RTL is currently not working on stealing the men from Today Inside, whose contract will expire soon. “They are remarkably clear about it,” says TV connoisseur Rob Goossens.
There is one act with which RTL can easily force its commercial competitor Talpa to its knees: stealing the men from Today Inside. That program is the mainstay of flagship SBS 6 and according to the former program director of that channel, Tina Nijkamp, the gentlemen are heavily underpaid.
Rough talks
You would expect John de Mol to pull out the wallet to keep the gentlemen in the house at all costs, but no contracts have yet been signed. “They are crazy if they let them go. It’s that simple,” said Angela de Jong, the opinion diva of the AD RTL Boulevard.
Presenter Vivienne van den Assem: “Yes, but Rob, now I understand that those negotiations are going smoothly. How did that happen?”
Competitors on the horizon
That’s right, says TV connoisseur Rob Goossens. “They still differ when it comes to what Talpa wants to pay and what the men think they are worth. You would say: then there is room for privateers on the coast. I also understand that quite a few parties have come forward, like: maybe we can talk?”
The obvious option is RTL, where the men of VI come from. “Of course we asked RTL: ‘Would you be interested?’, but they are remarkably clear. They are not busy getting the men to RTL. They will have to make do with John de Mol for now.”
streamers
Tina thinks it’s a viable option for the men from Today Inside to move to a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime. There’s a lot of money there, but René said last week that he doesn’t feel like it.
Not a useful statement from René, because then there are few options left and that is not good for the negotiating position of the men of VI.
What does Tina say?
TV connoisseur Tina Nijkamp finds it strange, she writes to her analysis channel. “They are not trying to get the men to RTL. And that is very strange. Because why wouldn’t RTL want that? It would be very smart from a business point of view. RTL 7 is completely on its ass. VI would give that station a right to exist again in one go. The market share would triple.”
She continues: “The program actually originated at RTL and fits the profile of RTL 7 1:1. Of course, RTL also understands this. And so what’s going on? Did they develop a strong bond with John de Mol at the time of the merger plans and do they now find it too sad if he loses the cork on which his transmitter floats?”
“In other words: is there a gentlemen’s agreement?”