The war in Ukraine is intensifying. Large parts of the population are reeling under the attacks of the Russian army, hundreds of thousands are fleeing. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the human suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” says Bertelsmann Chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe, adding that Bertelsmann supports the sanctions imposed on Russia by numerous countries. “This is the price we have to pay when you see what is at stake, namely peace in Europe,” comments Rabe. Because Bertelsmann, too, is impacted by the sanctions: Arvato Supply Chain Solutions employs around 2,000 people in Yaroslavl, Russia. They provide distribution services there for international clients from the fashion industry, among others. In addition, there is a printing plant at the same location with another 200 employees. The location’s contribution to Bertelsmann’s total turnover is comparatively small. Bertelsmann has no other businesses in Russia at this time; the G+J publishing house sold its Russian subsidiary to Axel Springer in 2009, and RTL Group sold its stake in the Russian media company National Media Group in 2013. In Ukraine, Bertelsmann was represented with the FLC book club until 2017, when that, too, was sold. Thomas Rabe points to Bertelsmann’s many and varied commitments to report as comprehensively and openly as possible on the war in its media, and to help the people affected in the crisis region with many smaller campaigns.
Viewer interest undiminished
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, RTL Group news teams from RTL Deutschland, RTL Nederland and RTL Croatia, among others, have been reporting on the war in Ukraine, providing millions of people in Europe with information about the war with their live updates, delivered at high personal risk. The interest among viewers continues undiminished. In Germany, among other countries, RTL Deutschland and NTV alone devoted more than 25 hours to the situation in Ukraine over the weekend. Since the middle of last week, as Stephan Schäfer, co-CEO of RTL Deutschland emphasized, several hundred colleagues at the editorial offices and the broadcasting operations have been “working more or less nonstop”. NTV is reporting breaking news around the clock. “Stern” magazine has filled this Thursday’s issue with many pages on Ukraine. RTL, NTV and “Stern” are also providing up-to-the-minute reports on their news websites. RTL again changed its evening program lineup on Tuesday for an “RTL Aktuell Spezial” at 8:15 PM, which was watched by 2.3 million people. In the target demographics, the market shares were 13.1 percent (14- to 49-year-olds) and 11.1 percent (14- to 59-year-olds). The regular edition of RTL’s main news at 6:45 PM on Tuesday reached 4.01 million viewers, equivalent to a 17 percent share of the total market. “RTL Aktuell” also did well in the target demographics, attracting 21.9 percent (14 to 49) and 21.6 percent (14 to 59) of viewers. On Tuesday, a total of 7.77 million people tuned in to the news channel NTV to stay abreast of current events, generating daily market shares of 3.0 percent (among all viewers over the age of 3), 4.2 percent among 14- to 49-year-olds, and 3.8 percent among 14- to 59-year-olds.In France, in addition to specials, M6 and RTL Radio’s main newscasts are covering the Ukraine war practically around the clock. On February 24, the day of the Russian attack, M6 broadcast a special of its midday magazine “Le 12.45” with reports from the war correspondents in Ukraine, reactions from the Ukrainian community in France, and analyses of Putin’s strategy. That evening, the news magazine “Le 19.45” had the highest viewer ratings among the country’s total audience. In its target demographic, it was also the most-watched news program on French TV that day. Throughout the week “Le 19.45” averaged a 23 percent share of its target audience. On February 27, M6 and RTL Radio jointly commissioned a poll according to which 79 percent of the French population are in favor of accepting Ukrainian refugees in France.
Immediate on-site aid
In Germany, the “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern” and “Stiftung Stern – Hilfe für Menschen” foundations have launched an appeal to help people in the areas of Ukraine affected by war and violence. The “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern” foundation alone reported that it had received more than €6.3 million in donations by Wednesday. The foundation provides direct, uncomplicated, assistance on the ground; its partners in the war zone are active in Ukraine. They include UNICEF, SOS Children’s Villages, the German medical relief organization Action Medeor, Caritas International, UN Refugee Aid, and the Malteser Relief Service. Among other things, they are assisting with the ongoing evacuation of children and their families from the war zones, transporting clean drinking water, distributing hot meals from field kitchens and medical care, providing health, hygiene and emergency training materials, and organizing emergency shelters and washing facilities. Worth noting: The “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern” commercial, which aired repeatedly around the clock on RTL Deutschland’s channels, was one of the most-viewed spots on German television on Tuesday. According to the “DWDL” industry newswire, the 30-second spot calling on viewers to donate for the people suffering in Ukraine was broadcast 30 times and was the fifth most-watched spot of the day.Penguin Random House is donating to longtime partner Save the Children (STC) in support of their Ukraine Crisis Fund. Many Bertelsmann companies have already launched their own fundraising and relief initiatives for the victims of the war in Ukraine, and others are planning such campaigns. Among others, Penguin Random House is donating to its longtime partner Save the Children to support its Ukraine Crisis Fund created in response to the humanitarian catastrophe. The STC Ukraine Crisis Fund is helping millions of children and their families with immediate aid and recovery, food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and cash assistance. STC has been active in Ukraine since 2014. The focus of its current efforts will initially be where STC and its partners are already active, i.e. currently in Kiev as well as in Donetsk, Slovyansk, Dnipro, and Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. Employees of Penguin Random House in the U.S. can also help by making a donation, which Penguin Random House will match up to $2,500 through its Matching Gifts Program. Penguin Random House will also put a hold on all billings to Ukraine booksellers at their request.
