Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based RTL Group, a media big which owns Fremantle, climbed 9% to a report €7.2 billion ($7.6 billion) for the monetary yr 2022.
Nevertheless, the corporate’s EBITA (earnings earlier than curiosity, taxes and amortization) slid 6% to €1.08 billion, down from €1.15 billion in 2021. RTL attributes this to increased streaming start-up losses and decrease TV promoting income at RTL Deutschland, and the exits of RTL Belgium and Groupe M6. These results have been partly offset by report adjusted EBITA contributions from RTL Nederland and Fremantle, RTL stated.
The RTL Group has pursuits in 56 tv channels, 9 streaming companies and 36 radio stations. The group’s content material enterprise, Fremantle, is likely one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content material, together with “American Idol,” “Britain’s Obtained Expertise” and “The X Issue.”
Group revenue was €766 million, down from €1.4 billion in 2021. However 2021 was positively impacted by capital beneficial properties of €717 million from the sale of video promoting platform SpotX.
Fremantle’s income was up 22% to €2.3 billion, up from 2021’s €1.9 billion. RTL’s said ambition to construct Fremantle right into a €3 billion firm by 2025 stays in place. Streaming income – which incorporates SVOD, TVOD, in-stream and distribution income from RTL+ in Germany and Hungary and Videoland/RTL XL within the Netherlands – was up by 20%, to €267 million (2021: €223 million), due to the quickly rising variety of paying subscribers.
Paying subscribers for RTL’s streaming companies in Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary soared 44% to five.5 million. Streaming start-up losses have been €233 million.
RTL’s promoting income was €3.72 billion (2021: €3.77 billion), of which €2.9 billion got here from TV (2021: €3.05 billion), €385 million represented digital promoting income (2021: €348 million) and €192 million represented radio promoting income (2021: €219 million).
RTL’s digital income was up by 14% to €1.2 billion (2021: €1.08 billion), primarily due to RTL Deutschland and Fremantle.
The group has set bold streaming targets for 2026, planning to hit 10 million paying subscribers, rising income to €1 billion and content material spend from €304 million to €600 million.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group, stated: “2022 was a robust yr for RTL Group, though we confronted an unprecedented variety of exterior challenges. Income reached €7.2 billion, representing the very best income within the firm’s historical past. With our households of TV channels in Germany, France and the Netherlands persevering with to generate excessive working income, and our international content material enterprise Fremantle reporting report outcomes, our adjusted EBITA earlier than streaming start-up losses remained secure, on the identical report stage as final yr.”
He continued: “RTL Group’s progress companies streaming and content material progressed considerably in 2022, with 5.5 million paying subscribers for RTL+ and Videoland, and over 100 drama productions from Fremantle. We’re on the right track to succeed in our bold streaming targets, and Fremantle is on monitor to changing into a €3 billion firm [by revenue] by 2025. RTL Group demonstrates excessive earnings, price self-discipline and vital investments in content material, streaming, tech and information. This permits us to pay a excessive dividend of €4.00 per share to our shareholders, together with €0.50 regarding the disposals of RTL Belgium and RTL Croatia.”
