RTL Group: Enhancing Consumer Experience Across a Multi-Vendor SaaS Ecosystem

About RTL Group

RTL Group is a leading entertainment powerhouse, spanning broadcast, streaming, content, and digital domains with a broad portfolio of assets across Europe. The Group operates 60 television channels, seven streaming services, and 36 radio stations, making it a dominant player in the European media landscape. RTL’s family of TV channels consistently ranks either first or second in six European countries, while its radio stations have a strong presence in France, Germany, Spain, and Luxembourg. RTL Deutschland is the Group’s largest business unit, distinguished as Germany’s first cross-media champion, operating across TV, streaming, radio, and digital publishing.

RTL Group’s streaming services include RTL+ in Germany and Hungary, Videoland in the Netherlands, and 6play in France. Additionally, Fremantle, one of the world’s largest creators and producers of scripted and unscripted content, is part of RTL Group, delivering over 11,000 hours of programming annually across 27 countries. RTL Group’s technology assets include Bedrock, a streaming tech company, and Smartclip, an ad-tech company. As a market leader, RTL Group is committed to fostering partnerships within the European media industry, exemplified by initiatives like Ad Alliance, a one-stop advertising sales house in Germany and the Netherlands, and RTL Ad Alliance, which drives international advertising sales.

Challenge: Improving Platform Stability and Consumer Experience

Managing Complexity in a Fragmented Ecosystem

As a multinational service provider, RTL Group is dedicated to delivering high-quality content and exceptional consumer experiences across its diverse markets. However, the complexity of managing a fragmented ecosystem, particularly in a multi-vendor Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environment, presents significant challenges. As these platforms and ecosystems evolve, reducing error rates, playback failures, and processing times becomes increasingly difficult. The core challenge for RTL was to audit, analyse, and resolve the underlying technical debt and platform nuances that were contributing to these issues, with the ultimate goal of improving the end-to-end quality of the consumer experience.

Solution: Comprehensive Platform Audit and Optimisation

In-Depth Analysis and Architectural Review

To address these challenges, Spicy Mango deployed its media consulting and architecture teams to conduct a thorough audit of RTL’s product and platform architecture. Our approach involved breaking down the platform architecture piece by piece, meticulously charting and evaluating every interaction and component that contributes to the consumer journey. This deep-dive analysis allowed us to uncover the intricate details of how the platform operates, identifying key areas where optimisations could be made.

Detailed Reporting and Evidence-Based Recommendations

The outcome of our analysis was a set of detailed report documents that provided a comprehensive overview of our findings. These reports included evidential chains that highlighted specific issues, areas for improvement, and engineering-level optimisations designed to enhance the overall quality of experience for RTL’s consumers. Our recommendations were structured, coherent, and easy to understand, offering agnostic technical advice aimed at reducing error rates, increasing platform reliability, and minimising technical debt.

Collaborative Problem-Solving

In addition to delivering these reports, Spicy Mango worked closely with RTL’s teams to ensure a clear understanding of the findings and to explore potential solutions. This collaborative approach enabled us to develop and implement resolutions that directly addressed the issues identified, leading to tangible improvements in platform performance and consumer satisfaction.

Impact: Enhanced Reliability and Consumer Satisfaction

Reducing Error Rates and Technical Debt

The impact of Spicy Mango’s work with RTL has been significant. Our structured and evidence-based approach to auditing and optimising the platform has resulted in measurable reductions in error rates and playback failures. By addressing the underlying technical debt and fine-tuning the platform’s architecture, we have helped RTL improve the overall reliability and stability of its services, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable experience for its consumers.

Quantifiable Improvements in Consumer Experience

The improvements made to the platform have also had a positive effect on consumer retention and satisfaction. With reduced error rates and enhanced performance, RTL has seen a decrease in churn rates, as users are less likely to abandon the service due to technical issues. The optimisations have also led to faster processing times and more reliable playback, further contributing to a high-quality viewing experience that keeps audiences engaged.

Future-Ready: Building on a Strong Foundation

Long-Term Platform Optimisation

The work completed by Spicy Mango has not only resolved immediate issues but also laid the groundwork for ongoing platform optimisation. By reducing technical debt and improving the platform’s architecture, RTL is now better equipped to handle future challenges and scale its services as needed. The platform’s enhanced stability and reliability provide a solid foundation upon which RTL can continue to innovate and expand its offerings.

Navigating the Challenges of Multi-Vendor SaaS Ecosystems

Managing Complexity in a Growing Ecosystem

One of the primary challenges in a multi-vendor SaaS ecosystem is managing the complexity that comes with growth and evolution. As new components are added and integrations become more complex, the risk of errors and performance issues increases. Spicy Mango’s detailed analysis and optimisation work have helped RTL navigate these challenges, ensuring that its platform remains robust and capable of delivering a consistent, high-quality experience to users across multiple regions and devices.

Ensuring Seamless Consumer Journeys

A key focus of our work with RTL was to enhance the consumer journey by identifying and resolving pain points that could disrupt the viewing experience. By mapping out every interaction and component of the platform, we were able to pinpoint the exact areas where improvements were needed, resulting in a more seamless and enjoyable experience for RTL’s audience.

RTL Group’s Digital Success Story

Through strategic planning, detailed analysis, and expert execution, RTL Group, with the support of Spicy Mango, has successfully enhanced its platform’s performance and consumer experience. This project not only addressed the immediate challenges of managing a fragmented multi-vendor SaaS ecosystem but also set the stage for future growth and innovation. The collaboration between RTL Group and Spicy Mango is a testament to the importance of thorough, evidence-based optimisation in achieving large-scale digital success, ensuring that RTL can continue to deliver world-class content and experiences to audiences across Europe and beyond.