Net income rose 14 percent in 2011 to 696 million euros, Europe's largest television group announced Tuesday. The dividend, which mainly goes to major shareholder Bertelsmann, is to be raised by 0.10 euros to 5.10 euros per share, it said. Revenues increased by four percent to 5.77 billion euros.

"Due to the high volatility of the various TV advertising markets in Europe and the short-term booking cycles, no reliable statement can be made at present for 2012 as a whole," said Group CEO Gerhard Zeiler. However, RTL Group has repeatedly shown that it can operate successfully even in economically difficult environments, the head of the ProSiebenSat1 rival explained. (SDA/RTD)

 

Revenues climbed by 9 percent to 1.16 billion euros. Like rival ProSiebenSat.1, RTL Group has been benefiting for a good year from the fact that many companies from industry and commerce are once again spending significantly more money on TV advertising spots. Previously, advertising bookings had slumped by more than ten percent in some cases due to the financial crisis. The Bertelsmann-owned broadcasting group is sticking to its expectations for this year: Business results should be "significantly better" than in 2009.