bringing together its digital video business in the Nordics, United Screens; its German-based counterpart, Divimove; and Dutch online channels business Rtl McN.
The move comes as Rtl looks to aggressively grow its digital businesses, adding to the income from third-party platforms such as YouTube. Divimove will be the overarching brand for the digital operation, with the other units continuing to use their brands locally for the time being.
Rtl said the ambitious revenue target will be driven by planned investment in the newly combined unit. The company’s top brass has approved a growth plan to significantly expand digital, notably in the areas of talent management, production of short-form video, and ad sales and data.
Rtl tool full...
The pan-European broadcast and media group is bringing together its digital video business in the Nordics, United Screens; its German-based counterpart, Divimove; and Dutch online channels business Rtl McN.
The move comes as Rtl looks to aggressively grow its digital businesses, adding to the income from third-party platforms such as YouTube. Divimove will be the overarching brand for the digital operation, with the other units continuing to use their brands locally for the time being.
Rtl said the ambitious revenue target will be driven by planned investment in the newly combined unit. The company’s top brass has approved a growth plan to significantly expand digital, notably in the areas of talent management, production of short-form video, and ad sales and data.
Rtl tool full...
- 7/11/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Studiocanal has launched the first full-length trailer for Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, the Aardman sequel in which a visitor from a far off galaxy arrives in the quiet town of Mossingham.
Pic is directed by Richard Phelan and Will Becher, produced by Paul Kewley and written by Mark Burton and Jon Brown, with executive producers Mark Burton and Richard Starzak, Peter Lord, Nick Park, Carla Shelley and David Sproxton. Voice cast includes Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour.
The 2015 first movie grossed $106M globally, including $19M in the U.S. Backer Studiocanal will distribute in UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand in autumn 2019. Lionsgate has U.S. rights.
In a surprise move, Bert Habets, the CEO of Euro media giant Rtl, has resigned. Thomas Rabe will take the reins while also continuing in his role as CEO of Rtl-owner Bertelsmann. According to Reuters, Habets is leaving for family...
Pic is directed by Richard Phelan and Will Becher, produced by Paul Kewley and written by Mark Burton and Jon Brown, with executive producers Mark Burton and Richard Starzak, Peter Lord, Nick Park, Carla Shelley and David Sproxton. Voice cast includes Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour.
The 2015 first movie grossed $106M globally, including $19M in the U.S. Backer Studiocanal will distribute in UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand in autumn 2019. Lionsgate has U.S. rights.
In a surprise move, Bert Habets, the CEO of Euro media giant Rtl, has resigned. Thomas Rabe will take the reins while also continuing in his role as CEO of Rtl-owner Bertelsmann. According to Reuters, Habets is leaving for family...
- 4/1/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Bert Habets has resigned as CEO of European media giant Rtl, which has appointed Thomas Rabe to take over the role.
Rtl said Habets has stepped down as chief executive and also from the board of Rtl. Rabe told Reuters that Habets was leaving for family reasons and that there were no disagreements over strategy. Habets recently outlined a huge investment program and plans to ramp up streaming services.
Rabe will take on his new role in addition to his duties as chairman and CEO of Rtl-owner Bertelsmann. Martin Taylor, currently vice chairman of the group, has been appointed as chairman and James Singh vice chairman.
“We thank Bert Habets for more than 20 years in various managerial positions at Rtl Group and wish him all the best for the future,” Rabe said. “Rtl Group will continue to focus on three priorities: further strengthening its core TV, audio and production business...
Rtl said Habets has stepped down as chief executive and also from the board of Rtl. Rabe told Reuters that Habets was leaving for family reasons and that there were no disagreements over strategy. Habets recently outlined a huge investment program and plans to ramp up streaming services.
Rabe will take on his new role in addition to his duties as chairman and CEO of Rtl-owner Bertelsmann. Martin Taylor, currently vice chairman of the group, has been appointed as chairman and James Singh vice chairman.
“We thank Bert Habets for more than 20 years in various managerial positions at Rtl Group and wish him all the best for the future,” Rabe said. “Rtl Group will continue to focus on three priorities: further strengthening its core TV, audio and production business...
- 4/1/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
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