Digital and German ad market boosts RTL Group

Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch

Broadcaster RTL Group benefited from a strong performance from its core German advertising-driven business and fast-growing digital unit in the third quarter to deliver revenue growth of 7.5% to €1.853 billion.

Among RTL’s digital properties, MCNs BroadbandTV and StyleHaul saw revenue growth of 85% and 98% respectively, while SpotX was up 62%. RTL said that these units still required ongoing investments and digital services were likely to generate startup losses in the near future.

Medengruppe RTL Deutschland’s revenue was up 6.8% while RTL Group digital revenue grew by 86.6% to €125 million.

RTL Group’s reported EBITA was up 13.8% to €182 million.

“During the first nine months of 2015, RTL Group significantly increased revenue, EBITA and net profit, mainly driven by the strong performance of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. The third quarter 2015 was particularly positive, with revenue and EBITA for RTL Group at record levels. This is a very encouraging basis for another successful full year, despite the challenging comparatives in the fourth quarter,” said co-CEOs Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch.
Looking at our revenue split, digital is now accountable for 8 per cent of RTL Group’s total revenue. For us, TV does not stand for television alone anymore, but for ‘total video’ – and we have built leading market positions across the whole value chain of this total video market. Investments in broadcast, content and digital are transforming our leading European entertainment network into a global force in video production, aggregation and monetisation.”