RTL Group Profit Up 80 Percent

[BGonaSTICK]

RTL Group has recorded a 2006 profit of 1.11 billion euros, an 80.4 percent gain on its prior-year results, on revenues of 5.64 billion euros, a 10.3 percent increase on 2005.

“2006 was a very satisfying year for RTL Group,” said Gerhard Zeiler, the company’s CEO. “Our biggest profit contributors—the German family of channels, M6 in France, FremantleMedia, RTL Nederland and Antena 3 in Spain—delivered particularly strong performances. On Group level, we again managed to improve our key figures.”

Zeiler continued: “The fact that these results were achieved under mixed and sometimes difficult market conditions provides solid proof that our pan-European strategy is a sound foundation on which to go forward. RTL Group is preparing for the digital age by building multi-channel offerings in its key markets and by further increasing non-advertising revenue. For a content and brand company such as RTL Group, the digital world offers a lot of opportunities for new business models—be it video on demand, mobile TV, IPTV, or online communities. In 2007, our operations will step up their efforts to seize these opportunities. Now is the right time to try and test all new platforms and all new ways to the consumer. ”

At the content segment FremantleMedia, revenues were up 19.1 percent to 1.128 billion euros, with an EBITA of 128 million euros, a 23 percent increase. “Our performance in 2006 has been exceptional,” said FremantleMedia CEO Tony Cohen. “We have produced number one shows on five continents; we have created and nurtured brands that have delighted audiences on and off the screen and continued to demonstrate our leadership in developing formats that can travel the world. Our portfolio of entertainment brands continues to grow both in depth, international presence and commercial strength.”