week 23 - RTL Groupthe Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. “I love my job and it fulfils me especially because of its international dimension. In our industry, my job is one-of-a-kind

Luxembourg

Gerhard Zeiler ends speculationregarding possible ORF candidacy

Germany

RTL Television prolongs contractwith Klitschko brothers

France

How M6 and RTL Radio report on Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Germany

A new approach to movie financing

week 23

9 June 2011

The science of ratingsHow audience shares and viewer figures are calculated

the RTL Group intranetweek 23

Cover: Montage illustrating audience measurement

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In the television industry it’s almost impossible to avoid the subject of ratings: viewer numbers, ratings, market share and reach crop up again and again. They are something of a barometer of public opinion: they indicate how many viewers watched a particular programme. And this can have a significant impact on the advertising rates.

In the online sector, other indicators are used to measure website or video use: unique users, page views, video views or click-through rates are just some of the figures collected as usage statistics by a large number of operators or independent institutions. “There is a view that measurement of online usage is much more accurate than that of TV usage,” says Robert Schäffner, Head of Market and Media Research atIP Deutschland. “However, that isn’t entirely correct.” While you can see from the IP address exactly which machine was accessing a particu-lar webpage at a given point in time, you cannot tell who was sitting in front of the computer, he says. This means users cannot be divided into target groups or different demographics that would allow them to be specifically targeted. “Online measurement only appears to be specific,” says Schäffner. “In order to obtain a comparable currency for the online sector, in addition to the existing technical measurability of the IP address you would also need to have a

detailed assessment of the user sitting in front of the computer – using a panel, for instance.” However, such panels are currently only used for measuring TV audience ratings. But before peering into the future, it’s wise to take a look at the present. And so Backstage first sets out to answer the question of how ratings are currently measured. France, for example, has a population of 65 million, and clearly it would be impossible to interview everyone. In Germany alone there are 35.3 million households with a TV set. For this reason, a panel is created from which the ratings are extrapolated in relation to the total population – in a similar way to the polls put together for elections. “Polls are often based on surveys of perhaps 1,000 people,” says Robert Schäffner, Head of market and media research at IP Deutschland, and one of the company’s representatives in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung (AGF)television research federation, which determines German TV audience figures on behalf of the GfK.

The TV panel is a small-scale image of all households with one or more TV sets in the country being measured, whose main bread-winner is either a citizen of that country or of another EU member state. It is important that the composition of the panel reflects the composition

Down to the second Audience shares and usage figures are the currency of the advertising industry – online and offline. Backstage explains how the figures are collected, using Germany as an example. Germany - 9 June 2011

Robert Schäffner


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of the general population. This is the only way to ensure that the TV panels are representative. Accordingly, socio-demographic factors such as age, size of household, place of residence and the like are also taken into account. Smaller German states often have proportionally more panel households than larger states to ensure a minimum number of cases for evaluation. The disproportionate distribution of households is countered using weighting, so that each state and metropolitan area in the data analysis has the same proportion of households as there are in the overall population.

The German panel is much larger than those used in electoral polls: it currently comprises 5,640 households with a total of nearly 13,000 people. Of these, the main breadwinner is of German nationality in 5,500 households, and in 140 households the main breadwinner is from another EU country. In this way the television usage of 72.2 million people in 35.3 million households with television can be mapped over a 3-year period (as of 1 Jan 2009). Each house-hold in the panel is representative of an average of about 6,000 households in Germany. In these households, electronics are used to automati-cally measure which channel is being watched, rather than relying on memory or opinion using a questionnaire. “We therefore collect much better-quality data from far more people,” says Schäffner. “No other medium can offer this depth of usage data – what’s more, on a daily basis.”

Almost all countries in Western Europe now measure ratings using “people meters.” Only in Luxembourg are audience figures determined using surveys. This is mostly because of the size of the country – the application of the system would be too costly in relation to the benefit. The people meter is a device that is directly connected to the TV set, and precisely measures what programme is playing - with digital channels in Germany this is done by reading the DVB programme information, and for analogue channels using the channel configuration or VPS signal which most channels transmit to so that video recorders can be programmed. In other countries, “matching” processes and audio coding are used. In audio or picture matching, the sound or picture signals are picked up and compared with sound and picture signals from channels recorded around the clock. In order to identify viewers and classify them into target groups, people in the household have to person-ally sign in on a remote control when they watch TV. In a similar way anonymous information about guests is also collected: only their age and gender are registered. In addition to TV viewing, precise data about the use of teletext, video games and video recorders (both analogue and digital) can be measured. The data collected during the day is transmitted via telephone overnight to the computer centre, where it can then be evaluated.

German audience measuring device TC score


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In some countries, like Germany, France and the Netherlands, measurements are calculated down to the second; in others such as Croatia, Greece and Spain they are calculated down to the minute. This not only maps momentary usage behaviour but also provides an analysis over time. “Although there are occasional meas-urement errors, they balance each other out on a mass scale,” says Schäffner. “For this reason one could actually also work with smaller pan-els.”

One prerequisite for determining representa-tive television usage data is that the TV panel provides as realistic a picture as possible of German TV households in all relevant traits. First, therefore, the demographic structure of the panel must correspond to that of the population. With this in mind, each year the AGF checks and compares the structural values of its panels with the corresponding results of the Arbeitsge-meinschaft Media-Analyse survey on the use of electronic media, which is based on interviews with about 50,000 people.

The second prerequisite for the acceptance of the panel and its results is the validity of the data collected. In this connection, the compatibility of the panel members’ TV usage is checked and compared with that of the population, especially regarding when and for how long they watch TV. To do this, a representative random sample of more than 8,000 interviews is regularly con-ducted by an external institute – on prescribed days and at set times (six measurement time points between 18:25 and 20:40). These telephone interviews ask who in the household is watching TV at the time of the call and what, if anything, they are watching. This information is then checked against the values measured at that particular time in the panel.

Yet another prerequisite for obtaining valid reach ratings is the correct operation of the measur-ing instrument. The AGF checks whether the panellists correctly sign in and out of the meter by interviewing a person in the household who can provide information about the TV viewing of all household members. Again, the interview is carried out at set time periods (19:00 to 21:15) on predetermined days. People are asked who is watching television at the time of the call; what channels, if any, are being watched; and whether ancillary activities are taking place while watching TV. The information collected in this way is separately checked for each household panel and panellist – for that exact point in time – to see whether it corresponds with the values measured in the respective household.

If these three prerequisites are met, the data collected is accurate and sound. “Most countries’ ratings measurements now follow the same principle, using electronic people meters in a panel system,” explains Schäffner. “But that’s where the similarities end. Other factors such as panel size or types of TV use vary widely and are as diverse as the media and advertising markets themselves.”

So in future, the priority will be to create comparable ways to count contacts in TV and in-stream content usage – regardless of what device it is viewed on. One conceivable approach would be to set up a separate panel for measuring in-stream content and ad views. In further instalments of this series, coming soon, Backstagewill report on how viewer numbers determine the price of advertising and keep you abreast of developments in the measurement of online usage.

Belgium (South)

Croatia

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Netherlands

Russia

Spain

1985

2002

1989

1985

1988

1994

1987

1996

1988

750

760

3,800

5,640

1,300

1,040

1,220

3,000

4,355

1 sec

1 min

1 sec

1sec

1 min

1 min

1 sec

1 min

1 min

Launch ofpeople meter

systemPanel Size

(Households)Interval of

MeasurementForeign

channelsCable andSatellitechannels

Digital channels

DTTchannels

Overview about the differences in the measuring systems across EuropeSource: IP Network / RTL Group: Television Key Facts 2010


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In recent weeks, the Austrian press has been preoccupied with the question of whether Gerhard Zeiler will stand for election on 9 August, when the new Director General of ORF is elected. In an interview with Austria’s Profil magazine, Zeiler has now put an end to the speculation. “I will not run for the position of Director General of ORF,” says Zeiler, adding that it is well known that he has a long-term contract as CEO of RTL Group and sits on the Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. “I love my job and it fulfils me especially because of its international dimension. In our industry, my job is one-of-a-kind in Europe.”

Gerhard Zeiler served as Secretary General of ORF in the 1980s, and from 1994 to 1998 headed the public-service broadcaster of his native Austria. His possible candidacy was highly acclaimed in Austria, with politicians of various parties expressing their support. Two years ago, Austria’s chancellor Werner Faymann (SPÖ; Social Democrats) had asked Zeiler under what conditions he would consider leading the ORF. Recently, the conservative ÖVP party in particular has publicly proclaimed its support.

In the interview, Zeiler explains that major portions of the political sector are not so much interested in who would do the best job lead-ing the company, but who would be compliant about the parties’ staffing preferences. “So the decision not to stand for election was relatively easy. I wouldn’t have matched that particular profile in any way.”

Gerhard Zeiler ends speculation regarding possible ORF candidacyIn an interview, Gerhard Zeiler makes it clear that he will remain CEO of RTL Group rather than running for Director General of ORF, Austria’s public-service broadcaster.Luxembourg - 4 June 2011

Gerhard Zeiler


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The new television contract includes a package of five other fights featuring the brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. WBC champion Vitali Klitschko’s first fight under the new contract is on 10 September in Wroclaw, Poland, against Tomasz Adamek. The contract extension continues the highly successful partnership of almost five years between Klitschko Management Group (KMG) and RTL Television.

Wladimir Klitschko: “My brother and I are very happy that RTL Television will continue to broadcast our fights in future. Together we will inspire millions of people to watch the sport on TV.”

Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of RTL Television, said: “During the five years of our TV partner-ship, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have become one of the channel’s hallmarks, both as heavy-weight world champions and as extraordinarily popular figures. Their boxing events guarantee great Saturday night sport on RTL Television, along with outstanding ratings. We are therefore particularly pleased that after managing to sign a new TV contract for Formula 1 we have now also extended our collaboration with these two champions.”

“You can really count yourself lucky when you have two of the three top sports, Formula 1 and the Klitschkos, in your programme,” says Loppe. “And when only major tournament foot-ball matches like the European Championships

or World Cup attract more viewers than the Klitschko brothers, then it is all the more grati-fying to know that our successful collaboration will continue. We are all now looking forward to 2 July when we broadcast the unification bout between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye to over 150 countries.”

Since 12 November 2006, when Vladimir Klitschko defeated the American Calvin Brock at Madison Square Garden, RTL has broadcast the Klitschko brothers’ last 16 consecutive world championship victories. With over 14 million viewers and market shares of 50 per cent or more, RTL Television has been able to achieve extraordinary TV ratings that were otherwise scored only by German national team European Championship or World Cup (football) matches.

Klitschkos continue to fight exclusively on RTL Television Bernd Bönte, CEO of the Klitschko Management Group and RTL Television Sports Director Manfred Loppe signed a TV contract to this effect on Wednesday in the Austrian town of Going. Germany - 9 June 2011

Wladimir (left) and Vitali Klitschko

Manfred Loppe, Wladimir Klitschko and his Manager Bernd Bönte


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It all started on 14 May 2011. The French awoke to news too incredible to be true: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Director General of the IMF and potential candidate in the 2012 French presidential elections, was arrested in New York and accused of rape. The first images that arrived from across the Atlantic shocked the entire world, especially France.

At RTL Radio, all the editorial departments in Washington, New York and Paris were mobilised that day and afterwards to follow the affair and bring listeners all the details. Daily programmes were cancelled or readjusted and the order of the day was to concentrate on the facts without giving in to sensationalism despite the scandalous photos. On M6 it was mainly the midday and evening televised news shows that provided the reports.

Once the upheaval of the first days had subsided, the affair remained an ever-present topic on the French media landscape. Today, however, according to RTL Radio’s News Director Jacques Esnous, “We are not using it as a way to boost ratings and we mention it when there is a new development.” On 6 June, which was DSK’s latest court date, the most listened to radio station in France dedicated a whole day to the affair. Starting at 4:30 till 19:00, the different shows aired consecrated a major part of their programmes to the “case of the century”.

At M6, from the beginning, the subject has been developed in depth and presented through different angles on a few of the channel’s newsmagazine shows. M6 News Director Jérôme Bureau explains that, “We are currently working on more magazine-style programmes like a portrait of ‘these men who can save Strauss-Kahn’, such as Benjamin Brafman, who is one of his lawyers. M6 is the only channel in

the world so far, Brafman has accepted to give an interview to. In addition, we are trying to obtain the first interview with Strauss-Kahn’s wife Anne Sinclair and/or his daughter Camille.”

This affair, which continues to have so much coverage by the press, has also opened a debate among journalists around the world. They do not hesitate to point a finger at what is in their eyes the overly complacent attitude of their French colleagues toward DSK, both in the past and at present. They also accuse the French press of granting the presumed victim only a very limited place in their reports.

For RTL Radio and M6 the “quasi-absence” of this individual in their various reports is the result of the difficulty of finding information that concerns her, whether it is in the United States or her native country Guinea. At RTL Radio, says Jacques Esnous, “since the beginning the guiding line has been neither to defend nor condemn either party – a point that is also appreciated by listeners; the accuser is not mentioned unless there is something new

How RTL Radio and M6 cover the Strauss-Kahn scandalThe DSK affair continues to feed most conversations as well as editorial lines in France and abroad. Backstage wanted to learn more about how the affair has been covered by the editorial departments of RTL Group’s French subsidiaries RTL Radio and M6.France - 3 June 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (right) and his lawyer


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to report.” As for M6, Jérôme Bureau confirms, “we are working on a topic regarding the victim.”As for their so-called complacence, the two media outlets unanimously defend themselves that in France the laws regarding private life are very strict and that it is in the journalists’ ethics and tradition to follow these to the letter. Rumours about DSK’s reputation as a seducer are quite simply part of the private domain.

The same holds true for the broadcasting of images, especially taking into account the Guigou law, which prohibits the capturing and broadcasting of images of a defendant who is handcuffed or shackled. These images could not legally be broadcast in France. The CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel), however, finally decided that the necessity and obligation to inform rendered this law null. The broadcasting of these images in all the French media were a testimony to the humiliation and public dethronement of someone who could have become France’s next president. These images were viewed with indignation by many of the French, whether people on the street, politicians or French journalists unaccustomed to sensational journalism.


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On 9 June 2011, Valérie Damidot once again assums the role of Victoire Bonnot, a chief educational advisor at a district secondary school known for her unusual teaching methods. Enthusiastic and passionate about her job, she will not hesitate to remove any obstacle before her that may keep her from her objective: helping others.

In “The Masks Come Off”, the third episode in the French telefilm, Victoire Bonnot fights a scourge that is increasingly present among adolescents: binge drinking. How does one tell teenagers that alcohol is harmful when one is also an alcoholic? Matters are made worse when Victoire’s daughter, who discovers her mother’s secret, also starts drinking and hanging around an unsavoury and manipulative fellow student.

Binge drinking, which refers to the consumption of massive amounts of alcohol in a very short period of time, has been the cause of several unfortunate incidents reported in the press in the past few months. The production team wished to deal with this worrisome phenomenon, after tackling the problem of gambling addiction, prostitution and child abuse in previous episodes.

“Dealing with the daily lives and problems of today’s teenagers accurately and truthfully” such is the ambition of Victoire Bonnot, which seems to have proven fruitful, seeing that the first instalment, broadcast in March 2010, drew 4.71 million viewers. This is equivalent to a total audience share of 16.8 per cent, making M6 the most watched channel that evening. The second episode, “The Secret”, available also with descriptive audio for the vision impaired, attracted a high number of viewers as well when broadcast in September 2010.

Three additional episodes of Victoire Bonnot are scheduled for shooting in 2011. The third episode, “The Masks Come Off”, is shown on 9 June 2011 at 20:45 on M6 and features French actress Catherine Jacob in the role of the headmistress of Lycée Paul Eluard.

Victoire Bonnot takes on binge drinking On 9 June 2011, M6 broadcast the third episode of Victoire Bonnot entitled “The Masks Come Off”. In this latest instalment, the chief educational advisor and the students of Lycée Paul Eluard are confronted with the problem of binge drinking among adolescents.France - 9 June 2011

Kids partying on beach

The team of Victoire Bonnot


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Hotel Desire is a feature film with a twist: it is to be crowd financed, that mean funded by a large number of individuals. The filmmakers need €170,000 to produce it. The online financing platform, featuring interviews with the makers and cast members, an FAQ section, some stills and the opening scene, has been online since 6 June 2011. With an erotic script and a top-notch cast in place, the project is now targeting all film lovers, culture buffs and philanthropists.

Every person who supports the project is named in a list of sponsors on the landing page of the film’s homepage – if they so wish – and receives an exclusive token of appreciation from the film-makers, depending on the amount donated. As the total funding grows, the project’s sponsors get to read more and more of the screenplay for Hotel Desire. If the experiment is a success, shooting on the project begins in August. If its ambitious funding goal isn’t met, the money will go to other up-and-coming filmmakers and their projects through the First Steps Award 2011.

Sergej Moya, Hotel Desire’s Director and Script-writer, has set out to produce an erotic movie with a self-confident approach inspired by the genre of pornographic film, but isn’t porn. Hotel Desire is ‘porneography’, in which the exciting interaction of yearning, lust, desire, intimacy, sexuality, sensuality and spontaneity is to be told in a sensitive, cinematic way – without soft light-ing and with total disregard for visual rules and conventions.

Hotel Desire, starring Saralisa Volm and Clemens Schick, is a production by Von Fiessbach Film and Teamworx. Its producers are Julia Lischinski and Christopher Zwickler (Von Fiessbach Film) and Sascha Schwingel (Teamworx).

A sexy new approach to financingTeamworx is exploring new paths with its Hotel Desire project: the film is to be ‘crowd-funded’ by Internet users.Germany - 7 June 2011

Saralisa Volm and Clemens Schick


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Since its launch in May 2010, Tonterías Las Justas has become a phenomenon on Spanish TV, attracting record audiences. An average 750,000 people tune in daily, with peak ratings ranging between one and two million. The highly entertaining and humorous show is presented on Cuatro by Florentino Fernández, Dani Martínez and Anna Simón and produced by Siete and Acción.

Neox, Spain’s leading digital TV channel and part of Grupo Antena 3, has managed to sign up the whole Tonterías Las Justas team. The show’s producer, Siete and Acción, will produce a similar humorous entertainment prime-time programme for Neox that will also be aired from Monday to Friday. The show’s hilarious presenter trio of the show will also join the rest of the team at Neox, which is Spain’s number five TV channel.

This signing means that Neox is the first of the country’s new generation of digital channels to produce a grand daily live format; it will further reinforce the channel’s line-up of acclaimed and award-winning series and formats, and enhance Neox’s and Grupo Antena 3’s leading positions in Spain’s linear-TV and digital-TV markets. Following the announcement, Neox became the trending topic worldwide on Twitter.

Neox signs up the team of Tonterías Las JustasNeox has signed up the team of Tonterías Las Justas, a day-time show sensation previously shown on the channel Cuatro, to produce a daily grand-format programme. The show’s three presenters will also move to Neox.Spain - 7 June 2011

Turning ten To celebrate 10 years of

‘RTL Z’, Bert Habets, CEO of

RTL Nederland, opened the trading

at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange

on 6 June. With its approach to

combine the most important news

of the day with financial

and economic news, ‘RTL Z’ has

a unique position in the Dutch

TV market.


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The German TV market in MayMediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s channels jointly attracted 35.5 per cent of 14- to 49-year-old TV viewers in May 2011. This put them 6.8 percentage points ahead of the ProSiebenSat1 channels, which scored 28.7 per cent of the market.Germany - 3 June 2011

The Dutch Television market in MayMediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s channels jointly attracted 35.5 per cent of 14- to 49-year-old TV viewers in May 2011. This put them 6.8 percentage points ahead of the ProSiebenSat1 channels, which scored 28.7 per cent of the market.Netherlands - 7 June 2011

Confirming its number one position in French-speaking BelgiumWith an audience share of 26.9 per cent for the 2010/11 season, RTL-TVI remained the leading TV channel in French-speaking Belgium and broadcast 23 of the season’s 25 most-watched programmes.Belgium - 7 June 2011

Going strong in MayRTL Group’s French channel publishes its ratings for the month of May 2011, posting excellent results in several categories including news, TV series and pure entertainment.France - 8 June 2011


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Jai McDowall wins Britain’s Got TalentIn the finale on 4 June, Jai McDowall was voted the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2011 – 14.1 million viewers tuned in. United Kingdom - 6 June 2011

Antena 3 is Spain’s favourite video portalWith 2.2 million unique visitors in April 2011, Antena3.com is Spain’s clear market leader when it comes to video portals. Spain - 6 June 2011

Nature programme Elément Terre returns to RTL RadioTo mark World Environment Day in France on 5 June 2011, the programme Elément Terre presented by Louis Bodin returned to RTL Radio for its fourth summer season. The show’s first guest was the singer Antoine. France - 3 June 2011

Promoting music on televisionGroupe M6 has just signed an agreement with the French music rights societies with a view to promoting music on television. France - 3 June 2011


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The great adventure of growing upWith the Toggolino – Abenteuer Grosswerden campaign series, Super RTL and the Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (German Lifesaving Society) seek to give children and their parents’ principles and tools for everyday life. The series starts with a focus on learning to swim. Germany - 9 June 2011

Extensive InformationRTL II and Innocence in Danger launch Schützt endlich unsere Kinder! – a preventive initiative.Germany - 8 June 2011

The most watched show of the dayRTL Televizija’s Ljubav je na selu (Farmer Wants A Wife) is off to an excellent third season, having attracted 32.6 per cent of its target group of 18- to 49-year-old viewers.Croatia - 8 June 2011


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People

Stéphane BernFrance - 8 June 2011

Stéphane Bern joins RTL Radio at the end of summer and will host a new daily show in the late morning.

Stéphane Bern is a journalist, radio host, television presenter and French author, and is considered a specialist of high society and royalty. The 47 year-old knows the rue Bayard station very well, having been a member of Les Grosses Têtes from 1996 to 2000.

Since 2000, he has been producing and hosting the programme Le Fou du roi on France Inter, a station he will soon be leaving after 11 years to join RTL Radio. Starting in September, he will be at the helm of a new daily show on the most listened to radio station in France.

Stéphane Bern began his career in 1985. Since then, along with radio, he has been very active in television, both public and private, as a host, co-host or contributor on various programmes such as Sagas, Célébrités, Des racines et des ailes, etc. Stéphane has also devoted a good deal of his time to print journalism since the

start of his career, rising from simple journalist to editor-in-chief on the magazines Dynastie, Voici and Jours de France. Since 1999, he as served as deputy editor-in-chief (Events column) on the magazine Le Figaro Madame. His commitment even earned him a nomination as an Officer in France’s Order of Arts and Letters in January 2010.

“I’m happy to be able to write a new page in my radio journey,” says Stéphane Bern. “I want to bring all my energy and enthusiasm to France’s number one radio station, where I count many friends.”

RTL CEO Christopher Baldelli is pleased with this new arrival. “The choice was obvious. We’re delighted to reinforce the RTL team again with Stéphane Bern, a man of great qualities and a true professional in radio.”

Stéphane Bern

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week 23 - RTL Groupthe Bertelsmann AG Executive Board. “I love my job and it fulfils me especially because of its international dimension. In our industry, my job is one-of-a-kind