Ambitious editorial boards and excellent journalists play a key role in the transformation from daily paper to multi-platform news medium, but they are not alone in this. The real key to success is the coordination between content, technology, marketing, advertising and management. There must be digital expertise in all of these areas, together with optimum cooperation. This means being enterprising across the board, and without an instruction manual.

There’s great satisfaction in seeing all these elements come together and our news media’s new lease of life in terms of structural growth. Our next campaign is to achieve the same with the magazines we purchased from Sanoma in 2020. This will mean a new quest for the digital formula that works, but we see great opportunities here too.

In the meantime, we will continue to foster our printed newspapers and magazines. Because printed matter continues to be remarkably popular with many readers.

After the newspapers, it was the turn of television to face sombre predictions. The rapid growth of Netflix, YouTube and other streaming platforms is pushing traditional viewing to the margins. For many trend watchers, this immediately spells the end of commercial television.

In our view, a doomsday scenario can be avoided here, too, by seizing all the opportunities offered by the internet to serve viewers even better. We do this by investing in new streaming platforms, such as VTM GO and Streamz. But also by devising programme formats for an optimum viewing experience on all screens, large and small.

The exciting thing about the television sector today is that everyone is searching for the earnings model of the future, with the new global players leading the way. Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Apple are currently spending untold sums of money on new content, with the aim of winning over as many subscribers as
possible. But financially, this does not add up. New competitors are emerging everywhere: there are now over 100 streaming services in the United States alone. This only serves to increase the chaos.

Needless to say, this situation is not sustainable in the long term. But it does enable us to consider the best strategy for DPG Media as a local player. One thing is certain: home-grown programmes continue to be extremely popular. The trick is to use a robust earnings model to deliver them to viewers on all platforms, both free and paid.

The fact is that television remains extremely popular with advertisers who invest in brand advertising. TV commercials have unrivalled emotional value. The medium still has a huge reach and many people still watch TV together as a family. These are unique assets that are greatly valued by advertisers. Online advertising is better at nudging consumers towards making a purchase. But TV is still the most effective way to give your brand an emotional charge.

Thanks to Streamz, which is pay-per-view, we have the opportunity to develop a second source of income. Last year was a great one for television, after a difficult 2020. This was also true of radio, where we had an extra boost thanks to Qmusic Nederland, which became market leader for the first time. A fantastic achievement.

Online services are the third cornerstone of our company, alongside publishing and broadcasting. This is journalism in a different form: offering people specialised platforms to help them make better choices in their daily lives.

We have experts in a variety of markets, such as insurance, energy, loans, interiors and electronics. We compare all that the market has to offer and look for the best solutions for each customer profile. This is done using algorithms, but also with advice from our experts.

Now we want to expand this activity to all domains relevant to consumers. People feel a strong need for guidance, support and inspiration amid the endless range of digital services. And we want to be leaders in this field.

For us, 2021 was an absolutely record year financially, with impressive growth in all our activities. Creating great media in a great company has always been our aim. To achieve this, we combine two key elements: an outspoken love for our profession and effective management with a long-term vision.

That’s what drives us. It has brought results that enable us to keep on working to expand this wonderful company that we’re so proud of. And like every year, I’m extremely grateful to all our staff for these achievements.