RTL SVoD subs up 59% YoY
May 16, 2019
RTL Group has reported its Q1 revenue was up 7.2 per cent to €1,518 million. Total digital revenue grew 15.8 per cent to €220 million.
The Group saw strong growth in paying subscribers for its VoD platforms in Germany and the Netherlands; up 59 per cent year on year.
Thomas Rabe, Chief Executive Officer of RTL Group, said: “RTL Group had a good start to 2019, with revenue up 7.2 per cent driven by content and digital activities and the timing of the delivery of key Fremantle productions. To further improve our growth profile, our Total Video 2.0 strategy focuses on two priorities: building local streaming champions in the European countries where we have strong families of channels, and strengthening our global content arm Fremantle. We continue to make good progress on both priorities: at the end of March 2019, RTL Group registered 1.15 million paying subscribers for its videoon-demand platforms in Germany and the Netherlands – up 59 per cent year on year. Fremantle continues to fuel its pipeline for drama productions with the upcoming launches of Beecham House, Baghdad Central and La Jauría.
“In the first three months of 2019, RTL Group has continued to actively manage its portfolio with the acquisition of the UK-based video technology company, Yospace, and the sale of Universum Film in Germany, which was completed in April 2019. Also during this period, Groupe M6 announced its plans to acquire TV businesses from Lagardère Group, including the famous children’s channel Gulli. This will be a major step towards strengthening our position in France, RTL Group’s second largest market. At the same time, we have decided not to acquire the remaining shares of BroadbandTV,” Rabe concluded