“We have options that are hardly feasible for Netflix”

Dusseldorf Matthias Dang and Stephan Schäfer have been co-bosses of RTL Germany for two months. In their inaugural interview with Handelsblatt, they talk about the merger of the Cologne TV station group with the Hamburg publishing house Gruner + Jahr (G + J), both of which belong to the family-owned Bertelsmann company.

Schäfer rejects criticism that “Stern” or “Geo” could degenerate into RTL’s writing branch: “We are creating the first fully integrated media company across all genres. We are pioneers and are building the media company of the future. “Whether the merger will cut jobs, Dang answers evasively:” New positions will arise, others will change, some will also disappear “.

The most visible sign of the collaboration between G + J and RTL is the “RTL +” streaming platform, previously known as “TVNow”. From the summer of 2022, customers should not only be able to watch TV there, but also read e-books and newspapers or listen to music.

With the new offer across all genres, Dang sees advantages for RTL over its competitors. “Netflix’s overall offering will never be so close and local to meet the national needs of the people – neither in entertainment nor in journalism.” The managers want 2.4 million “RTL +” subscribers by the end Triple in 2026.

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Read the full interview here:

Mr Dang, Mr Schäfer, you share the chief position of RTL Germany. When did the first argument come about?
Matthias Dang: Not yet. We have been working closely together since 2015 and, with the Ad Alliance, have built up Germany’s largest marketer, in which Gruner + Jahr (G + J) and RTL jointly market their advertising spaces and those of other partners.

Stephan Schäfer: The topics are so complex and varied – there is a double leadership that knows, trusts and complements each other as well as we do, an enrichment. We are about to merge G + J with RTL. If we want our teams to work well together, we naturally stand by as a role model.

The Hamburg publishing house and the Cologne TV group are to merge on January 1, 2022. Critics speak of a liquidation of the former premium publisher, they fear that “Stern” and “Geo” will degenerate into RTL writing branches.
Shepherd: Both are wrong. We are creating the first fully integrated media company across all genres. We are pioneers and are building the media company of the future. It is the most exciting time for media professionals since private television was founded.

Dang: We have so many strong brands, both at RTL Germany and at G + J – from “RTL Aktuell” and “Vox” to “Stern” and “Gala”. Our clear plan of attack is to further develop these brands across all genres and to unite them under one roof in such a fragmented world of media offerings. We will invest to move forward and grow together.

How much?
Dang: At RTL Deutschland, we already spend more than a billion euros a year on our own content. If you include our Dutch colleagues, we will triple our annual programming investments in the two streaming services “RTL +” and “Videoland” to around 600 million by 2026 compared to 2021. There are also investments in tech and data.

It is the most exciting time for media professionals since private television was founded. Stephan Schäfer

History shows that collaborations between print and film media have often failed. Just think of Leo Kirch and Axel Springer or AOL and trying to buy Time Warner. Instead of the announced “limitless opportunities”, capital was burned. Why should the merger work in your case?
Shepherd: The market today is significantly different than it was then. At the Ad Alliance and later, following the same model, at the Bertelsmann Content Alliance, where we tell content across media, we learned how we can successfully bring several genres and organizations to work together.

Even then, doubters said that print would have no chance in the Ad Alliance and would perish in the big TV business. The reality looks different today: We have set up Germany’s largest cross-media marketing organization, which Springer and Spiegel publishers have now joined as partners.

Dang: With all the efforts and changes, we can feel a great spirit of optimism among our own teams in Hamburg and Cologne. Many have a great desire to leave their familiar terrain and create something new together.

And will the entire workforce be allowed to stay?
Dang: The integrated media company will and must look different than both houses in the past. We are rebuilding our organization to grow together. This creates new positions, others will change, and some will also disappear. We are currently building up in journalism and the areas of tech and data.

Series posters

New quality offensive from RTL.

The most visible sign of the collaboration between G + J and RTL is the “RTL +” streaming platform, previously called “TVNow”. From the summer of 2022, customers should not only be able to watch TV there, but also read e-books and newspapers or listen to music. What do you want to achieve with it?
Shepherd: We are developing a digital subscription for all media. Because people are looking for an offer that makes high-quality content of various genres easily accessible – “RTL +” will offer just that. There is no such product yet, worldwide, by the way. Our motto is: see more, hear more, read more …

… and also pay more?
Dang: We will present the prices for the product launch in the first half of 2022. One thing is already clear: the offer will be very attractive. “RTL +” is to become the Germany subscription for everyone.

Does Netflix CEO Reed Hastings have to worry about you now?
Shepherd: Mr Hastings said to you in the Handelsblatt: “RTL will be very successful with what you are planning to do there. We will definitely not become more German than RTL. ”We are happy to agree with that. Our field is the German-speaking market. We are growing very positively here.

Netflix will never get this close with its total offering and go local to meet people’s national needs. Matthias Dang

Dang: The important thing is: we are different. Netflix’s total offering will never be so close and local to meet people’s national needs – whether in entertainment or journalism. This is exactly what our unique position is based on, soon even with content from all types of media.

We have options that Netflix can hardly achieve in just one market – be it local news or the broadcast of the Europa League.

Do you think viewers are ready to buy an “RTL +” subscription if they already have Netflix or Disney +?
Dang: Our research shows that the willingness to spend money on streaming has grown significantly. The pandemic has further increased the use of digital media subscriptions. Germans afford an average of two to three streaming services. We want to convince with the variety of content and genres while at the same time making use of “RTL +” simple and intuitive.

According to estimates, Netflix has almost eleven million subscribers in this country, “RTL +” currently has 2.4 million. What is the goal?
Dang: About three times that by the end of 2026.

News presenters Jan Hofer and Pinar Atalay

Both journalists are now moderating on the private broadcaster RTL.

(Photo: dpa)

More information, less trash – this is the conversion plan for your transmitter. You have expanded the information programs and brought in Jan Hofer and Pinar Atalay, two ARD presenters. What did your news offensive bring?
Shepherd: RTL traditionally also stands for information, and we are now expanding the range. We started a bit cautiously with the news program “RTL Direkt”, have now changed a lot and were already in front of “Heute-Journal” and “Tagesthemen” among young audiences in October. In November we set new records again.

The needs of the audience have changed, the demand for classification and orientation is increasing. Independent journalism is very important to us. It is also an important differentiator to the US platforms.

Anyone who talks about RTL still thinks of insults from Dieter Bohlen, who will no longer appear in the program in the future. But nothing is as persistent as an image. How many years will it take before the repositioning of RTL can succeed?
Dang: RTL always stood for diversity and not just for one program color. We are rebalancing this range of genres. As a medium that reaches many millions of people every day with new offers, it is certainly easier for us than other companies to change brand perception. But that’s a way, that’s perfectly clear to us.

Shepherd: Even before we started, RTL was the most successful private broadcasting group in Germany. We want to build on that. We will lead RTL into the future with a mixture of independent journalism and positive entertainment.

Mr. Mr. Dang, Mr. Schäfer, thank you very much for the interview.

More: Fight against Netflix: RTL plans platform for videos, podcasts, books and magazines

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