Five Makes €1 Million Loss

Five made a €1 million (£680,000) loss in 2006, with its owner, RTL, putting this down to the slowdown in the advertising market and the cost of launching the two digital channels, Five Life and Five US.

Five’s revenues were down to £318 million in 2006, from £324 million in 2005, whilst its share of the advertising market increased from 8.6% in 2005 to 8.8% in 2006.

In a financial statement released today, RTL said that Five’s airtime sales dropped 4.8%, compared with a 5.5% decline in the overall market.

Five’s earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation fell from €36 million in 2005 to €21 million in 2006.

Yesterday, NewsLine revealed that Lisa Opie, Five’s managing director of content, is launching an initiative to enable viewers to directly pitch programme ideas to commissioners to arrest the channel’s decline in viewers (see Five’s Opie Announces Plan To Boost Programming).

Owing to the €22 million launch costs of Five US and Five Life, Five felt an Ebita loss of €1 million.

RTL Group recorded growth in earnings of 12.3% in 2006, following strong performances in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Five: 020 7550 5555 www.five.tv