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t was also a year in which we were not yet able to put the coronavirus pandemic behind us. A year in which our employees and all freelancers mostly had to work from home again. A year in which we nevertheless achieved strong revenue growth.

The journalistic pillar of our business is stronger than ever and helps to maintain dependable, independent journalism. Flemish and Dutch audiences have embraced our TV and radio channels, making us a convincing market leader. Our media titles are digitising at a rapid pace, with tremendous growth in the digital media reach and numbers of new digital subscribers. Our growth in the digital and TV advertising market has been remarkably successful. The business is on track, our investments are paying off and that is also reflected in the financial performance, with revenue growing by 7.5 percent to almost €1.9 billion in 2021.

The Board of Directors cannot emphasise enough our appreciation and admiration for the work of all our employees in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. We have every reason to be proud of what they achieved in 2021. It is especially in difficult circumstances that our characteristic optimism and entrepreneurship come to the fore. The Board has every confidence that 2022 will also be embraced with the same passion.

Ludwig Criel,

Chairman of the Board of Directors