RTL stories - The podcast
25 years at RTL: Gabriella Vidus

RTL Hungary’s CEO opens up about driving digital transformation, navigating political pressures and the power of staying grounded in the latest episode of RTL stories – The podcast.

“I stayed because probably I fell in love and I wasn’t even aware of it,” says Gabriella Vidus, reflecting on her start in the Hungarian media industry. Gabriella has spent over two decades shaping the country’s media landscape, and during her 10 years as CEO of RTL Hungary, she has led the launch of RTL+, secured Champions League broadcasting rights and steered the company through rapid digital transformation.

In this episode of RTL stories – The podcast, hosted by Lisa Burke, Gabriella offers a candid look at the challenges and triumphs of leading a major media company in a politically complex environment. From legislative constraints to fierce competition, she explains how RTL Hungary maintains its independence and builds trust with audiences.

Gabriella also shares her philosophy on leadership: ”Make decisions and take responsibility – that makes you a leader. Some people think you become a leader when you have people working for you, but no, that’s just becoming a boss.” She speaks openly about the emotional toll of being a woman CEO in a highly scrutinised industry and the importance of having a strong team and a trusted sounding board.

The conversation explores the evolving relationship between traditional media and social platforms, the speed of change in content consumption and how RTL Hungary is adapting to serve audiences wherever they are. “We have to be a little bit ahead of that. Sometimes even the audience doesn’t know why they’re going to go there, but we have to see it first.”

From being repeatedly named Hungary’s most influential woman in media by Forbes to her dream of one day running a boutique hotel, Gabriella’s journey is defined by bold leadership, relentless curiosity and a deep passion for transformation.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation below!

 

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RTL Group is a leading entertainment company across broadcast, streaming, content and digital, with interests in 52 television channels, six streaming services and 40 radio stations. The Group’s families of TV channels are either number one or number two in five European countries, while RTL Group owns or has interests in radio stations in France, Germany, Spain and Luxembourg. RTL Deutschland is the Group’s largest business unit and Germany’s first cross-media champion, operating across TV, streaming, radio, digital and publishing. RTL Group’s streaming services include RTL+ in Germany and Hungary, and M6+ in France. Fremantle is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, and is responsible for more than 11,000 hours of programming per year, alongside an international network of teams operating in 28 countries. The streaming tech company Bedrock, the ad-tech company Smartclip and the social media company We Are Era are also owned by RTL Group. As a market leader, RTL Group strives to foster alliances and partnerships within the European media industry, for example by building a one-stop advertising sales house in Germany with Ad Alliance and driving international advertising sales with RTL AdAlliance. Bertelsmann is the majority shareholder of RTL Group, which is listed on the Luxembourg and Frankfurt stock exchanges and in the MDAX stock index.

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