'It is not true that the UK is the most competitive European market. Germany is'

摘要

As the new head of RTL Group, Gerhard Zeiler oversees a media empire that spans eight countries and 23 television stations. To keep him on his mettle, he intends to continue doing his old job, running Germany's biggest TV network, RTL Germany. No wonder he starts to bristle when the only subject that British reporters ever seem to ask him about since he succeeded Didier Bellens in March is if the group intends to sell Five. "The answer is no," Zeiler insists, not quite banging the boardroom table when the inevitable question arises halfway through our interview. "It contains two letters: N and O. Why should we want to sell?" Not even if, as well-informed sources suggest, a cheque for a cool ￡800m is placed in a sealed envelope? "Look," continues Zeiler, sounding not a little exasperated, "You've got to look at what RTL is and where we want to be. We are a pan-European broadcast company that is number one in the German market, number two in France.