RTL Not After ITV Or Remaining C5 Stake

Pan-European broadcaster, RTL Group, has said that it is not interested in acquiring the 35% stake in the UK’s Channel 5 currently owned by United Business Media (UBM), nor does it wish to buy either of the ITV companies. The group’s position was made clear by chief executive Didier Bellens at a conference call, as reported by AFX News.

RTL already holds a 65% stake in C5; Bellens maintained that there would be “no change in the shareholding structure [in the station],” according to the report. He also said that RTL remains committed to C5, boosting its programming and marketing budgets. A new image is to be unveiled this week, following a major rebranding programme.

As it intends to focus on C5, Bellens also made clear that neither RTL nor its parent group Bertelsmann is interested in launching a takeover bid for either of the two major ITV companies, Carlton Communications and Granada.

Advertising Outlook RTL is forecasting that the UK advertising market will grow by 3.0% this year, whilst C5 revenues will rise by more than 20.0%.

Nevertheless, the outlook for the overall ad market is more muted, with visibility remaining poor and the spectre of a war with Iraq somewhat dampening optimism.

RTL released its first half financial results last week, which showed earnings down by 23.0%, largely due to the weak television advertising market in Europe.

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