Fremantle helps RTL profits soar by 50%

Fremantle has helped parent company RTL Group’s profits jump by 50% year-on-year in its half-year results.

RTL’s adjusted EBITA was up 49.4% to €239m (£204.2m), driven by the super-indie reporting an EBITA jump from €39m in H1 2025 to €60m in the first six months of 2026.

The company’s streaming business and the acquisition of Sky Deutschland also supported profits, while overall group revenue was up 3.9% to €2.9bn (£2.5bn).

Despite the overall gains, Fremantle revenue was down 7.7% year-on-year to €835m (£713m), which RTL attributed to the timing effects of its drama and film business, though the entertainment and documentaries businesses were broadly stable.

RTL expects the revenue downturn to reverse in the latter half of the year with slightly higher revenue for the full-year 2026, driven by the upcoming titles Baywatch (Fox) and Kill Jackie (Amazon Prime Video).

Fremantle will continue to make “significant” investments in IP development, M&A of small and medium-sized indies with a strong IP base and using AI in the company’s value chain.

Among Fremantle’s H1 successes are the launch of a production hub in Portugal for its mini-golf entertainment format Holey Moley, the acquisition of Catherine Zeta-Jones vehicle Kill Jackie by HBO Max across key European markets ahead of its launch, and the announcement that Fremantle-owned Eureka Productions’ competition series Wonka’s The Golden Ticket will premiere on Netflix in September. Eureka is also the creator of Holey Moley.

Elsewhere, RTL’s streaming revenue was up 27.2% year-on-year to €299m (£255m), and Sky Deutschland contributed €61m (£52m) to RTL’s adjusted EBITA in H1. RTL’s €68m (£58m) acquisition of the broadcaster closed in June.

The group expects its full-year revenue to increase from around €7.1bn (£6bn) to €7.2bn (£6.1bn), though cautioned that the geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape remains volatile and may continue to impact the business.

RTL Group chief executive Clément Schwebig said: “RTL Group delivered a strong first half performance in 2026, driven by rapid streaming growth, gains in both TV audience and TV advertising market shares, and the successful completion of the acquisition of Sky Deutschland.

“We also demonstrated the unique power of our content and brands, as the coverage of the football World Cup on M6 and M6+ attracted 60 million viewers and generated exceptional digital engagement.

“The acquisition of Sky Deutschland is transformational for RTL Group. With 12.4 million paid subscriptions in the DACH region, we are now the clear number three in the German-speaking streaming market.”

Schwebig confirmed RTL will deliver €250m (£213.6m) in annual cost savings within three years.

“Our transformation strategy is delivering tangible results, and we are executing it with speed and discipline,” he added.