History
In 2000, Bertelsmann and Pearson announced that they would merge their television and radio stations and production companies. [4] This created RTL Group, based in Luxembourg, as a leading European media company. [5] RTL's activities in Germany were also affected by this merger; Bertelsmann had gradually increased its stake in the German television broadcaster RTL in the 1990s. [6]
In 2007, television and content businesses in Germany were bundled under the umbrella of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. [7] The company introduced a new brand identity and bundled digital competencies. [8]
In 2009, RTL, VOX, NTV, and other programs moved into a joint broadcasting center in Cologne-Deutz, in order to achieve synergy effects not only organizationally but also through physical proximity. [9] [10] [11] One example of successful cooperation between the companies of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland is the streaming platform TV NOW. [12] Initially launched by RTL, other channels were successively added to the service. [13]
At Bertelsmann, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland established further partnerships with other divisions, such as for marketing (Ad Alliance) [14] and content production (Content Alliance). [15] [16]
In 2021, it was announced that Gruner + Jahr and Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland intend to cooperate even more closely in the future. [17]
Bertelsmann is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates and also active in the service sector and education.
RTL Group is an international media company based in Luxembourg with another corporate centre in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 68 television channels and 31 radio stations in Germany, France and other European countries. It also offers national streaming platforms, content productions and a range of digital services. Important segments of RTL Group are Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Groupe M6, Fremantle, RTL Nederland and RTL Belgium.
Fremantle is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. The original Fremantle was founded in 1952 as Fremantle International, and was independent until 1995. The former company was renamed FremantleMedia on August 20, 2001, following the 2000 merger of Pearson Television and Bertelsmann's CLT-UFA to form the RTL Group. Since 1995, Fremantle has distributed American game shows in the United States and internationally.
The Financial Times Deutschland was a German-language financial newspaper based in Hamburg, Germany, published by Bertelsmann's Gruner + Jahr newspaper and magazine division. The daily contained four sections: Business, Politics & Economy, Finance, and Agenda. It ceased publication on 7 December 2012.
Hubert Burda Media Holding is a German media group with headquarters in Offenburg. It originated as a small printing business, founded by Franz Burda Snr in Philippsburg, in 1903.
Focus is a German-language news magazine published by Hubert Burda Media. Established in 1993 as an alternative to the Der Spiegel weekly news magazine, since 2015 the editorial staff has been headquartered in Germany's capital of Berlin. Alongside Spiegel and Stern, Focus is one of the three most widely circulated German weeklies. The concept originated from Hubert Burda and Helmut Markwort, who went from being Editor-in-chief to become publisher in 2009 and since 2017 has been listed in the publication's masthead as Founding Editor-in-chief. The current Editor-in-chief of Focus as of March 2016 is Robert Schneider.
Du bist Deutschland was a social marketing campaign in Germany. Its aim was to achieve positive thinking and a new national feeling. It was created by the initiative "Partner für Innovation" consisting of 25 media corporations and was co-ordinated by Bertelsmann. The large-scale campaign caused a lot of controversy and discussion.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is an independent foundation under private law, based in Gütersloh, Germany. It was founded in 1977 by Reinhard Mohn as the result of social, corporate and fiscal considerations. As the Bertelsmann Stiftung itself has put it, the foundation promotes "reform processes" and "the principles of entrepreneurial activity" to build a "future-oriented society."
Gruner + Jahr is a publishing house headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The company was founded in 1965 by Richard Gruner, John Jahr, and Gerd Bucerius. From 1969 to 1973, Bertelsmann acquired a majority share in the company and gradually increased it over time. Since 2014, the company has been a fully owned subsidiary of the Gütersloh-based media and services group. Under the leadership and innovation strategy of Julia Jäkel, Gruner + Jahr has evolved into a publishing house producing cross-channel media products for the digital society.
Arvato is a global services company headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany. Its services include customer support, information technology, logistics, and finance. The history of Arvato goes back to the printing and industry services division of Bertelsmann; the current name was introduced in 1999. Today, Arvato is one of eight divisions of Bertelsmann, the media, services and education group. In 2016, Arvato had about 68,463 employees and an overall turnover of 3.84 billion euros.
BMG Rights Management GmbH is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label.
Elisabeth Mohn is a German billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist.
Thomas Rabe is a German business executive. In 2006, he was appointed to the Bertelsmann executive board, of which he has been chairman and chief executive officer since 2012. Under his leadership, the group has become more international, more digital and more diversified. In particular, he has advanced the business with music rights and the educational division. Additionally, Rabe was appointed chief executive officer of RTL Group in 2019.
The Bertelsmann Printing Group is a German group of companies in the printing industry with headquarters in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was established in 2016 and is the market leader in Europe among offset and gravure printing companies. The Bertelsmann Printing Group is one of eight divisions of Bertelsmann, the international media, service and education conglomerate.
The mc Group is an international public relations network and advertising agency. Established in 1993 in Cologne, Germany, the company has been headquartered in Berlin since the year 2000.
Geo Television is a German-language pay-TV station of the RTL Group. It is the TV offshoot of the magazine with the same name (GEO). Geo Television focuses on reports and documentaries.
Anke Schäferkordt is a German businessperson who served as CEO of the RTL Group from 2012 until 2017. Besides that, she won the International Emmy Award for Directorate Award in 2013.
Julia Jäkel is a German business executive. Since 2013, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Gruner + Jahr, one of the largest publishing houses in Europe. In 2021, Jäkel left both Gruner + Jahr and Bertelsmann.
The Reinhard Mohn Prize has been awarded by the Bertelsmann Stiftung since 2011. It recognizes internationally renowned individuals for their forward-looking solutions to social and political challenges. Given in memory of Reinhard Mohn, who died in 2009, it succeeds the Carl Bertelsmann Prize, which was awarded from 1988 to 2008.
I Can See Your Voice is a German television mystery music game show series on RTL. It is based on the South Korean programme of the same name.
€2,127 million [1] (2020)
