Bertelsmann earns mainly with RTL
The German media group Bertelsmann continues to benefit from its RTL television business and its services subsidiary Arvato. In the first half of the year, it generated a fifth more profit on stagnating sales of eight billion euros.
Consolidated earnings climbed to 482 million euros, as the company announced on Wednesday. The RTL broadcasting group in particular performed better than expected thanks to good advertising markets across Europe. Its makers had actually expected a slower second quarter in view of the recent European Football Championships and Olympics, which were broadcast by the competition. The service provider Arvato also increased its returns significantly and even the traditional printing business was more profitable. "We are very satisfied with the positive development in the first six months of the current year, in which all divisions played their part," praised Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe. "The best operating result in Bertelsmann's history, the high profitability of our businesses and a significantly improved net income of almost half a billion euros give us confidence for the year as a whole." However, the Germans recently performed worse in the promising education business. The division's operating loss widened to 13 million euros despite rising revenues. In the startup segment Bertelsmann Investments, sales from investments paid off, as the Group explained. In operational terms (EBITDA), the division posted a profit of two million euros in the first six months. The traditional publishing business declined. Both the book giant Penguin Random House and the magazine publisher Gruner & Jahr recorded declines in sales and operating profit in the first half of the year. (SDA)
Photo: ©Bertelsmann
