CREATIVEEXPERIMENTATION How the UFA Lab fuels creativity and creates solutions for the new media world

United StatesHoward Stern continues to judge on America’s Got Talent

GermanyRTL Interactive launches portal for young parents

FranceAudience Square starts its activities

FranceM6 presents Transporter: The Series

week 49 / 6 December 2012

CREATIVEEXPERIMENTATION How the UFA Lab fuels creativity and creates solutions for the new media world

BelgiumRTL Belgiumanalyses resultsof the Fac TVcontest

GermanyFTD picks Anke Schäferkordt as Top Businesswoman

Asia PacificFremantleMedia set to strengthen its position in Asia Pacific

GermanyUFA drama labels to cooperate more closely

week 49 / 6 December 2012

Think before you print

CoverMontage to illustrate the laboratory character of the UFA Lab

PublisherRTL Group

45, Bd Pierre FriedenL-1543 Luxembourg

Editor, Design, ProductionRTL Group

Corporate Communications & Marketing

backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de

QUICK VIEW

RTL Interactive launches portal for young parents

RTL Interactivep. 7

“More than just shared working space”UFA Lab (Germany)p. 4–6

Customers very satisfi ed with Media

Assurances Media Assurances

p. 11

Christmas is colourful and full of

joie de vivres RTL Group

p. 12

Mission with three rulesM6p. 8

Digital advertisingturns a new page

M6 Publicité Digital / RTL Net

p. 9

Howard Stern to returnfor second season

FremantleMedia North America

p. 10

SHORTNEWS

p. 14–15

Big Picture: Television plays an important role in providing information about food and nutritionp. 13

PEOPLE

p.16

4

MORE THAN JUST SHARED

WORKING SPACE

Germany – 6 December 2012

UFA Lab

The UFA Lab is “UFA’s organisational response

to the challenges of the new media world,”

says Susanne Stürmer, a member of the UFA Management Board.

Just recently, the UFA Lab opened a branch in Cologne.

Backstage presents the concept behind the lab.

5

It’s been almost exactly three years since the original UFA Lab opened its doors in Berlin on 1 November 2009. A visit to its premises immediately makes it clear that you’ve left the traditional world of TV and content production: the UFA Lab is located not at the UFA headquarters in Potsdam, but in a loft in Berlin’s trendy Kreuzberg neighbourhood. The lab itself looks like an enormous fl at share. There’s a large table for meetings, or a creative breakfast. Everywhere you see ‘lab technicians’ working at computers, each one a specialist in their fi eld: concept development, scriptwriting, directing, camera, editing, interface design, data visualisation, graphic design, illustration, motiongraphics or software programming.

The Cologne branch isn’t quite this lively yet. UFA Lab NRW just opened on 30 November 2012 on the premises of the Grundy Light Entertainment production company. There is, however, one striking similarity to the UFA Lab in Berlin: the vast range of technical equipment and computers. Apart from that, it looks more like a real laboratory: the white vinyl fl ooring in particular looks quite sterile. Close ties between UFA Lab and UFA Lab NRW are of course part of the concept and will be cultivated – how could it be otherwise – using modern technology: the large-screen TV has a built-in camera and can easily be used for video conferencing.

“UFA, a veteran producer of content for all forms of video, wants to be the partner of choice for young creative who want to start producing novel content concepts,” says UFA CEO Wolf Bauer. “At the UFA Lab in Cologne, we offer North RhineWestphalia’s extremely vibrant founders’ scene a creative platform to provide professional support in implementing their ideas, as well as access to the market.”

The UFA Lab programme serves to promote young talents, founders and start-ups who are passionately engaged in creating unusual new media content and want to turn their visions into reality. The only difference to Berlin is that the Cologne lab is mainly looking for creative minds for specifi c projects. In Berlin, the Lab staff were asked to bring their own project ideas on board.

Susanne Stürmer, a member of the UFA Management Noard, adds: “How can we work with new partners and emerging talent? How do we combine the tasks of the new world with our classic core business? What about content? And

production methods? We want to answer these questions with the UFA Lab.”

Beyond this, the UFA Lab facilitates networking with leading industry partners in the fi eld of new and well established media. An interchange of ideas, legal consultation and UFA’s worldwide distribution and knowledge network all strengthen the work of the lab staff. And so, the UFA Labs in Berlin and Cologne are far more than a mere ‘shared working space’ for creative professionals. “The UFA Lab in Berlin has developed into a highly effective interface for us – between fi lm and TV production and new media as well as new technologies,” says Wolf Bauer.

The projects in Berlin are structured into four genres: “TV meets New Media“, „Social Media meets Film“, „Print meets Film“ and „Game meets Film“. There are already specifi c examples across all departments: one major UFA Lab project in the ‘Social Media meets Film’ department are the two original Youtube channels ‘Trigger’ and ‘Entr Berlin’ which launched at the end of November. The development of the game Master of Maya in cooperation with Kaasa is a ‘Game meets Film’ project. Jens-Uwe Bornemann, Vice President of Digital Ventures & Innovation of UFA and Head of the UFA Lab, says: “The boundaries between the gaming and movie industries are becoming increasingly blurred, because good storytelling is becoming more and more important for the success of games. So as storytellers we are predestined to live out our creativity in game development, too.”

Next >

Wolf Bauer

6

Master of Maya is set in a mystical Mayan world facing imminent destruction: The Mayan Calendar has announced the end of the world. In the battle for supremacy in the Empire of the Sun, the Masters of the Maya now enter the battlefi eld. Their quest for honour and glory is the last hope for saving mankind. Players assume the role of a Mayan warlord, a ‘Master of Maya’. This involves care-fully and strategically collecting a set of event cards and using your army to win battles against other Masters. The aim is to rise to the rank of a Ma-Hun and thereby become an immortal god-king.

One of the lab’s best-known projects is Wer rettet Dina Foxx?, in which UFA Lab teamed up with Teamworx to realise a cross-media event commissioned by the German public-service TV channel ZDF. In this ‘TV meets New Media’ project, the made-for-TV movie about Dina Foxx, a young data activist who stands accused of murdering her boyfriend, ended with a cliffhanger, followed by three weeks of online sleuthing involving the viewers before the mystery was fi nally solved. “The effort to continue TV content online and thus create a cross-media experience is of course much higher than working with one single medium,” explains Bornemann. “This project was only possible thanks to the UFA Lab structure, which allowed directors, the online staff and script editors to work together so closely.” From the beginning, all of the elements in the story were developed and produced equally for TV and the internet – and for the same budget as a ‘regular’ TV fi lm. Bornemann adds that transmedia content accounted for one third of the production costs, while two thirds went to producing the TV movie.

Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW which is a fi nancial partner of the UFA Lab in Cologne, says: “Exploitation and commercial success are just one side of the coin. The magic of the UFA Lab is much more about granting space and freedom beyond conventional exploitation – after all, that’s the model we’re trying to escape by setting up the UFA Lab. The whole point is to be able to pursue and realise creative ideas without pressure.” And yet the Lab pays for itself. Because it is thanks to its open innovation platform approach that projects which generate quite a relevant business impact – like Dina Foxx or the Youtube Original Channels – became possible in the fi rst place.

The lab in Cologne is now looking for innovative start-ups, founders, producers and freelancers from a wide range of creative disciplines. Projects here are separated into three industries: Entertainment, Games and Advertising. In Entertainment, the lab will – in addition to the open approach – work with UFA production companies like Grundy UFA and Grundy Light Entertainment. The goal is to open up the classic concept of shows, quizzes, drama or music and run with it interactively. Says Stürmer: “Daily series are increasingly being extended into the online world. So it is becoming harder to discern a separation between classic media and new media.” The lab will also develop apps for children or ‘enhanced e-books’. In Advertising, UFA Lab NRW will focus on Branded Entertainment, interactive advertising formats and a new format, known as the ‘transmedia 30-second commercial’. It is designed to extend commercials beyond the TV set.In Gaming, the UFA Lab NRW will explore personalised storytelling in games, and convincing storytelling in social games on social networks. It will also develop ‘Film meets Gaming’ concepts and interactive Scripted Reality formats.

Before the lab can begin implementing its fi rst few projects, however, the lab staff must fi rst be selected. The fi rst creative minds are scheduled to move in in January, and the team is expected to be complete by February. There are no hard-and-fast guidelines – it should, however, be noted that the UFA Lab is not a school, but is looking for fully trained professionals. An exchange with universities is also planned. So it is only a matter of time before the lab’s creative staff leave their tracks on the immaculate white fl oor.

A desktop at UFA Lab with four working spaces

7

Screenshot of Kinderstube.de

As a sub-site of Frauenzimmer.de, Kinderstube.de is targeted at parents and couples who want a child, and supports them with their family planning. Germany – 30 November 2012

In response to the amount of traffi c to the ‘Baby & Family’ section of the Frauenzimmer.de women’s portal, the editorial team has developed a vertical dedicated to the topic. Matthias Büchs, Head of Online/Mobile/Teletext and a member of the RTL Interactive Managing Board, says: “Topics related to being and becoming a parent are in great demand at Frauenzimmer.de. With Kinderstube.de we are expanding this offer and thereby opening up a very attractive new platform both for our users and for prospective advertisers.”

The portal seeks to give parents and couples wishing to have children help with key steps in family planning, and is explicitly aimed at both men and women. Kinderstube.de gives support during pregnancy, birth and child development and also provides valuable tips on child-raising, health and fi nding the right name.

The community enables users to discuss their experiences and problems, give each other tips and advice, and ask questions about anything that concerns them. And children also have their say too, with a children’s jury rating the best books and giving book recommendations for and by children. A dedicated shopping area is also planned, with relevant products for parents, and in collaboration with partners that match this focus.

RTL Interactive is also collaborating with various Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland channels for the launch of Kinderstube.de, including RTL Television and Vox, where TV ads will be run to promote the portal.

RTL INTERACTIVE LAUNCHES PORTALFOR YOUNG PARENTS

RTL Interactive

8

A new programme makes its debut on M6 – Transporter: The Series inspired by the hit fi lms of the same name, the setting and characters have been enriched for television. France – 6 December 2012

Frank Martin is the ‘Transporter’. He transports anything, anywhere, for anyone. This former Special Forces agent is highly trained in driving, combat and survival techniques. With determination and integrity, he always fulfi ls his missions on time, abiding by three rules: never change the deal, don’t give names and never open the package. No matter what happens, Frank always follows the rules. Nothing, however, ends up going as planned.

Adapted from the Transporter fi lm trilogy, which took in $250 million at the box offi ce, this 12-episode series gets its ingredients from the worldwide hit fi lms made by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. Each Transporter episode packs plenty of cinematic adventure into a television episode – with breathtaking scenes and humorous dialogue. All the ingredients that have made Luc Besson’s fi lms such a success – action, comedy, seduction – come together in this series.

The Transporter is an international co-production of M6 and RTL Television in Germany, which united their forces with HBO and HBO Canada. With a budget of more than €30 million, the series is the largest international coproduction by the two channels to date.

The Transporter debuts on 6 December at 20:50 on M6.

MISSIONS WITH THREE RULESM6

Delphine Chaneac, Chris Vance, Andrea Osvart, François Berleand (from left to right)

9

M6 Publicité, RTL Net and the other media groups behind the private premium advertising marketplace Audience Square launched their activity. France – 6 December 2012

Back in April 2012, M6 Publicité Digital and RTL Net announced their participation in the creation of Audience Square. Audience Squareis a digital marketplace assigned to marketing the qualifi ed digital audience of premium media brands by auctioning off advertising space on the Internet to advertisers and agencies. In total, more than 100 media are accessible in real time (real-time bidding) and the platform gathers 28 million unique visitors – coverage representing 64 per cent of French Internet users.

Transparent and innovative, the Audience Square service offers its clients targeted advertising space within a page and contextual environments for greater relevance in the messages delivered (news, automotive, sport…). Clients can also proceed to a targeted audience with more than 20 targeted media available that combine socio-demographic or behavioural profi les thanks to 30 million profi les constituted over several months.

Along with the digital advertising services of Groupe M6 and RTL Radio, Audience Square counts Les Echos, Groupe Express Roularta, Libération, Groupe Le Monde, Next Radio TV, Groupe Nouvel Observateur, Le Point and the Prisma Média group among its shareholders. Since its launch, it has acquired three new non-share-holding partners: CCM Benchmark Advertising, Condé Nast Digital and Bayard Publicité.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING TURNS A NEW PAGEM6 Publicité Digital / RTL Net

More information is available on the website

Audience-Square.com

10

American radio personality, television host and author Howard Stern will return as a judge for a second season on the top-rated summer alternative series America’s Got Talent on NBC, co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s Syco Television. United States – 5 December 2012

Stern will continue to provide his observations on the colorful array of hopeful future stars that are currently auditioning in major cities around the US for the show’s upcoming eighth season.

“Howard’s infectious enthusiasm for the show was felt by contestants and viewers alike because he’s truly a fan of America’s Got Talent,” commented Executive Producer Trish Kinane, President of Entertainment Programming at FremantleMedia North America. Adding, “We’re auditioning now nationwide to bring the best new talent before the judges, and we look forward to more of Howard’s passionate views as we welcome him back for another great season.”

“Howard Stern’s towering presence and opinions on last season’sshow as a new judge made a dramatic impact and added a sharper edge to the fascinating developments on stage,” saidPaul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. “We know that Howard believes in America’s Got Talent and that dedication comes across in a genuine way to our viewers who share his passion about our amazing talent competition.”

Stern helped to transform American radio and put syndicated satellite radio on the map on Sirius XM. As the outspoken, unedited and headline-grabbing host of The Howard Stern Show radio programme, Stern was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005 and became a pop-culture icon with a massive loyal fan base. Since 1987, he has hosted numerous television shows, record-breaking pay-per-view events and home video releases. He also embarked on a fi ve-month political campaign for governor of New York in 1994.

HOWARD STERN TO RETURN FOR SECOND SEASONFremantleMedia North America

Howard Stern

11

Personalisation of services

Quality of services

RTL Group’s insurance broker carried out its biennial customer satisfaction survey again this year. The results corroborated the high satisfaction scores the company has earned in the past. Luxembourg – 5 December 2012

Media Assurances, a wholly owned subsidiary of RTL Group that celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2013, specialises in risk analyses for the media and communications sector. This year, Media Assurances added noted new customers, such as FremantleMedia Australia and FremantleMedia Indonesia and the fi lm production fi rm Luxanimation.

Every two years, Media Assurances conducts a customer satisfaction survey among its customer pool – currently 1,641 companies and individuals. The results of the latest survey, carried out in Autumn 2012, show that the company is still doing very well. Pierrot Gieres, CEO of Media Assurances, says: “We are very pleased that 84 per cent of respondents gave the quality of our services the highest possible score. That is a truly remarkable result for the key indicator of the survey, which we will continue to use as our benchmark.” Customers also praised the personalisation of the services offered and the availability of their contact persons – in both cases 91 per cent of respondents said these were ‘very good’. A large majority of 89 per cent of all customers also feels that Media Assurance’s risk analysis is either ‘very good’ or ‘good’. Approximately 60 per cent of the customer pool completed the survey.

Gieres expressed his great satisfaction with the positive feedback. At the same time, he added that this does not mean the company can relax its vigilance: “We will continue to meet our customers’ expectations with circumspection and careful attention, in order to remain a trustworthy and dependable partner that delivers good insurance solutions at the best prices,” he said.

Media Assurances offers insurance solutions to suit every customer need. Among other things, it insures such well-known RTL Group productions as Wer wird Millionär?, Deutschland sucht den Superstar and Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. As an RTL Group subsidiary with international reach, Media Assurances is positioned as an independent insurance broker; beyond media industry clients, its expertise is also available to individuals as well as SMEs in Luxembourg. Clients in the latter group include Rosport, Luxexpo, CTI Systems, Caves Bernard-Massard and the Luxembourg Philharmonic.

CUSTOMERS VERY SATISFIEDWITH MEDIA ASSURANCES

Media Assurances

See survey resultson Backstage

12

This year’s Christmas Card

This is the seventh year RTL Group has commissioned an artist to design a Christmas card. This time, the card was designed by Tim Davies, a British artist known primarily for his vibrantly colourful works, which are reminiscent of 1960s pop art. Luxembourg – 3 December 2012

The motif of this year’s Christmas card picks up on the much-touted ‘multi-screen’usage of TV content: it shows a Santa Claus watching the popular FremantleMedia format Got Talent in his living room: live on his TV screen and with added information via the second-screenapp on a tablet. The show itself is rendered in the typical pop-art style for which Davies is famous.

Tim Davies says: “It was great to be asked to paint an image for the RTL Group 2012 Christmas card. My pop-art paintings feature iconic and optimistic fi gures and characters, and it was a good challenge to incorporate all the narrative elements required to portray this year’s theme of ‘Multi-Screens’ and the increasingly interactive nature of modern television and

at the same time create something that is fun and happy and conveys the greetings of the season.”

Davies’s art owes its international popularity to the fact that it sparks a positive feeling in the people who see his work using simple but effective stylistic elements that have become a hallmark of his art over the years: a combination of characteristically vibrant colours and the sweeping, graphic brush strokes that are typical for the artist. His paintings and graphics are full of movement and dynamism, refl ecting a happy, cheerful lifestyle.

Davies wants to be part of his audience’s lives, so many of his works are found not only on canvas or paper, but also on dishes, watches and glasses. Music plays an important role in Davies’s art – he has designed numerous album covers for musicians and bandsincluding Al Di Meola, Robert Plant and Pink Floyd. He also won the ‘Best International TV Programing Award’ for the set design of an Asian offshoot of MTV.

CHRISTMAS IS COLOURFUL ANDFULL OF JOIE DE VIVRE

RTL Group

Visit Backstageto send your wishes

“Television plays an important role in providing information about food and nutrition”The German Minister of Consumer Affairs Ilse Aigner (centre) visited the Unter uns studio and awarded the series’ fi ctional ‘Schiller’ restaurant an “In Form” supporters’ plaque to honour RTL Television’s and Grundy UFA’s efforts in promoting a healthy lifestyle with the daily series.

14

“RTL is the ratings king”Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

In November, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s channels together attracted an audience share of 34.3 per cent among viewers aged 14 to 49, putting them 5.9 percentage points ahead of the ProSiebenSat1 channels (28.4 per cent). Accordingly, the German newswire DPA ran the headline: “RTL is the ratings king.”Germany – 4 December 2012

The Dutch TV market in NovemberRTL Nederland

RTL Nederland’s channels together attracted 33.7 per cent of the country’s 20- to 49-year-old audience in November, well ahead of the public-service broadcasters who scored a share of 27.7 per cent and the SBS group with a 19.5 per cent audience share.The Netherlands – 5 December 2012

RTL Radio salutes the graphic novelof the yearRTL Radio

On 27 November, in a live broadcast on the programme Laissez-vous Tenter, RTL Radio in France awarded the 2012 edition of the ‘Grand Prix de la Bande Dessinée’ to co-authors Clément Oubrerie and Julie Birmant for the fi rst volume of Pablo. France – 30 November 2012

When talking about it becomes taboo…Téva

On 1 December 2012, the magazine programme Les dossiers de Téva presented by Marielle Fournier took a look at a problem notoften addressed in the media: alcoholism in women and adolescents.France – 30 November 2012

SHORT NEWS 1/2

15

The Voice of Holland candidate hogs all top three chart slotsRTL 4

Sandra van Nieuwland, a candidate on the singing contest The Voice of Holland, has laid claim to all three top spots in the GfK Single Top 100 in the Netherlands.The Netherlands – 3 December 2012

Les Grosses Têtes ‘à la carte’RTL Radio

Les Grosses Têtes, a cult favourite on French radio, has just passed the 15,000-show mark. It’s an occasion for Philippe Bouvard to take the programme in a slightly new direction.France – 4 December 2012

M6 Music Label album is a number one sellerM6 Interactions

With 70,000 albums sold in one week, Génération Goldman, released on 19 November 2012, makes its debut on the charts and ranks as the number one album.France – 4 December 2012

SHORT NEWS 2/2

16

Tobias Schmid

PEOPLE

TOBIASSCHMID Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland

Germany – 3 December 2012

The elections were precipitated by the amendment to the VPRT articles of association resolved by the members’ assembly last year. Among other things, it stipulates that the Board will be composed of the chairs of the expert committees and their deputies as well as up to eight other Board members, and that the Board shall choose a Chairman from among its members. This function replaces the former offi ce of President.

The VPRT is the lobby of the commercial broadcasters and telemedia companies. Its approximately 140 members enrich Germany’s media landscape with the variety, creativity and innovation of their TV, radio, online and mobile offerings. The right regulatory, technological and business conditions have to be in place to ensure that this remains so in the digital world. As a business lobby, the VPRT supports its member companies in achieving this goal in dialogue with policymakers and market partners – at the national and EU levels.

Tobias Schmid, Head of Media Policy at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, was elected Chairman of Germany’s Association of Private Broadcasters and Telemedia (VPRT) on 29 November 2012.

The newly elected VPRT Board elected the new Chairman at its members’ meeting in Berlin. Schmid had previously chaired the association’s expert committee on Television and Multimedia. The previous Chairmanof the VPRT, President Jürgen Doetz, was appointed the offi cial Representative of the Management Board.

The association’s Chairman Tobias Schmid says: “I thank the VPRT Board and members for their vote of confi dence and look forward to assuming responsibility for the overall association as I take on my new tasks. Together with the offi ce and the other Board Members, and in addition to our established media policy work, our job is also to sharpen the focus on the importance of broadcasting as a branch of industry. Our new structure will help us to achieve this. The Board expresses great thanks to Jürgen Doetz for his willingness to continue to put his extensive experience at the association’s service in a key function, as authorised Board representative.”

Annette Kümmel of ProSiebenSat1 Media AG was elected to succeed Tobias Schmid as chair of the Television and Multimedia expert committee, while Klaus Schunk of Radio Regenbogen/Hörfunk in Baden GmbH & Co. KG, was confi rmed as Chair of the Radio and Audio Services committee. The association’s new Treasurer is Holger Enßlin of Sky Deutschland. All elected offi cials have a term of offi ce of two years.

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