Photo: Glenn Carstens-Peters (Public Domain)

Dishonesty disguised as reviews and prize games. RTL reaches the next level of Native Advertising.

Games for computers and consoles: which ones are worth buying? RTL.lu and journalist David Winter have some tips. Why these tips cost him so little work and how corporations hide products in radio broadcasts, we will now show you here.

How can one form the most objective opinion possible about a product in today’s sea of ​​offers and advertisements on the Internet? The press could help here. It can independently test, rank and compare a product - and thereby allow the public a more enlightened view. However, anyone hoping to get this kind of help from RTL might be surprised. RTL is the most widely consumed medium in the country, the medium with the highest state subsidy and the most journalists certified by the Press Council - but it is also the largest advertising machine in the country. In contrast to critical analysis, advertising is a one-sided, positive representation, which often also promises things about products that are not true.

On RTL.lu, there is a separate section for „Gaming“. A large number of games are presented under „News“, some of the articles are elaborate, e.g. interviews are conducted, such as the one with the Game Director of „Ghostrunner 2“ or the Executive Producer of NBA 2K24, which are also broadcast on RTL Radio. In the sub-section „Review“ games are tested and rated. For example, „Through the streets of Baghdad with Assassin’s Creed Mirage“. Responsible for these articles and reviews, as well as a large part of the content in the gaming section, is David Winter.

David Winter, journalist?

David Winter works as a journalist for RTL. He is one of those „real journalists“, someone who has a press card. One of the few journalists who are even allowed to publish politically oriented opinion articles on RTL. So someone you trust to do their job seriously. And who of course also knows that there are special requirements for publishing advertisements. Article 11 of the Press Code, which deals with the identification of advertising, provides, among other things: „b) Journalists undertake not to sign advertising articles with their own names. The press undertakes to maintain its objectivity in the presentation and communication of information concerning commercial enterprises, products or services“.

It is striking that a number of the articles published by David Winter under his name do not only contain information and assessments, but often also „RTL sweepstakes“. This is not at all abnormal. RTL is not the only medium that wants to use small games to encourage interaction and loyalty from the public. „Won a whole package of Playstation 5 games!“ is the title of the article on rtl.lu, which was also played on the radio and re-edited as a review: „We looked at a number of games from 2023, some of which we will also play again… So keep your ears open, David Winter has more details.“

However, it is not David Winter who has details and who has looked at the games, but he does pass on a „tip from the gaming world“. David Winter gives the floor to a certain „game editor from Mein Audioservice“, who is enthusiastic: „Starting with THIS game for basketball fans, namely NBA 2k.“ The gaming editors of „Mein Audioservice“ also find that a new masterpiece in the basketball series will be released in 2022.

Who is „Mein Audioservice“?

If you examine the articles in the RTL gaming section, you will notice that a whole bunch of them are also related to „RTL winning games“ - and that they mostly contain content from „Mein Audioservice“. Sometimes this external source is mentioned, sometimes not. For example, in the aforementioned „review“ of the new „Assassin’s Creed“ and also the interview with the Executive Producer of NBA 2K24. Both contain content, e.g. interviews, from „Mein Audioservice“. However, this content is presented as the work of David Winter. Will they not be angry with the RTL journalist because of this? Hardly. The fact that Winter deliberately deceives his audience by allowing himself to be presented as the author is just the tip of the iceberg.

The „gaming editorial team of Mein Audioservice“ seems to be David Winter’s most popular interview partner, and has been for years. In the article „Sony vs. Xbox - The new next-gen consoles in the test“ it says: „David Winter took a closer look at both consoles in collaboration with the gaming editorial team of „Mein Audioservice“. In the audio contribution for the radio, David Winter says: „Christian from the German gaming editorial team tested both consoles and can of course get a good idea of ​​the performance of both consoles from this“. However, as the title suggests, there is no test of the two consoles, but only positive statements about various players: „The game is not just a prettier version of the old console version. It was specifically developed to take advantage of the performance and graphical capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X,“ says „Christian“.

Another reason to take a closer look at this „audio service“. The German company presents itself as a kind of free service provider for radio stations, offering „free contributions for your program“ on its website. The FAQ explains: „My audio service produces radio contributions, interview audio recordings and street surveys. For most of our topics, you can also arrange content-related competitions with us.“

And further: „Our content is exclusively reserved for program creators. Anyone who works for radio or for an internet radio station, whether as an editor, presenter or reporter, is right for us.“ On the „Mein Audioservice“ website you can also find reports that you already know from rtl.lu, for example, those about the game Assassins Creed. The interview with Assassins Creed director Simon Arseneault was not conducted by David Winter, but by „Mein Audioservice“. Contributions that you can copy to quickly get content into your broadcast - is „Mein Audioservice“ something like a news agency? But they are free… So more like the Robin Hood of overworked and stressed radio reporters?

„PR on Air“, the company behind „Mein Audioservice“

Behind „Mein Audioservice“ is the native advertising specialist „PR on Air“, a group that offers „radio PR“: „Attention guaranteed! For our radio PR campaigns, we start with intensive contact work. Through personal approach, your topic gets on the air nationwide - with live presentations, broadcasts at the best time and lively implementations“. According to its own information, „PR on Air“ clients include companies such as „AirBNB“, „Amazon“ and even the game manufacturer „Ubisoft“ as well as „XBox“. The interviewee, called „the Christian of the German gaming editorial team“ by David Winter, is introduced here as follows: „At PR ON AIR, Christian Goller supports customers with planning, develops ideas further and ensures that the result sounds like radio - so that it can really be heard there too“.

So how does it all work? A company like Ubisoft commissions „PR on Air“ to advertise a new game. „Mein Audioservice“ then produces content, i.e., for example, conducts an interview with a responsible person from Ubisoft, who is allowed to list all the positive aspects. This content is produced in such a way that it sounds like a normal report - but in reality it is pure advertising, which is also paid for by the companies. In Luxembourg, David Winter is looking for content to quickly bring even more activity to the RTL site and to the radio. He has an account with „Mein Audioservice“, downloads the contributions and agrees with „Mein Audioservice“ to do a plus one prize draw to make the radio report even more interesting. Result: An article about Assassin’s Creed can be found in the RTL „Review“ section. Native advertising thus runs under the name of a journalist in a medium that is now „Service Public“. Or, to give another example, which is not even labeled as a prize game: Anyone who sees the article „Just Dance 2024: The perfect video game to keep you moving“ on RTL.lu has no chance of knowing that this is actually an advertisement.

Invisible advertisements are legally prohibited in Luxembourg. However, since the money to pay for the advertisement only flowed between the manufacturer and „PR on Air“, the case should probably be examined legally. It is clear that this is a particularly sneaky and shameless type of product placement.

It shows once again that RTL, despite state requirements, despite membership in the Press Council and despite its own code of ethics, is unable to separate information from advertising.

Read a test here about the number of advertisements on the rtl.lu homepage.