In accordance with IAS 37, restructuring provisions include termination benefits and other costs relating to the discontinuation of business activities. Provisions in the amount of €71 million (previous year: €52 million) are recognized for various restructuring programs within the Bertelsmann Group. Of the additions, €18 million relates to a restructuring plan concluded in September 2017 for RTL Belgium, which belongs to RTL Group.

The provisions for onerous contracts in the amount of €107 million (previous year: €107 million) concern RTL Group and were recognized mainly for program rights, of which a total of €74 million (previous year: €64 million) relates to Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, and an additional €33 million (previous year: €42 million) to Groupe M6. Additions related to provisions for onerous contracts total €62 million for movies and series and €19 million for sports events. Provisions for litigation totaling €94 million (previous year: €90 million) also pertain mainly to RTL Group companies. They cover expected losses from partly multiannual court proceedings and extrajudicial disputes. Please refer to the risk report in the Combined Management Report for information on antitrust litigation. The other provisions include a provision in the amount of €24 million (previous year: €26 million) for compensation obligations from pension entitlements of employees at the Prinovis location in Ahrensburg toward Axel Springer SE.