“We have entered a new chapter”

Talking about an acquisition for eighteen months – that must have been quite an undertaking.

“The first half of 2025 was indeed dominated by the ACM approval process. You could certainly call that an exhausting one. Not only because of its length and the sheer volume of questions, but also because we had no time to lose – the media world moves fast. In the end, the green light came just before the summer. The acquisition could be completed on condition that we would further strengthen the independence of our journalism, which had already been well safeguarded. Everyone is pleased and excited that we can finally look ahead.”

But the work was not over once the signatures were in place.

“After the acquisition, we immediately threw ourselves into the integration process. That meant not only integrating RTL, but also developing a newly sharpened strategy for our company, along with a new organisational structure. The company is now organised operationally into three business units, each led by its own CEO – Sven Sauvé, Bert Willemsen and Felix Tenniglo – and its own management team. I am pleased that we have completed all these steps and can now focus fully on building for the future. That is, after all, the most enjoyable part.”

Has DPG Media become a different company with the arrival of RTL?

“We have entered a new chapter. With the acquisition of RTL, we are now a company with two very large media divisions: Audio & Visual Media and News Media & Magazines, each generating around 45% of the company’s revenue. The third business unit is our growth engine: Online Services.”

​​​​​​​But the media sector still revolves around digitalisation, doesn’t it?

“Absolutely. The media landscape is becoming fully digital, both for consumers and advertisers. That in itself is nothing new. But digitalisation is accelerating all the time, while the open internet is becoming increasingly closed and dominated by big tech platforms that impose restrictive algorithms and rules. These developments are being intensified further by AI engines, which are now developing at lightning speed. They offer enormous opportunities to serve users even better but, if you’re not careful, they also make it increasingly difficult to reach those same users.”

How does DPG Media hold its ground amid all those global players?

“DPG Media wants to use its local scale, its portfolio of brands and its overall reach to become a digital leader in audiovisual streaming, news and consumer advice through unique, locally created content. We want to become the news and entertainment company that brings news and entertainment to people across the Low Countries every day, and one with more than 5 million subscribers.

“We believe we can build loyalty among users and advertisers through the strength of our brands and our own locally produced content. We offer that content on our own independent platforms, which every user can access directly and easily. It is crucial that our brands together form a strong network and work together across borders. In that way, for example, we can offer advertisers a strong, competitive advertising platform that is every bit as good as what big tech has to offer and, in practice, even more effective. Smart AI applications can help us accelerate this process and improve our products, without us believing that AI can or will replace that human X factor.”

Do you believe that people at DPG Media will continue to make the difference in future?

“Creativity, ingenuity and curiosity are decisive factors in our company’s success. More than 6,000 people and many freelancers work at DPG Media – media makers who create our media every day with incredible drive and passion. Without them, this success would be unthinkable. That has always been the case and it always will be. The quality of our people – only a limited number of whom we can feature in this annual report – is precisely what makes the difference.”

Finally, would you like to guide the reader through the 2025 results in broad terms?

“Across the board, subscriber numbers grew in our news media and at Videoland and VTM GO, mainly due to new digital subscriptions. Reach on sites and apps increased, as did the number of listeners to our radio stations. At the same time, linear television viewing continued to decline, despite the fact that our TV channels achieved very strong market shares. We saw a similar trend in our magazines, although the major brands held up well. Revenue from the reader market and Online Services increased, but overall advertising revenue declined slightly, despite growth in digital revenue. Overall, revenue grew organically – not only because of the acquisition of RTL Nederland. Combined with tight cost control, this led to profit growth.”