Fremantle’s Revenue Boosted To $2B By Dramas Including ‘American Gods’ & ‘The New Pope’

Fremantle’s revenue rose 12% to €1.8 billion ($2 billion) last year, according to German parent company RTL Group. The producer’s EBITDA hit €184M ($205M), which was up 25% on 2018’s €147M ($164M).

RTL’s earnings for the financial year ended December 2019 showed that drama played a big role in Fremantle’s growth, with the company pointing to shows including Starz’s American Gods and HBO’s The New Pope.

Fremantle’s drama revenue grew 36% to €414M ($462M) and now makes up 23% of the producer’s total revenue. Beyond scripted, the company — which has production labels in 30 countries  — is known for making shows including America’s Got Talent and The Farmer Wants a Wife.

Fremantle’s performance helped RTL to record revenue of €6.7B ($7.44B) in 2019 — its fifth consecutive year of record growth. EBITDA was down 1% to €1.16B ($1.3B). RTL CEO Thomas Rabe said: “Driven by the strong performances of our three largest business units, RTL Group achieved all financial goals in 2019.”