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Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based Rtl Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, rose 2.6% to €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion), for the first quarter of 2024, driven by buoyant TV advertising and streaming.

However, this was offset by decreased revenues at the group’s global content business. Fremantle revenues were down 9.2% to €395 million (Q1/2023: €435 million), due to what Rtl describes as “timing effects in the U.K., Italy and Germany.”

“Revenue from Fremantle is recognized when a show or series is delivered to its clients, i.e. the broadcasters and streaming services. One example: The German version of ‘Idols’ (‘Deutschland Sucht den Superstar’) has been on air for many years in the first quarter of the year. In 2024, the show will be on air in autumn [fall] – thus the revenue will be recognized in the second half of 2024,” an Rtl spokesperson told Variety.

Otherwise, it was a rosy picture for Rtl, after a 2023 financial...

RTL2 has axed a documentary series featuring controversial German singer Michael Wendler and his wife Laura Müller following an intense backlash.

Wendler has sparked criticism after making anti-semitic remarks and linking Germany’s Covid protocols to Nazi politics. Throughout the pandemic, Wendler said repeatedly that the pandemic was a large-scale conspiracy and accused local media for pushing its agenda. Rtl had previously tapped him as juror for its show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” and ousted him after he made headlines with several conspiracy theories tied once again to the pandemic.

The six-part docu soap which RTL2 had commissioned and announced on Tuesday, was meant to focus on Wendler and his wife’s pregnancy. The couple lives in the U.S.

News of the production sparked uproar on social media in Germany, notably from other reality TV stars, such as Robert and Carmen Geiss, a wealthy family considered as the local Kardashians.

COLOGNE, Germany -- Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar (DSDS), Germany's version of Pop Idol, hit new highs Saturday night with the final show of its third season, drawing a record 8.6 million viewers. Sunday's showdown saw 23-year-old Tobias Regner beat out 29-year-old Mike Leon Grosch to take the German Superstar title. whopping 44.2% of German viewers and a golden 52.2% in the key 14-49 demographic, tuned in for the final. Cologne-based channel RTL successfully overhauled the DSDS format for its third outing after the second season failed to meet expectations. "With its new concept, a greater range of talented contestants and, most importantly, an incredible winner, DSDS has scored with German viewers," RTL entertainment head Tom Saenger said. "The third season was a complete success." Tobias Regner scored 55% of the call-in vote with his renditions of U2's Beautiful Day and Prince's Purple Rain. For his final performance, Regner performed the original song I Still Burn, which will be his first single under his new contract with Sony BMG. I Still Burn hits German shelves March 24.