Thank you for making the RTL Beach the Plage to be.

Four inspiring days of insightful panels, lively discussions, and legendary sunset gatherings are now behind us, and as we reflect on everything that happened on the Croisette, one thing is clear: RTL Beach 2025 brought European media to the global stage again, and bolder than ever.

Back in 2022, we noticed something striking: there was no strong European media presence along the beach and villas at Cannes Lions. So, we built it ourselves. RTL Beach became our way of planting a European flag in a sea of global tech players like Google, Amazon, Netflix, and more.

We knew then - and believe it even more now - that it is essential for European media to claim its space. We’re investing more in marketing, showing up at major global events, and proudly representing media made in Europe. RTL Beach is a living, breathing example of that commitment and a celebration of the alliance among the different players.

This has been our fifth year present during the international festival of creativity, and we are getting bigger and bolder. 

We were all about putting quality content on the main stage! Be it trustworthy news reporting, entertainment shows to watch with your entire family, mouthwatering cooking shows or nail-biting sports moments. We showed how brands can benefit from being seen next to these incredible events. This year’s programme on the RTL Beach not only reflects these opinions but amplifies them. 

We had four key topics encompassing the themes: Firstly, discussing brand safety and how to build a trusted news environment supported by brands, capturing new generations of fans through engagement with sports advertising, why iconic brands still are key for reach and awareness and lastly, why Total Video is the perfect match for food brands by strengthening affinity. 

It is more than just the programming, the concept encapsulates whom RTL Beach wants to represent and what values and missions. We have four powerful points we wanted to hit this year: 

We are more than a platform - we run a virtuous circle where brands, audiences, and content fuel each other. Create, connect, repeat. That’s the magic.

No one on the Croisette gets local like we do. We know the audiences, the tastes, the markets - because we live them.

We spark creativity by bringing in voices from all fields: Athletes, journalists, chefs, producers, and yes, marketers. Fresh perspectives fuel bold ideas.

This year’s visual concept was created by the creative agency Gédéon who has been working with us for many years. Having gone from "Meet RTL AdAlliance" when we first announced the merger, to explaining why we are the perfect match for advertisers, this year puts RTL AdAlliance and RTL Beach at centre stage. 

When not on RTL Beach, our bold and iconic illustrations are slightly covered by a white space, that is being unzipped to showcase what is beneath. There is still an effort to do to enter "the Plage to be". You can see the figures on the illustrations boldly taking a step into the beach and thus joining in.

Once on the beach, we are not only the plage to be, but we are also the place to listen, to unwind, to discuss, to network and to connect. No barriers in sight. 

We were thrilled to showcase our RTL Beach programme, which was all about putting quality content in the spotlight! We highlighted one topic each day: News, sports, entertainment and food. 

On Monday, we hosted esteemed experts such as top editors from reputable media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Stern, and The Washington Post to speak on this topic, researchers looking at the future of news and the impact AI already has due to the rise of fake news. Also, we welcome a panel of brands to talk about why news is an advertiser’s haven.

Some of our stand-out panels where "The business of news". We discovered how top media companies are reshaping the business of news through subscriptions, branded content, and platform innovation to drive growth and sustainability for journalism.

 “The editor’s view: a global outlook to shape your year ahead” where we heard from expert journalists on the biggest stories  from global affairs and conflicts to AI and climate that are impacting business, marketers and audiences all around the world with Emma Tucker from The Wall Street Journal, Ellana Lee from CNN and Dr. Gregor Peter Schmitz from RTL Deutschland. 

On Tuesday, the RTL Beach took a closer look at the phenomenon of sports advertising by exploring how one can reach specific audience segments, and new generation of fans. 

We started with an amazing panel “Fan-tastic partnerships: brands in the game” where industry leaders like Barbara Falanga from Lenovo, Mary Katopodi from Asahi and Magnus Lindholm from Klarna explored the strategic objectives of sports partnerships, the selection of the ideal sports environment, opportunities in emerging sports, and balancing traditional and disruptive activations.

We hosted the panel “Leveraging passion through sport” with Don McGuire, CMO of Qualcomm and one of Forbes’ Top 50 Most Influential CMOs. The discussion explored how brands can deepen engagement and build lasting loyalty by tapping into the powerful emotional connection audiences have with sport.

On Wednesday, RTL Beach explored new ways of integrating advertising within beloved entertainment shows. Esteemed speakers discussed innovative strategies and share success stories on how brands can effectively align themselves with popular entertainment to maximise their reach and impact.

We kicked off the day with Motsi Mabuse, dancer and TV juror on Let’s Dance, alongside Markus Küttner, Head of Entertainment at RTL Deutschland, in the session “A true icon of European entertainment: Let’s Dance.” 

Together, they shared how the show has evolved into a cultural phenomenon and a masterclass in audience engagement and cross-platform reach.

Later, we shifted gears to spotlight a rising star: Alba Hurup Larsen, the young talent making waves in the Formula 1 Academy. In “Role model for the next generations”, Alba joined us for an inspiring conversation on the evolving representation of women in sport, media, and advertising.

“Iconic brands for reach and awareness” where the top managers from leading European audiovisual sales house like RTL AdAlliance, RTL DE, Rai Pubblicita and ITV explained the strength of iconic prime time programmes to generate reach and build brand fame on the big screen.

Thursday at RTL Beach was dedicated to showcasing why TV and food are a perfect match for brands. We explored how smart brand integrations can elevate advertising campaigns and heard directly from advertisers who had done so with great success. 

The day also featured a look at the evolution of creativity in food marketing and sparked discussions about what the future might hold for this ever-evolving category.

We hosted the inspiring panel “Tasty tie-ins: brands in the kitchen”, where industry leaders delved into the dynamics of food programming on TV. The discussion explored the powerful “seen on TV” effect and the impact of food advertising alongside popular culinary shows. Panelists Ramona Hazan (Ramona’s Kitchen), Alexandra Illiashova (Danone), Jamee Pearlstein (Bel), and Brigette Wolf (MyMochi) shared firsthand insights into how their brands successfully engaged audiences through these flavourful integrations.

"Celebrating excellence in the kitchen: Accor and Top Chef team up for a 360 collaboration": We explored how global hospitality leader Accor partnered with Top Chef and M6 Publicité in a fully integrated campaign celebrating the excellence of its restaurants. The deep editorial collaboration brought together renowned chefs and TV personalities, showcasing how brand and broadcast can seamlessly work together; right in the heart of the kitchen.

A huge shoutout to our amazing partners: Ipsos, Thinkbox, MediaSense, WFA, smartclip, Screen Force, DanAds, Ad Net Zero, Adform, Ad Alliance, and AudienceProject for bringing the energy, the insights, and some truly unforgettable panels to RTL Beach. Thank you for making the sand sizzle with big ideas and bold conversations!

To our clients, brands, agencies, broadcasters, and the entire RTL team - thank you for bringing your passion, insights, and energy to RTL Beach. Together, we continue to show the world the power of European media.

To all our partners, collaborators, and team members who made this year’s Cannes unmissable. Thank you and see you next year.