00:00:04: RTL Stories,

00:00:05: the podcast

00:00:06: with Lisa Burke from RTL Group.

00:00:10: One great idea can be a game changer and this is something I think that drives all of us whether it's in streaming on linear television or digital... The vibe and feeling if you create something others like talk about things which become big brands or serves a niche audience, I think that is great.

00:00:41: Hello everyone and welcome to RTL Stories the podcast!

00:00:45: i'm Lisa Berg based at RTL here in Luxembourg And In this series we explore The journeys of people who have shaped RTL across Europe and beyond.

00:00:56: Today's guest Is someone Who sits At the intersection Of creativity strategy and innovation, and whose work has helped bring some of RTL Group's biggest formats to life across the markets.

00:01:09: If you've heard of The Traders – You've seen what happens when a great format travels!

00:01:14: But behind these international success stories is a lot collaboration coordination increasingly technology And that's exactly where today's guest comes in.

00:01:26: Jan Pieterlacher is Senior Vice President, Content and Business Development at RTL Group.

00:01:32: He leads the development of international content activities drives business development on strategic projects across.

00:01:39: the group works closely with teams to scale ideas beyond borders in how content is created, produced and distributed.

00:01:51: With over more than twenty-five years at RTL he's now moved from programming into transformation... ...and now shaping the future of Content & Business at a group level while staying closely connected to what makes a story resonate with audience.

00:02:06: So Jan welcome!

00:02:08: And congratulations on everything you've achieved already within one quarter century.

00:02:13: Thank you for having me, Lisa.

00:02:15: What an introduction!

00:02:16: Well the introduction is your life story.

00:02:19: so let's start with some personal beginnings and your early influences in the media world because it clearly what you're passionate about.

00:02:28: but where did that come from?

00:02:30: So to be honest its started very earlier on.

00:02:33: as a kid I was crazy big entertainment shows.

00:02:38: back then there were two channels.

00:02:41: There was a kind of inflection point for me.

00:02:44: I think it was the end of the eighties, For the first time RTL Was distributed in Germany and so there was huge new experience In terms of fresh programming Fresh ideas you know pushing boundaries And that really attracted.

00:03:02: as kid or teenager I tried to explore whatever is possible in this field Worked at local station and then had first touchpoints with RTL, even prior to my study.

00:03:17: And I just liked the spirit of creative vibe... ...and opportunity for big audiences.

00:03:25: Then you started out in programming & scheduling?

00:03:30: For anybody who hasn't grown up on TV language mode what does that mean ?

00:03:34: Yeah so i went to film school studied film & television production But my focus was very much on content development, production but also strategy.

00:03:46: And so during my study I had the chance to intern at RTL and then by the end of this study The former head of programming who really you know Had a huge role in shaping RTL In the early days asked me to join the team.

00:04:04: So i really have an opportunity To learn from best And

00:04:09: you clearly made an impression as well.

00:04:11: Then started right after study, and in the beginning I thought let's do it two or three years... ...and then became a bit longer

00:04:20: because It was

00:04:22: always fun!

00:04:24: Lots of changes over the years but passion is still the same.

00:04:30: So programming & scheduling one part is content.. ..and other parts reaching biggest audience possible?

00:04:37: Exactly.

00:04:38: You care about that a lot?

00:04:39: Yes, and at this time I mean it was...I wouldn't say easier but the TV landscape in general entertainment landscape is more limited.

00:04:50: so when i started with really you know reaching mass audiences big mainstream RTL always known as Big Mainstream Channel attracting big audiences with huge variety of different content genres ranging from sports news to entertainment, factual everything.

00:05:11: And it was about having the best feeling what clicks with your audience and then build a strong audience flow.

00:05:20: So in early years there were lots of building this structure as you said also in scheduling.

00:05:27: so make sure that RTL is perfect companion for you during day Audience is available and then collect the audience, build the habits.

00:05:40: There was a lot of fun at this time

00:05:43: And from more linear landscape television land to our more fragmented Landscape which is what we have today The shift From Linear To Streaming Of Course Massive Change For Media World.

00:05:54: Then We Also Had A Transition To A Catch-Up Situation.

00:05:59: That Was A Massive change also.

00:06:01: Yeah Exactly So I Mean.

00:06:04: We Were Early On With Streaming.

00:06:06: So the initial RTL Plus, which was called RTL Now... ...was launched in two thousand seven.

00:06:14: But it was a catch-up service and at this time we thought well It's a good idea you know also to have second window or second opportunity develop footprint of digital but focus clearly on catch up.

00:06:28: And At this stage We found out that market was fragmenting And we thought the best way to successfully participate in this development is to fragment ourselves.

00:06:43: So there was an additional opportunity with RTL+.

00:06:47: But on the other hand, we also founded several smaller channels and that was my startup experience as well founding First Nitro which was a more male skewing channel because at this point big RTL was very broad But also, I mean very female oriented.

00:07:07: And this totally made sense you know from a viewer perspective but also an advertiser perspective.

00:07:13: and the couple of years later we did it again with RTL Plus.

00:07:18: It was then renamed RTL Up for what is called Best Ager Audience.

00:07:25: So like Female Audience that really loves Linear TV There's lot about Nostalgia And it really helped to build up our group market share in linear.

00:07:40: Then over the years, the markets get more and more fragmented... ...more and more digital!

00:07:46: That's why you know that back in two thousand nineteen there was a clear pivot in heavily doubling down on investments in streaming and growing RTL Plus into SVUD service with a meaningful footprint

00:08:05: subscription video on demand.

00:08:08: Yeah, so what's when I'm listening to hear is that you are really matching the audience step by step as everything was changing?

00:08:17: The options for consuming media were changing.

00:08:20: your also developing new audiences and audience strategies, so very creative strategy there as well.

00:08:28: But now to the creative development... And what makes a hit?

00:08:31: Because you know there's been several hits really big hits!

00:08:35: You worked really closely on format development and creative strategy.

00:08:41: So please walk us through how a concept develops from concept-to-screen within RTL.

00:08:47: I think our strong philosophy is that there's a very strong local focus.

00:08:55: So each and every business unit on the broadcast in Streamerside has a really strong content team, they decide to choose what is best for their audience... ...and then at an RTL group level we make sure all those creators are connected in the right way!

00:09:15: And so, there's a community of creative people who know each other very well.

00:09:21: Who value each other and whenever There is great new idea locally evolving or trend can also be with the competitors.

00:09:29: you Know we are in touch.

00:09:31: We make sure that if theres A Great Idea That we quickly scale it across The business unit.

00:09:37: but how do You know its a great idea?

00:09:40: Yeah I mean a great Idea i think has a clear franchise clicks With the audience reflects the zeitgeist, current momentum but also can be locally adapted.

00:09:51: And one format which I really like you mentioned in the beginning is The Traders and it has been co-developed by Athea Netherlands Creative Unit.

00:10:04: as everybody knows we sold AtheA Netherlands last year But still have a very strong collaboration in place.

00:10:14: We also have a first look agreement on their new format ideas, so the creative unit of RTL Netherlands played an important part in launching traders and then we quickly scaled it across RTL Group And all territories benefited from learnings of the different colleagues.

00:10:38: I think it has a very smart concept, Very easy to understand... The Trader is pretty easy and also has unique setting.

00:10:47: And if you watch local versions there are lots of differences which shows that our teams do their best in really locally tailoring the format for the audience.

00:11:02: This can be different from France or Hungary and so on.

00:11:07: And with Traders, I mean it has now traveled to more than forty territories.

00:11:12: It's a huge hit.

00:11:14: Also in the UK and In The US We have many other shows also from Fremantle For instance if you take big entertainment shows like Got Talent, Idol Those big entertainment monsters that started twenty years or more ago and still play an instrumental role in today's content offerings.

00:11:40: How important is it to develop an ecosystem with organization units like Fremantle?

00:11:48: Our unique position is that within RTA Group we have all relevant sites, so we have production a global production with Frementl And the variety of content across Fremental also stunning.

00:12:01: You have a company with brands that range from farmer wants a wife or too hot to handle, two poor things in high end.

00:12:10: And there's lots of entertainment between documentaries.

00:12:13: so this is really unique.

00:12:15: and then you've got the commissioning side on the same group.

00:12:21: So it has a lot of collaboration.

00:12:22: There are also natural and healthy competition.

00:12:26: I think good thing about some areas.

00:12:31: We are really closely working together and that's a lot of fun.

00:12:38: Well, moving into what is transformative... Of course we have AI!

00:12:41: And that is massively shaping changing the future of every industry including media?

00:12:48: You've been heavily involved in this.

00:12:50: so let's compare the AI shift to previous industry shifts.

00:12:54: how fundamental do you think the moment is

00:12:58: for us?

00:12:58: it's really a fundamental change with huge opportunities, but also huge challenges.

00:13:04: For us at RTL Group it's probably the second biggest transformation after the transformation from linear to streaming and now its about transforming the production business.

00:13:17: And over the last three decades we've seen a lot of innovation in our industry.

00:13:23: I mean i remember back at film school.

00:13:25: We were shooting on thirty five millimeters And there was one cameraman who used professional digital photography.

00:13:34: You know, and everybody was making fun of saying this won't last... ...and the rest is history!

00:13:40: Why do they think

00:13:42: that?

00:13:42: Yeah I think it's natural in the beginning if you have innovation There are always some early adapters.. ..and a lot resistance and uncertainty.

00:13:53: But when you take non-linear editing That wasn't only a game changer in how we produce shows, but it was really also the foundation for new creative genres like talent shows.

00:14:08: So for instance, Got Talent wouldn't be possible without non-linear editing.

00:14:14: We've always seen innovation across the value chain But with AI now It's affecting the whole value chain and its coming with rapid speed And this is the main difference, and that's why we actively have to explore it.

00:14:33: We started three years ago to go more into a more strategic holistic approach.

00:14:41: There were already lots of activities across our production units... ...and also across broadcasting streaming.

00:14:50: But now we really have clear focus on transforming video production with very good progress.

00:14:56: In order to make best use of AI, we have to redefine our workflows.

00:15:02: And this is really tough because some of those workflows had been around for two decades and they still properly work... ...and people say well let's continue like that but it isn't possible anymore as there are ways to produce more efficiently also to be able to make room for new innovation and fresh ideas.

00:15:30: When it comes to AI in the use of workflows and efficiency, that seems apparent and quite obvious.

00:15:36: how about its use in creative idea generation?

00:15:40: So lots of use cases.

00:15:43: so for me AI is really a tool um and it's an accelerator and great sparing partner.

00:15:50: The good thing about our business The creative idea and the human creative idea always comes first.

00:15:59: But AI can be a shortcut, so I give you one example.

00:16:03: One lighthouse case we started three years ago was in the daily drama production at Ufer.

00:16:08: The colleagues are producing Three daily soaps for the German market.

00:16:13: each soap has two hundred fifty-two episodes per year.

00:16:18: Yeah So that's quite something.

00:16:20: And when the team started to explore with AI, in the beginning you know lots of criticism also uncertainty which is totally natural.

00:16:30: But then the teams decided to explore and uh... The writers-in the writer's room started using AI as a sparing partner To test their ideas..to use it for research.

00:16:41: Some built chatbots for main characters.

00:16:44: They start interacting with the character to come up new stories And they found out, you know it's actually fun to play around with this and It can trigger new ideas that you then quickly bring into life.

00:16:59: That is absolutely fascinating Actually!

00:17:00: This just one area In production for instance we are using it For the daily dramas.

00:17:07: We do a lot of virtual productions which means... ...we still have some shooting days on original locations.. ..and moving them in studio using AI-created backgrounds to have a nice scenery.

00:17:22: And so we can do more or less everything in the studio now, and it's also a time saver In post production.

00:17:32: there are many use cases already.

00:17:34: So...in reality for instance It is huge change in the whole logging tagging process.

00:17:42: We used AI voice recognition face recognition To speed up this process And this really helps us on the one hand to bring down production time and also reduce the time-to-market.

00:17:55: I think in the long run, it will help even better capture momentum and zeitgeist because we all know that takes a while for pre-production or post-production so there is always risk between audience changes.

00:18:16: So this is definitely a big driver post-production.

00:18:20: And also the whole area of visual effects, we see that there are already strong capabilities across different models so you can create establishers.

00:18:32: We're doing alot in marketing space on channel side Like marketing campaigns, station IDs advertising bumpers.

00:18:41: Those are things you can nicely do with native AI already and the whole distribution.

00:18:50: dubbing stuff like that is where I also comes in very handy And it really you know also lowers the barriers for their colleagues to pitch new ideas

00:19:02: but it lowers the barrier across all industries.

00:19:07: That is also changing the competitive landscape because it's allowing people who haven't got your legacy background to enter the marketplace.

00:19:16: For a creative, It's probably the biggest opportunity ever To realize you're individual idea and barriers come down.

00:19:27: but we see that there's huge gap between user generated content.

00:19:32: on one hand I mean, there's a lot of also professional creator content and our high-end content.

00:19:39: And so for us the challenge is to keep quality level at very high levels in the heart.

00:19:48: each production always has great story.

00:19:51: with great talent.

00:19:53: if you have strong brand it even better.

00:19:55: And so you think that brand identity matters?

00:19:58: Yeah.

00:19:59: So those also in the AI age will remain the main differentiators, I'm pretty sure.

00:20:05: and for instance with Fremantle... ...and our broadcasters in Streamers.

00:20:09: we are well positioned in this race because we're professionals here but it's important to challenge out workflows and partner new creatives Also AI-native creatives, that's what we do for instance at Imaginé at Fremantle our newest AI native label to broaden the spectrum.

00:20:33: In many areas like daily drama there is such a unique knowhow in producing those shows... ...that you know.

00:20:42: the barriers of entry remain high and this will also mean that we have to consider wisely where our profit pools lie in the future and how best monetize it.

00:20:58: And then just for anybody who is working in RTL, across RTL various arms as we've discovered through the RTL stories what should they be paying attention if want stay on top of their game?

00:21:11: Just actively explore it!

00:21:13: I think with build a good system sharing learnings across the business units.

00:21:19: I mean, there are tools developed at Fremantle and Artea Germany in other business units And through our cooperation platforms we make sure that We connect to dots?

00:21:30: We also doing regular events.

00:21:33: last year You were part of our first AI for creatives where we hosted a one-day event in Berlin Bringing together for the first time all the creatives and production people sharing best practice.

00:21:47: Also, you know having the vendors present the latest models and tools.

00:21:54: And we have the Bertelsmann Content Collaboration Platform where do a lot of training... ...where also share best practices masterclasses around AI.

00:22:04: so I invite everybody to look there but also simply reach out if they have great ideas or if you're not sure how to do it, there's a big community in content marketing and that is always the best.

00:22:19: Connect like-minded creatives, passionate people... And then I think we can have rapid acceleration.

00:22:26: It was really quite something for the AI day for creatives.

00:22:30: My mind was blown when i saw some of those things as well because where are humans?

00:22:36: Of course human is central but so much could be done without them including My voice my face even.

00:22:43: I mean we see it over and over again.

00:22:45: So is there anything that concerns you about AI?

00:22:48: We are in the unique position to actively shape it And It Is Happening, and it will happen.

00:22:56: As i said it Will Be Very Disruptive But It Will Also Bring Lots of Opportunities and so for Us Every Day i think its About Recalibrating.

00:23:09: What Is The Best Way To Go Forward What shall we do and what shouldn't we do?

00:23:16: And play an active role, also have a critical discussion.

00:23:20: For instance in journalism.

00:23:23: on the one hand it's very helpful already for our newsrooms to speed up processes but still I mean professional editors are in the lead But you can take a lot of shortcuts as time matters.

00:23:39: On the other hand, through the rise of AI and also I've created videos in social media.

00:23:46: There's a huge effort on content verification as well And there we use AI to verify and check content.

00:23:55: This is quite impressive.

00:23:56: What really inspires me if i see that individual teams build their own solutions.

00:24:03: For instance they are using protection at RTL Germany.

00:24:07: Each and every format has to be checked due to strong language, violence or nudity.

00:24:16: And the colleagues have created a model that is trained on thousands of cases... ...and this system helps them to quicker scan and check their relevant content….

00:24:31: …and then they can really focus on evaluating these

00:24:34: scenes.".

00:24:35: So the speed is just quite something extraordinary with the help of AI.

00:24:39: Yeah, so you have a reflection of twenty five years that has long time to stay and move about one company?

00:24:45: So clearly there was something that kept you there and excited.

00:24:48: you are still excited about looking forward.

00:24:51: Yes I am.

00:24:53: And uh...I think what drives me as opportunities we have in this unique company environment?

00:24:59: The people..the passion ..and i mean We're a hit-driven business and the great thing is that one great idea can be a game changer.

00:25:10: And this something I think drives all of us, whether it's in streaming on linear television or digital... The vibe and feeling.

00:25:19: if you create something others like talk about something which becomes big brand-something huge Or serves a niche audience.

00:25:31: i think thats great.

00:25:34: That is also unique for our industry.

00:25:37: And actually just reflecting back to how you first watched those two channels when your growing up as a little boy, it was the same from me in Ireland I remember very well Your own relationship with television and content.

00:25:48: How has that changed?

00:25:49: Has it followed audiences we serve?

00:25:51: Yeah of course!

00:25:54: Still there's somehow private and professional eye for me, so I really like to watch a lot of different content.

00:26:04: I love go the movies and stream at home.

00:26:09: all kinds genres watched television but clearly my private linear consumption has come down in favor streaming.

00:26:19: But still there is power.

00:26:21: live TV I mean, we have great entertainment formats.

00:26:25: if you take for instance.

00:26:27: I'm a celebrity get me out of here... ...I was involved back then with the team to launch it across Athea Germany and its still massive hit!

00:26:37: And every night people switch in but also is huge hit on streaming and real driver for new subscriptions.

00:26:47: This shows that There is a formula to find content that serves different audiences and different platforms but it's of course challenging.

00:26:59: But this is the fun part, I think there has never been bigger content offer than today And i think will further grow.

00:27:10: We are well positioned in shape also.

00:27:15: And then just coming back to the holy grail of The Next Big Idea, you mentioned I'm celebrity.

00:27:21: Get me out here etc... That also has lasted through years so it's a great idea that wasn't just one-off It continued when do know where the peak is being reached and went to pause or stop an idea?

00:27:37: Also what does the other side say about this?

00:27:39: What is it that is the nub on that Great Idea?

00:27:43: you never ever can plan a new hit show.

00:27:47: So it really happens and I mean, i remember alot of early discussions on some of the long running shows where there was limited face in Got Talent, in Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars, Ninja Warriors... There are always good reasons against that.

00:28:08: but at certain point if u have feeling that will click with your audience Then you have to take a bet.

00:28:15: And then, I think this is also something particular for RTL always come up with the bold move in different areas surprise the audience and develop it.

00:28:33: This means that you fail.

00:28:36: Nobody's talking about big failures.

00:28:39: Everybody talks of hits but can learn from them.

00:28:43: It can also be tough.

00:28:45: And I think we are the only industry where, The day after the airing on linear or even you know launch and streaming You exactly now Where do stand?

00:28:58: Then you have to decide sometimes to pivot.

00:29:01: Is it a success Or Do change things?

00:29:05: This is part of game And whole industry and audience watching And I think this is really a unique situation we have in our industry.

00:29:15: That's also part of the fun!

00:29:17: Well Jan, thank you so much for coming to Luxembourg.

00:29:20: I know you do from time-to-time which is another lovely thing about RTL Group.

00:29:24: we're scattered all over Europe the world even in different ways.

00:29:27: So Thank You For Your Insight and All of The Knowledge That You're Sharing About AI For Creatives And For Production Of The Whole Workflow System.

00:29:35: We Will Keep Our Eyes Peeled Because Things Are Changing So Very Fast!

00:29:39: And Thank You Everybody For Listening For Watching As Always Please Do.

00:29:44: Listen To Previous Episodes As well as Such A Selection of guests and it shows you a flavor what RTL is all about.

00:29:52: And if YOU are part of RTL, let us know your thoughts on the RTL group intranet in the comments section!

00:29:58: You can get in touch course through social media channels to search for RTL Group on LinkedIn Instagram & YouTube.

00:30:04: I will be back very soon with another episode.