European media group RTL has seen an increase in the net reach of its TV channels, resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic.
Viewing times and digital usage have also increased, but CEO Thomas Rabe has warned cancellations of advertising campaigns that began at the beginning of March, accelerated as countries began their lockdowns.
As of March 2020 there were 1.53 million paying subscribers to RTL streaming services TV Now in Germany and Videoland in the Netherlands, up 34 per cent year on year. Both services have benefitted from an increase in subscribers since the introduction of lockdown measures in mid-March.
In France, Groupe M6’s streaming service 6play recorded additional one million registered users and a 45 per cent increase of videos viewed between 16 March and 16 April 2020.
“Our TV channels, radio stations, streaming services and websites have registered significantly higher reach and usage as they provide information and entertainment to millions of people who face unprecedented disruption to their daily lives,” said Rabe.
“We maintain our mid-term targets for the streaming services TV Now in Germany and Videoland in the Netherlands to grow their total number of paying subscribers to between 5 and 7 million, to grow streaming revenue to at least €500 million and to break even by 2025.”
Reported Group revenue was down 3.4 per cent to €1,466 million, mainly due to lower TV advertising revenue resulting from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Underlying revenue was €1,441 million.
