RTL Says TF1-M6 Merger “Necessary To Compete With Global Rivals” As H1 Group Revenue Rises 8.7% To $3.35BN

A woman recalled 'putting on a brave face' after allegedly being raped by Benjamin Mendy at his home, a jury has heard. The trial of the Manchester City defender continued at Chester Crown Court today (August 24).

One of the thieves who stole $10 million worth of jewelry from Kim Kardashian in 2016 is now speaking out.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might “face the Queen’s wrath” during their upcoming trip to the UK.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are jetting to England from California early next month so that they can attend a handful of engagements.They’ll also be flying to Germany at one stage as the country is hosting next year’s Invictus Games after they were held in The Netherlands earlier this year.There’s undeniably some apprehension from the Royal Family ahead of the pair’s return – with Royal expert Duncan Larcombe believing the pair may trigger an angry response from the monarch while here. “To the casual observer, especially overseas and even more especially in America, this will look like Harry and Meghan are back doing royal jobs, especially given that one of the gigs Harry is doing is the WellChild awards for sick children, which he always used to do when he actually was a working royal,” Duncan wrote for The Daily Beast.

Lori Harvey reflected on how much she has grown and revealed that she was very close to getting married when she was younger.

MONSTA X member I.M has addressed fans in a handwritten letter shedding light on his departure from the group’s agency Starship Entertainment.On Monday (8 August), the label confirmed that all members but I.M had renewed their contracts with company through an announcement on MONSTA X’s official fan cafe site.I.M will still continue to be a MONSTA X member and the group will continue activities as a sextet, Starship said.Later that day, the 26-year-old rapper shared a handwritten letter on the same official fan cafe site to thank Starship Entertainment and the group’s fans, known as Monbebe.“Seven years have gone by since I made my first start as a singer with Starship,” wrote I.M, per a Soompi translation. “As we’ve been together for a long time, I’ve grown fond [of Starship], but I thought I needed a new challenge with different meaning, so after a lot of thinking, I came to this decision.

A former Netherlands international has accused Barcelona of blackmailing Frenkie de Jong and has urged the midfielder to join Manchester United if the La Liga giants continue to 'harass' him.

Naman Ramachandran Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant RTL Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenue of €3.26 billion ($3.35 billion) for the first half of 2022, a growth of 9% from the corresponding period in 2021.The RTL Group has interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.” Revenue at Fremantle was up 8% to €983 million.Adjusted group earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) for the group was up 3.7% to €501 million, “despite more challenging macroeconomic conditions and higher streaming start-up losses,” RTL said in a statement.

Lionsgate execs said the company is still on track to announce a deal for Starz next month and close as early as next spring, but talks have expanded to possibly include the studio as well.

German director Kilian Riedhof’s drama You Will Not Have My Hate is inspired by the experiences of French writer Antoine Leiris, whose wife was killed in the Bataclan nightclub during the November 13, 2015 Paris terror attacks, leaving him to raise their young son alone.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are soaking in that new parent life, locking things down and maintaining a low profile in New York since welcoming their first child in May. «They're keeping things lowkey so they can enjoy their little family,» a source tells ET. «Privacy has become increasingly important to the couple.

France’s TF1 Group has posted a positive set of results for the first half of 2022, as Covid-19 pandemic challenges which weighed on turnover in 2020 and 2021 continue to subside.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMerger plans between French TV banners TF1 Group and M6 Group are still on track despite concerns raised in a preliminary report by the French Competition Authority, which has been reviewing the case for over a year.TF1, which is owned by Bouygues, and M6 Group, which is part of Bertelsmann-owned RTL Group, unveiled their merger plans to form a $4-billion European media powerhouse back in May 2021.However, the listed companies said in a release on July 26 that the French Competition Authority’s investigation teams “consider that the deal raises a number of significant competition concerns (especially in relation to the advertising market).”The banners added that although the report “in no way predicts the final decision of the authority’s board, the nature and extent of the remedies required in the report would mean that the merger plans would no longer be meaningful for the parties involved and they would therefore abandon them.” But it’s still too early for alarm bells.A well-informed source that’s close to the French TV outfits told Variety that it’s natural for TF1 and M6 to communicate on this report from the anti-trust board and inform shareholders because both companies are listed in the stock market. The source highlighted that the anti-trust board’s review process takes place in two phases, the second of which will issue a final decision following hearings with both parties.They cited the example of Fnac and Darty, two major French retail chains whose merger had also raised concerns from the anti-trust authorities.