A resurgent tv promoting market and a booming streaming and manufacturing enterprise, together with some main consolidation and asset gross sales, helped raise full-year outcomes at European tv large RTL Group, which on Thursday reported a document revenue of €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) for 2021.
The outcome was greater than double the €625 million revenue from a 12 months earlier and factors to a wholesome bounce-back for the group, which is investing closely in its regional operations to compete with fast-expanding international streaming firms.
Full-year group income jumped 10.3 p.c to €6.6 billion ($7.3 billion). RTL’s streaming enterprise noticed sturdy development, with German and Dutch platforms RTL+ and Videoland hitting a complete of three.8 million paying subscribers, the corporate stated. Streaming income soared 31.2 p.c, however streaming start-up losses elevated from €55 million in 2020 to €166 million ($184 million) within the newest 12 months.
RTL Group stated it plans to triple its annual funding in unique content material, in comparison with 2021, to round €600 million ($660 million) by 2026, primarily to feed its new on-line companies, with the goal of 10 million paying subscribers by the top of 2026, at which level RTL is forecasting streaming income could have hit €1 billion ($1.1 billion), and the division will likely be within the black.
Later this 12 months, RTL+ will broaden its video streaming platform to develop into a cross-media leisure service, combining video, music, podcasts, audio books and e-magazines.
On the manufacturing aspect — RTL owns manufacturing large Fremantle – the corporate has set an bold income goal of €3 billion ($3.3 billion) by 2025, a purpose it says it’s going to hit with a mix of natural development and focused acquisitions.
RTL Group CEO Thomas Rabe referred to as 2021 “a robust 12 months when it comes to working efficiency and strategic progress … pushed by the restoration of the promoting markets, our sturdy market positions and lively portfolio administration.” He famous that RTL has “made important progress in executing our technique to determine nationwide cross-media champions” with main consolidation in it core markets of Germany, France and Benelux.
Final Could, RTL and its French community M6 entered into unique negotiations with France’s TF1 and Groupe Bouygues for a $4 billion merger of their actions and create a single French media group. RTL and the Talpa Community within the Netherlands have agreed to merge their Dutch broadcasting and different media companies. And RTL has signed a deal to promote its Belgian operation RTL Belgium, to DPG Media and Groupe Rossel for €250 million ($275 million). All three offers are nonetheless awaiting regulatory approval.