Values

175 Years of Bertelsmann | The Management | The Group Divisions | Spirit | Financial Information 41
RTL Television the clear number one – again
For the 17 th successive year, RTL Television in Germany was
again the leading broadcaster among 14- to 49-year-olds, achieving
an audience share of 16.9 percent. Th e draw for viewers is
a winning combination of both familiar and new programs in
the popular genres – big entertainment shows and series, sporting
events, comedies, quiz and reality formats. Th e Mediengruppe
RTL Deutschland family of channels attracted
34.4 percent of this preferred target group, extending their lead
over their nearest competitor. RTL Television was home to
78 of the 100 programs most watched by young viewers.
Fremantle Media’s got talent
Th e third season of “Britain’s Got Talent,” produced by Fremantle
Media’s Talkback Th ames, was a huge, record-breaking hit in
2009. Nearly one-third of the U.K. population tuned into the
fi nal, making it the U.K.’s highest rated entertainment show of
the last decade with an audience of 18.3 million viewers. Th e
star of the season was the 48-year-old singer Susan Boyle, who
came in second. Th e clip of her performing “I Dreamed a Dream”
became the year’s most-watched video on YouTube worldwide,
while her album of the same name was the best-selling debut in
U.K. chart history.
Bertelsmann Annual Report 2009
RTL Group
Random House
Gruner + Jahr
Arvato
Direct Group
Highlights 2009
M6 only French channel to increase viewership with news
Launched in September 2009, M6’s evening news show,
“Le 19.45,” attracted a peak audience of 3.7 million on its fi rst
airing. By the end of the year it had become the only televised
news broadcast in France to attract new viewers, and it is already
the second most popular news show among viewers under the
age of 50. Th e live show features a stand-up presenter, and as
well as providing in-depth coverage and location reporting of
the main issues on people’s minds, it encourages audience
participation. Viewers can submit questions on key news issues
online, and many are subsequently answered on the show.
Fifth channel a new venture for RTL Nederland
Following the implementation of a fl atter and more responsive
structure in 2008, RTL Nederland launched RTL Lounge
in October 2009 − its fi rst special-interest channel which is
available on certain national cable packages. Aimed primarily
at today’s young women, its programming is based on drama
series and lifestyle, with the prime-time lifestyle slot focusing on
a diff erent theme each day. Fans of soaps can watch the latest
episodes before they are broadcast on the main channels, as
well as catch up on repeats.