Fremantle’s Earnings Surge to $69.2M Despite Revenue Dip

Kill Jackie, a production by Fremantle, saw a near 8% decrease in its half-yearly revenue because of its drama and film sectors, yet its earnings soared to approximately $70M.

Announced by parent company RTL this morning, the London-based Fremantle recorded revenues of €835M ($963M), a 7.7% drop from the €905M reported in the same period the previous year.

The decline was attributed by RTL to “timing effects in Fremantle’s drama and film operations,” with revenue from entertainment and documentaries remaining “essentially stable.”

According to RTL, Fremantle’s revenue dip is expected to reverse in the latter half of 2026, forecasting a slight increase over the previous year’s figures due to new productions like AMC+’s Kill Jackie and Fox’s Baywatch.

Moreover, Fremantle was one of two divisions that significantly boosted the group’s earnings. Adjusted EBITA rose from €39M to €60M, with the profit margin expanding sharply from 4.3% to 7.2%, setting Fremantle on a path to achieve a 9% margin for the year.

Recently, Fremantle appointed Katie O’Connell Marsh as CEO of its Global Scripted Hub, as reported by Deadline. Her responsibilities include expanding Fremantle’s drama and comedy portfolio and enhancing revenue from these productions. Shortly after her appointment was announced, the Baywatch reboot was sold to Prime Video across multiple regions.

This financial update follows RTL’s implementation of cost-saving strategies at Fremantle after a thorough strategic review. Fremantle has ceased fully financing films, though it continues as a co-producer.

RTL plans to continue its cost-cutting measures through 2030 by “optimizing production costs, streamlining processes, and reducing technical expenses, with a strong emphasis on AI-driven solutions,” the company noted.

RTL Sees Profit Increase

RTL, based in Luxembourg, reported a slight increase in group revenues by 0.1% to €2.9B, with adjusted EBITA at €239M, a considerable rise from €160M in the first half of 2025. Excluding the acquisition of Sky for €68M, RTL’s adjusted group EBITA was up by €18M.

Streaming revenue from platforms like RTL+ and M6+ surged by 27.2% to €299M, bolstered by a rise in subscribers and higher pricing in Germany, along with fast-growing advertising revenue in Germany and France. Overall, the number of paid subscriptions in Germany and France, RTL’s largest markets, increased by 20.7% to 8.7 million.

Adjusted EBITA from streaming alone reached €31M and is projected to hit around €100M for the full year, far exceeding initial estimates of €25M-€50M provided to analysts.

These results mark the first since RTL completed its acquisition of Sky Deutschland on June 1, which recorded an adjusted EBITA of €61M in the first half. However, RTL noted that these figures are not indicative of the full year as June carries no production costs for Bundesliga or German Cup football.

Once RTL+ and Sky Deutschland consolidate their operations, RTL will serve over 12 million paying subscribers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

“RTL Group delivered a robust performance in the first half of 2026, driven by rapid growth in streaming, increases in TV audience and advertising market shares, and the successful acquisition of Sky Deutschland,” stated RTL CEO Clément Schwebig. “Our streaming services are highly profitable, with revenues and subscriptions continuing to grow dynamically. As a result, streaming is anticipated to contribute approximately €100M to our full-year operating profit,” he added.

Schwebig, previously an executive at Warner Bros. Discovery, succeeded Thomas Rabe as CEO earlier this year, with Rabe continuing as the head of RTL’s parent company, Bertelsmann, until later in the year.