Pan-European broadcaster, RTL Group, moved back into the black in 2003, as pre-tax profits rose from 2002’s â‚Ź56 million loss to a profit of â‚Ź14 million this time.
The group owns 65% of the UK’s Five, which reported positive earnings for the first time since its launch in 1997. In a broadly weak television advertising market, Five increased its airtime revenues by 6.0%, raising its share of advertising from 7.5% to 8.1%. The station’s audience share also nudged up year on year, from 6.5% to 6.6%.
Despite Five’s strong advertising performance, RTL’s chief executive Gerhard Zeiler says that the company remains cautious on ad market conditions going into 2004. “Whilst there are the first signs of growth in some of our markets, visibility remains limited and weak consumer confidence and retail sales remain a concern,” says Zeiler.
