RTL Group’s online platforms and on-demand offers across Europe collectively generated more than 1.8 billion video views of professionally produced content in the first nine months of 2012, up 22% year-on-year.
The broadcaster released the figure with the presentation of the Q3 financial results.
In the third quarter of 2012, with higher TV advertising sales from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and growing revenue at FremantleMedia, RTL Group’s reported revenue was up 5.5% cent to €1,296 million (Q3/2011: €1,229 million).
In an increasingly tough economic environment, almost all TV advertising markets across Europe decreased during the third quarter, while the German TV advertising market was estimated to be slightly up.
RTL Group’s reported EBITA increased by 5.8% to €165 million (Q3/2011: €156 million), driven by the Group’s content division FremantleMedia which, as anticipated at the half year, benefitted from the phasing of productions and a one-off effect, resulting from the sale of a building in London, during the third quarter.
RTL Group’s reported EBITA margin was stable at 12.%.
RTL Group said it has defined three main investment areas (core, content and digital) and is making “sound progress in all strategic fields.”
The broadcaster continues to investments new TV channels such as launch of digital children’s channel RTL Telekids in the Netherlands on September 1, followed by the launch of family entertainment cable channel RTL II in Hungary on October 1.
RTL Group’s first broadcasting venture outside of Europe was launched on November 5 with the action entertainment channel Big RTL Thrill in India.
And on December 12 , the start of a new French digital terrestrial channel is planned: 6ter, Groupe M6’s new general entertainment channel for the whole family.
Other notable events included the announcement of RTL Interactive and HD Plus that the catch-up TV services RTL Now, Vox Now and Super RTL Now will become part of the upcoming ‘HD Plus Replay’ hybrid HbbTV platform.
On October 17, RTL Nederland announced the acquisition of Videostrip, the Netherland’s leading online video advertising network.
FremantleMedia’s German subsidiary, UFA, will launch two Youtube channels with original content, “eNtR” (urban life style) and “Trigger” (crime) on November 22.
