RTL Group has created the RTL Digital Hub, a dedicated team which will develop the group’s investments in the areas of multi-channel networks (MCNs) and digital advertising sales.
The new Digital Hub is looking in particular to BroadbandTV, StyleHaul, SpotXchange and Clypd. (Pictured is StyleHaul’s CEO and President Stephanie Horbaczewski)
Effective immediately, the team will be led out of the United States and Europe by Marcel Reichart as EVP RTL Digital Hub, in addition to his current role at Bertelsmann. Reichart will execute this mission under the supervision of RTL Group’s Co-CEOs, Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch.
The RTL Digital Hub team will manage RTL Group’s portfolio of digital acquisitions and provide support for their further international expansion. In line with RTL Group’s decentralised organisation, the CEOs of BroadbandTV, StyleHaul and SpotXchange will continue to have full responsibility for their operations. The RTL Digital Hub will foster external partnerships, synergies with RTL Group’s broadcasters, its global production arm, FremantleMedia, and with other divisions of Bertelsmann. In addition, the RTL Digital Hub will intensively scan the market for further investments in the online video space.
RTL Group currently generates more than 7.0 billion online video views per month, with leading positions in key verticals addressing young audiences such as women’s lifestyle and fashion (StyleHaul), gaming (TGN from BroadbandTV), music (Opposition and Wimsic from BroadbandTV) and kids (Hoopla Kidz from YoBoHo/BroadbandTV). This reach makes RTL Group the number two player in the Youtube ecosystem. RTL Group’s MCNs serve a combined base of 42,000 content creators which include famous Youtube stars and social influencers such as Zoella (StyleHaul), Fernanfloo (BroadbandTV) and El Rubius (Divimove), as well as many successful consumer brands and content owners with their marketing and technology solutions. In digital advertising sales, SpotXchange is one of the global leaders for programmatic online video advertising.
Anke Schäferkordt and Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEOs of RTL Group, said in a statement: “The creation of the RTL Digital Hub underlines our strategic goal to become a global force in online video and to further increase our presence in North America. With our recent investments in North America – BroadbandTV, StyleHaul and SpotXchange – we’ve reached critical mass in online video. Now we will bundle our efforts to develop our rapidly growing reach in this area into a more significant and profitable third pillar of RTL Group.
We are very pleased that Marcel Reichart will lead the RTL Digital Hub. Marcel is deeply familiar with RTL Group’s digital businesses and entrepreneurial spirit and extremely well connected in the North-American and European digital media industry. Together with the CEOs of our digital businesses we look forward to working with him and the team which pioneered our digital investments.”
Marcel Reichart: “Having supported RTL Group’s successful online video strategy and digital investments in my current role, I am thrilled to now work even closer with the impressive entrepreneurs of the RTL Digital Hub portfolio and the RTL Group team to drive and create a fast-growing and innovative global leader in digital video. I am looking forward to contributing my digital and media industry insight and network as well as to further fostering synergies within RTL Group and Bertelsmann.”
