RTL Group, the leading European entertainment network, announces its interim management statement to 9 May 2012.

Key financials (continuing operations)

In € million	First quarter 2012	First quarter 2011	Per cent change
Revenue	1,322	1,244	+6.3
Underlying revenue	1,306	1,232	+6.0
Reported EBITA	191	191	0.0
Reported EBITA margin (%)	14.4	15.4

The advertising markets in the first quarter of 2012 reflected the state of the national economies as they navigate through the Euro crisis. While the German TV advertising market grew significantly in the first quarter, the French market was estimated to be slightly up year-on-year. In the Netherlands and Belgium the markets were down, and in Southern and Eastern Europe the markets continued to decline strongly.

Against this overall challenging background, RTL Group increased its consolidated revenue by 6.3 per cent to €1,322 million (Q1/2011: €1,244), driven by higher revenue from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, FremantleMedia and Groupe M6.

Group EBITA remained stable at €191 million (Q1/2011: €191 million), as higher profit contributions from Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and Groupe M6 were offset by profit centres operating in decreasing advertising markets, higher programme costs in some markets and continued margin pressure at FremantleMedia.

The net cash position of RTL Group as of 31 March 2012 was €1,321 million (31 March 2011: €1,647 million). A dividend payment of €789 million was made on 26 April 2012.

Highlights from RTL Group’s operations

• On 27 March 2012, a Groupe M6 project was selected as part of the CSA’s call for tender for six new HD channels on digital terrestrial television (DTT). The new channel, to be launched before the end of 2012, will be a general-entertainment channel targeting the whole family.
• On 1 April 2012, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland launched a new free-TV channel, RTL Nitro, mainly targeted at male viewers.
• On 19 April 2012, Cécile Frot-Coutaz was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FremantleMedia, to be based in London, effective 1 July 2012; Frot-Coutaz, currently CEO of FremantleMedia North America (FMNA), will succeed Tony Cohen who will leave the company to focus on his non-executive work.
• RTL Nederland continued its strong audience performance, increasing its combined prime-time audience share in the target group to 34.0 per cent (Q1/2011: 32.7 per cent); the ratings increase was again driven by its flagship channel, RTL 4.
• RTL Group’s cable channels in Hungary, acquired in 2011, achieved a combined audience share of 12.0 per cent among viewers aged 18 to 49 – up 16 per cent from Q1/2011.