news bulletins, twitter and debates · geert wilders, who is – let’s say – quite...

week 20

20 May 2010

News Bulletins, Twitter and DebatesRTL Nederland is covering the Dutch elections more intense then ever before

Luxembourg

RTL Group organises third“environMINDday”

Germany

RTL Interactive revamps Sport.de

United Kingdom

Britain’s Got Talent app scores 500,000 downloads

Belgium

RTL Belgium prolongs contract with the ‘Red Devils’

the RTL Group intranetweek 20

week 20

20 May 2010

News Bulletins, Twitter and DebatesRTL Nederland is covering the Dutch elections more intense then ever before

Luxembourg

RTL Group organises thirdenvironMINDday

Germany

RTL Interactive revamps Sport.de

United Kingdom

Britain’s Got Talent app scores 500,000 downloads

Belgium

RTL Belgium prolongs contract with the ‘Red Devils’

Cover: Montage with the Dutch parliament and Harm Taselaar(Background image: © Markus Bernet)

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After the Dutch government had split up in February due to irreconcilable differences concerning the Afghanistan strategy, the people of the Netherlands are now called on to elect a new parliament and prime minister in June. RTL Nederland, a leader in Dutch news broadcasting, plans a information firework of political coverage. The family of channels has organized several special broadcasts to make sure its viewers are informed about all major processes in the lead-up to the elections.

“Our responsibility to inform our viewers about everything important going on around the elections was never in doubt,” explains Harm Taselaar, Editor-in-Chief of RTL Nieuws, who is also responsible for the election coverage. RTL Nieuws is one of the leading news providers in the Netherlands,and produces 17 news bulletins for RTL 4, RTL 7 and RTL Z each weekday.

In the two and a half weeks leading up to the elections on 9 June, this already vast news offer will be extended further. Says Taselaar: “We have planned a special format called Wat Kiest Nederland? (How do the Dutch vote?), two TV debates, a twitter debate and of course live coverage on Election Day.”

As early as 23 May, RTL 4 will broadcast the first TV debate, the Premiersdebat (Prime Minister Debate). This will be broadcast live from De Rode Hoed in Amsterdam and will feature Jan Peter Balkenende, Job Cohen, Mark Rutte and Geert Wilders discussing the political issues the next prime minister will have to deal with. “This debate is mainly about who will become the next prime minister,” says Harm Taselaar. Rick

Nieman will join Frits Wester, one of the most renowned political editors in the Netherlands, in moderating this debate.

The second debate is being hosted in partnership with BNR Nieuwsradio, which will also air the debate on radio, as well as Elsevier, a weekly business newspaper,and the Financieele Dagblad. Called the Carré debat, it will be broadcast from the famous Carré theatre in Amsterdam and will see the leaders of the eight major parties debating about the future of the Dutch economy. This will be the only debate in the run-up to the elections that focuses solely on the future of the Dutch econ-omy and the effects of governmental budget cuts on the personal finance of Dutch citizens. The debate will be moderated by Rick Nieman. Afterwards Frits Wester, BNR journalist Bas van Werven, Elsevier columnist Syp Wynia, royal reporter for the Fiancieele Dagblad Job Woudt, the BNR Den Haag correspondent Hans Verbeek, and Roderik van Grieken of the Nederlands Debat Instituut will discuss the outcome of the debate and analyse what the politicians said.

“I expect both debates to be intense and very informative for our viewers and for us as a channel,” says Taselaar. “Our main challenge will

Information Firework The Dutch are about to elect a new prime minister. Harm Taselaar explains how RTL Nederland is providing extensive coverage of the event. Netherlands - 20 May 2010

Harm Taselaar, Editor-in-Chief of RTL Nieuws

How do the Dutch vote?


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be providing security at the event. Geert Wilders, who is – let’s say – quite controversial, will be taking part in both of the debates, so we need to have a high level of security, which means thorough screening for weapons and bombs.”

For twelve working days starting 24 May, RTL Nederland will air a half-hour daily election special at 22:30. This special report will serve as a countdown to the elections, covering all the topics that may arise in the last days prior to the voting. It will be presented by the news anchor Rick Nieman and the political editor Frits Wester. “This special will be a 30-minute mix of information, talk and entertainment,” Harm Taselaar says. “We will cover anything remarkable, interesting or funny going on in the Netherlands’s politics.”

On the website WatKiestNederland.nl, RTL Nieuws offers extensive information about the different parties as well as current events and a political ‘matchmaker’ tool to help users with their voting decisions.

On 2 June, RTL Nederland presents a premiere: RTL Nieuws Twitterdebat is the first ever twitter debate regarding national elections. For one-and-a-half hours Frits Wester, who has 41,000 followers on Twitter, will host a special debate on topics raised by twitter users which may include security, integration, environment and the pockets of citizens. “The social media occupy an increasingly prominent place. This debate is a special way for our viewers to get in touch with politicians. Frits’s vast knowledge of politics and the number of people that follow him on Twitter make him the perfect host for this debate,” says Harm Taselaar.

Finally, RTL Nieuws will be covering Election Day itself as well providing extensive live broadcasts, prognosis and analysis of the results on 9 June.

Rick Nieman, Presenter of RTL Nieuws Frits Wester, Political Expert for RTL Nederland

23 MayPremieresdebat – RTL 4 – 20:00

24 May to 8 JuneStart of the daily programme Wat Kiest NederlandRTL 4each working day at 22:30

26 MayCarré debat – RTL 4 – 20:00

2 JuneRTL Nieuws Twitterdebat – RTL 4 – 20:00

9 June – Election DayLive broadcast with Rick Nieman and Frits WesterRTL 4 – all evening

RTL Nederland’s special election coverage:

RTL Nieuws has been one of the most influential and important news media of the Netherlands, since the start of RTL 4 in 1989. With a work-force of more than 125 journalists, editors and producers, it produces 17 daily news bulletins for a variety of outlets including RTL 4, RTL Z (business news channel on RTL 7) and RTLNieuws.nl. The daily evening bulletin at 19:30 (RTL 4) attracts an average of over a million viewers, representing a market share of more than 20 percent in RTL 4’s main target audience of shoppers aged 20 to 49.

follow Frits Wester on

Twitter.com/

fritswester


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Environment days have become a tradition at RTL Group. A few Profit Centres, including Talkback Thames in the UK and RTL Belgium have already organised their own ‘Earth Days’. And RTL Group has already organised two “environMINDdays” at the Luxembourg site. They all share a common purpose: building awareness among employees for the dangers of climate change and appropriate measures to protect the environment – true to the motto “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” This year, the third “environMIND-day” will take place as part of Bertelsmann’s ‘Be Green’ programme, which will involve various Bertelsmann companies organising climate-pro-tection awareness days just a few days before the UN’s World Environment Day on 5 June.

This year’s “environMINDday” is dedicated to the topic of mobility, and especially with the is-sue of commuting to work, which is a special one in Luxembourg, given for example the high number of trans-border commuters and the frag-mented public transport system. Initiatives like ‘Bike to work’ and ‘No car today’ encourage all employees to leave their cars at home on that day and to ride their bikes up on Kirchberg, where RTL Group has its Corporate Centre. There’s even a prize for the most environmentally friendly commuter. Because bicycles are coming to play an ever more important role in mobility, RTL Group has established a small fleet of company bicycles with electric motors for its employees in Luxembourg, for covering short distances in this less-than-level city. Employees with a longer commute from Belgium, France or Germany, will receive information about discounts on public transportation and possibilities for ride-sharing carpools. In addition to the presentation of the electric bikes and vehicles, the day will be round-ed off – as in the past – with ecologically sound dishes at the company restaurant. Last not least, RTL Group Profit Centres in the UK (Fremantle- Media, Five), Netherlands (RTL Nederland), France (RTL Radio France) and Belgium (RTL Belgium) also organise awareness-building environmental activities.

How to commute eco-friendlyOn 1 June, RTL Group will host its third “environMINDday” featuring activities related to the topic of mobility.Luxembourg - 20 May 2010

For more information see

environMIND

on Backstage


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The startpage now greets sports fans with a horizontal or vertical feature photo depending on the news item. This means that for the first time, athletes or sporting scenes can be shown in a vertical format. The Sport.de logo is now in yellow, and serves as a label for all live content on the new sites.

At the same time, Sport.de is launching its new mobile portal (mobil.sport.de), optimised for use with mobile communication devices. Live tickers and live content tying in to numerous sporting events can now be accessed on the go, along with breaking news and backgrounders on all the major sports.

The navigation now focuses on the relevant sports and sporting events, and users can also use a meta-navigation tool to access their content under ‘Sport Live’, ‘Videos’, ‘Services’,

and ‘Mobil’. A new ‘electronic guide to sport events’ shows users when the next sporting events will be taking place and indicates ongoing events, with live coverage, in yellow.

For the first time, the fans will be able to watch all Fifa Football World Cup matches broadcast on RTL Television, as live video streams on Sport.de. A big World Cup special features extensive news, match reports, interviews and analyses, as well as portraits of the various teams and stars and numerous videos from South Africa.

Matthias Büchs, Head of the Online / Mobile /Teletext department at RTL Interactive, says: “The relaunch augments the integration of our sports-related video content from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. By raising the bar for user friendliness, we hope to attract even more users to our portal.”

More live video streamsThe RTL Interactive-produced Sport.de sites have unveiled a new look just in time for the final stretch of preparations for the Fifa Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa.Germany - 20 May 2010

check out

www.sport.de


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Seven has stitched together an all-star judging panel for the show, comprised of radio moderator Kyle Sandilands, Australian pop stars Natalie Imbruglia and Guy Sebastian, who won Australian Idol in 2003, and former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating. Sandilands has also been seen as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, which also airs on Seven.

FremantleMedia Australia’s CEO Ian Hogg described The X-Factor as a “phenomenally successful format. Our creative team is determined to make this show something very special, a programme that will resonate deeply with Australian audiences.”

The X Factor is open to singers of all ages – either solo performers or groups. Once through the final audition process, the four judges will take on mentoring roles, as the performers are split into categories – Boys under 25, Girls under 25, the over 25s and the Groups. This will culminate with a huge weekly live show, where the singers will battle it out in front of the judges and the Australian public. The ultimate winner will be rewarded with a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.

The Network Ten aired a version of the format in 2005, hosted by Daniel MacPherson. Despite a promising start, ratings declined and a second series was not commissioned. The revamped X-Factor will launch on Seven later this year. Auditions will begin this month in Perth and travel around the country.

A new start for The X FactorFremantleMedia Australia is going to produce a revamped version of the British talent show The X Factor for the Australian Network Seven.Australia - 18 May 2010

Launched in mid April by Talkback Thames Digital, the Britain’s Got Talent iPhone app delivers the best Got Talent content in a handy, pocket-sized format with videos, news and photo galleries as well as the infamous ‘X’ buzzer sound are all configured for the iPhone. Talkback Thames Digital plans to build on these engage-ment levels by allowing the fans of the show to send messages via the app to be incorporated into live ITV2 spin-off show Britain’s Got More Talent, which will be launched later this month.

For Robert Marsh, Head of Talkback Thames Digital, it was vital to extend relevant live shows onto digital platforms to boost interactivity. “We’re testing the appetite now to see how big the opportunity is. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of downloads and real engagement,” he said.

To make the app, which was developed by the mobile agency MIG, both editorially and commercially viable, it also includes display advertising and sponsored by Domino’s Pizza.

Boosting interactivityTalkback Thames Digital’s Britain’s Got Talent iPhone app has gained more than 500,000 downloads.United Kingdom - 19 May 2010

Britain’s Got Talent on iPhone


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On 12 May, an average of 3.3 million viewers tuned in to Five’s coverage of the Europa League final between FC Fulham and Atlético Madrid, representing a total audience share of 15 per cent. With a daily audience share of 10.0 per cent, Five scored the best weekday audience share since 13 March 2003.

The match itself was watched by an average of 4.7 million viewers – this translates to a total audience share of 20 per cent.

The game peaked at 6.1 million viewers for the final 15 minutes of extra time. Thus, Five was Britain’s most watched channel between 21:45 and 22:15.

Five is the lead broadcaster in the UK for live Europa League football. The current three year contract lasts until the end of the 2012 season.

Best weekday share for more than seven yearsThanks to the Uefa Europa League Final, Five gains great audience shares.United Kingdom - 14 May 2010

The finalists had five weeks to design a six-piece collection. While they worked on the pieces at home or in the studio, they received surprise visits from mentor Michiel, who came bearing last-minute hints and advice. On the eve of the finale, another surprise awaited the finalists: their three collections are subjected to the critical review and assessment of candidates eliminated earlier in the show.

On the last day of the contest, Roos, Shari and Amel presented their collections to a broad audience at the Kerk De Duif in Amsterdam. The judges – designer Daryl van Wouw, the chief fashion editor of Marie Claire magazine Simone Dernee, presenter Renate Verbaan and guest judge Marlies Dekkers – were impressed but faced an unpleasant surprise just before the final curtain. At the end, Roos prevailed and received the grand prize of 15,000 EUR, a photo spread in Marie Claire magazine and a show of their own at the Amsterdam Fashion Week.

A purely female finaleOf the twelve up-and-coming designers who started Project Catwalk on RTL 5 with high hopes, Roos prevailed against two other women in the finale.Netherlands - 17 May 2010


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Starting at the beginning of September, the home matches of the so-called Red Devils will be broadcast on Club RTL, the children’s and sport channel, and on RTL Sport in HD. For the Belgian group, this agreement is part of its coherent strategy as well as showing its loyalty to the Belgian team. In fact, RTL Belgium has held the broadcast rights for matches since 2002.

With the implementation of a multimedia plan of action featuring television, radio and new media, RTL Belgium has its heart set on accompanying its audience on what it hopes will be a shining new adventure for the Red Devils.

“Red Devils” stayRTL Belgium prolonged its contract with the Royal Belgium Football Association for four years. Belgium - 19 May 2010

The Belgian football national team is called the Red Devils


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During a press conference in Zagreb, Vanja Rupena confirmed her cooperation with RTL Televizija, saying: “I am proud to be a part of RTL Televizija’s team. I will gladly share my experi-ence and knowledge with the girls who want to be a part of the fashion world”.

Vanja Rupena is one of the rare Croatian models who have achieved a worldwide career. For the past twelve years, she has lived in Italy where she hosted shows on several Italian TV channels. She was also involved in numerous campaigns for fashion designers like Cavalli and Valentino, and has appeared on the covers of the most prestigious world magazines.

Casting calls for Hrvatski Top Model start this month. The new season of Hrvatski Top model will be broadcast on RTL Televizija in autumn 2010.

An eminent hostThe famous Croatian model Vanja Rupena has been chosen to host the second season of RTL Televizija’s show Hrvatski Top Model.Croatia - 20 May 2010

Vanja Rupena, Croatian model and host of Hrvatski Top Model

All we hear is Radio GagaDelighted by the welcome she received

at Fun Radio when she came to France,

Lady Gaga sent a warm thanks to the

station’s Managing Director, Jérôme

Fouqueray. Fun Radio is the exclusive

media partner of the Monster Ball Tour

in France. For this occasion, the station

has launched a Webradio entirely dedicated to the singer on its website.


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Expanding the online portfolioIP Deutschland has added StayFriends.de, Teenage-Rockstar.de and Zaga.de to its online portfolio, effectively positioning itself as Germany’s leading marketing agent for social media, video and for children, teens and family.Germany - 14 May 2010

Innovative and interactiveRTL Radiovermarktung in Germany presents its new website – www.rtlradiovermarktung.deGermany - 14 May 2010

Golf for kidsHaribo and its media partner Super RTL are hosting the Haribo Super RTL Golf Challenge 2010 for golfers aged 14 and younger. The event is being organised by UFA Brand Communication.Germany - 17 May 2010

New shows in SpainWith the start of 3D on 17 May at 17:30, Antena 3 revives the current affairs evening magazines in the Spanish TV landscape. Also, Cuore – a new show based on the eponymous magazine – now airs on Neox on weekends.Spain - 17 May 2010

Seeking teenage rock starsWho hasn’t dreamed of taking centre stage with their own rock band at some point? For five musicians aged 8 to 18, the dream is about to move within reach with the competition called Teenage Rockstars.Germany - 18 May 2010

D&Co : une semaine pour tout changer is a hitWith to its home decoration programme presented by the delightful Valérie Damidot, M6 was the number one channel with housewives under 50 in prime time on Monday.France - 19 May 2010


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People

Thorsten SandhausGermany - 18 May 2010

Thorsten Sandhaus (35) has been appointed the new Managing Director of the video-clip portal Clipfish with effect from 1 June. He succeeds Mathias Blüm (38), who is leaving the company to tackle a new professional challenge in his native Berlin.

“Professionally produced video content in general, and TV content in particular, drives Internet growth. Clipfish is an important pillar in Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s online video strategy,” says Matthias Büchs, Head of the Online/Mobile/Teletext department at RTL Interactive. “I would like to thank Mathias Blüm for his excellent work in recent years, especially in repositioning the video clip portal. I wish him success in his future tasks and all the best for his personal life. I am pleased that we were able to recruit an experienced successor from our own ranks in the person of Thorsten Sandhaus.”

Sandhaus has served as Head of Business Development and Marketing at Clipfish since 2007. Prior to this, the Media Management graduate was Head of Marketing at Money- bookers in London, a leading international provider of online payment systems. Under Mathias Blüm’s leadership, Clipfish success-fully completed its strategy shift from being a portal for user-generated content to serving as a leading platform for professionally produced, marketable video content.

Thorsten Sandhaus

PublisherRTL Group

45, Bd Pierre Frieden

L-1543 Luxembourg

Editor, Design, Production

RTL Group

Corporate Communications and Marketing

http://backstage.rtlgroup.frhttp://backstage.rtlgroup.comhttp://backstage.rtlgroup.de

news bulletins, twitter and debates · geert wilders, who is – let’s say – quite...

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