LUXEMBOURG (dpa-AFX) - Despite weak business in traditional TV advertising and at its production subsidiary Fremantle, RTL Group confirmed its forecast for the current year in the first quarter. According to the forecast, revenue is expected to increase slightly to around €6.45 billion in 2025 thanks to significantly higher streaming revenues and portfolio effects, as the Bertelsmann subsidiary announced on Thursday in Luxembourg.

The Executive Board continues to anticipate an increase in earnings before interest, taxes, and intangible amortization (EBITA), adjusted for special items, to around €780 million.

After a hesitant start, the MDax-listed share was last up just under three percent at €33.05.

The stock had recovered in recent months from a years-long slump that had pushed the price from nearly €100 in 2014 to less than €23 in the fall of 2024. Bertelsmann holds about 76 percent of the shares in the TV company, which was last valued at just over €5 billion.

In the first three months, revenue fell by two percent to 1.29 billion euros. The decline is attributable to weaker business at production subsidiary Fremantle and lower TV advertising revenues. These were only partially offset by higher revenues from the streaming business.

As usual, the group did not disclose any key figures on profit development in the first quarter. RTL CEO Thomas Rabe spoke of a solid start to the year, pointing, among other things, to the more than seven million paying streaming subscribers. This represents an increase of 18 percent compared to the previous year.

"Streaming and digital advertising revenues each rose by 29 percent, offsetting the lower revenues from TV advertising. We are well on track to become profitable in the streaming business in 2026," he said./zb/tav/jha/