Operating Profit More Than Doubles at RTL Group

LUXEMBOURG: On the heels of an ad recovery in its key Western European markets, RTL Group more than doubled its EBITA in the first quarter, to 197 million euros, on revenues that were up 10.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros.

The company cited “robust” growth in its ad markets, led by Germany, France and the U.K. The European broadcasting giant has a positive outlook for the rest of the year, but notes that “developments on the various advertising markets can only be predicted to a very limited degree. This has to do partly with the strong fourth quarter of 2009—at the moment, no one can tell what the fourth quarter will look like this year, given the low visibility and economic environment.”

RTL Group, led by Gerhard Zeiler, owns FremantleMedia and interests in 45 television channels and 31 radio stations in 11 countries. Its flagship properties include RTL Television in Germany, M6 in France, and Five in the U.K.