RTL Group today announced its decision to combine its fully-owned businesses RTL AdConnect, G+J iMS and the media division of Smartclip to create an international advertising sales champion. The new unit will provide international advertisers simplified access to a unique portfolio of media brands across TV, digital video, radio/audio, online, mobile and print. Its portfolio will comprise RTL Group’s TV channels, streaming services, radio stations and digital publishing brands, complemented by the advertising inventory of high-quality partners such as ITV in the UK, RAI in Italy, NBC Universal in the United States and DPG Media in Belgium.
The combination of RTL AdConnect, G+J iMS and Smartclip’s media division is in line with the three priorities of RTL Group’s strategy: core, growth, and alliances & partnerships. The new unit will be uniquely positioned to fully seize the significant growth opportunities that result from the increased demand from advertisers and agencies for global ad-buying opportunities, cross-media offers and high reach in brand-safe environments. It will be the only European sales house that can offer advertisers such international cross-media campaigns out of one hand. In addition, the new unit will closely cooperate with RTL Group’s ad-tech services provided by Yospace and the ad-tech division of Smartclip.Â
“In the growing competition with the global tech platforms, new alliances and partnerships between European media companies have become increasingly important. With our new international ad sales unit, we will create a leading monetisation platform that combines scale, transparency and easy access to state-of-the-art advertising technology”
© Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group
MANAGEMENT
Stéphane Coruble, currently CEO of RTL AdConnect, will lead RTL Group’s new international advertising sales unit as CEO. In this capacity he will report to Matthias Dang, who will become the Chairman of the new unit’s Board, in addition to his role as Co-CEO of RTL Deutschland. Oliver Vesper, currently Co-CEO of Smartclip, will become Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and Deputy CEO of the new unit. Daniel Bischoff, in addition to his current role as Chief Marketing & Operations Officer of RTL AdConnect, will lead the new unit’s Transformation Office, facilitating workstreams and securing information flow to drive the integration of RTL AdConnect, G+J iMS and the media division of Smartclip. André Freiheit, currently Executive Director of G+J iMS, will leave the company by mutual consent. He will advise and support the new unit’s Transformation Office until the end of June 2022.
FACTS AND FIGURESÂ
Facts & Figures on RTL Group’s new international advertising sales unit:
– Cross-media solutions across TV, digital video, print, audio
– 250 employees
– Active in 13 countries with offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Ghent, Gütersloh, Hamburg, Helsinki, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan,
New York, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Zurich
– The new unit’s portfolio will comprise the advertising inventory of more than 150 TV broadcasters, 47 radio stations, and 800 digital publishers
Contact: RTL Group Media and Investor Relations
Oliver FahlbuschÂ
@oliver.Fahlbusch@rtlgroup.com | +352 2486 5200
Irina Mettner-Isfort
@irina.mettner.Isfort@rtlgroup.com | +49 221 456 56410
About RTL Group
RTL Group is a leader across broadcast, content and digital, with interests in 67 television channels, ten streaming services and 38 radio stations.RTL Group also produces and distributes content throughout the world. The television portfolio of Europe’s largest commercial broadcaster includes RTL in Germany, M6 in France, the RTL channels in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia and Hungary, and Antena 3 in Spain. RTL Group’s families of TV channels are either the number one or number two in eight European countries. RTL Group’s largest unit – RTL Deutschland – is Germany’s first cross-media champion, operating across TV, streaming, radio and digital publishing with premium brands such as Stern and Geo. The Group’s flagship radio station is RTL in France, and it also owns or has interests in other radio stations in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg. RTL Group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content. Fremantle has an international network of teams across production and distribution, operating in more than 25 countries, producing 12,700 hours of original programming and distributing over 30,000 hours of content worldwide. Combining the streaming services of its broadcasters (such as RTL+, 6play, Salto, Videoland), the digital video company We Are Era, and Fremantle’s more than 460 YouTube channels, RTL Group has become the leading European media company in digital video. RTL Group also owns the ad-tech businesses Smartclip and Yospace, as well as the streaming-tech company Bedrock. RTL AdConnect is RTL Group’s international advertising sales house. Bertelsmann is the majority shareholder of RTL Group, which is listed on the Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges and in the SDAX stock index.
