“People want to be moved by local stories” 

“When I was young, I ran a video store, and I noticed that people would come back very quickly when they had rented a series. So I figured they were watching all the episodes back to back. I also noticed how valuable recommendations were: if you liked one film, I knew which other films you would probably also like.”

“I’m very proud of the positive impact streaming has had on the art of storytelling. Writers are no longer bound by the old laws of television, which prescribed lots of repetition and superficial characters, because people didn’t watch every episode. Now TV shows really focus on the viewer, which means you can tell longer stories and develop characters in much greater depth. I think television is better now than it’s ever been. And there’s so much of it.”

“Mensen moeten het heel fijn vinden bij ons, met een perfecte gebruikservaring. Als je het heel makkelijk maakt om op te zeggen, helpt dat je business. Alleen als je steeds opnieuw waarde blijft bieden, blijven de mensen abonnee.”

“The hardest part is hiring the right people. Choose talented people who think independently and are hungry to solve big problems. Once you’ve given those people the tools they need to do the best work of their lives, being a good boss mostly means getting out of the way. That recipe has worked really well for us. Some of the problems we face now are different than the ones we were dealing with five years ago, and not everyone is able to keep up. If that’s the case, you need to be honest and part ways.”

“We also want to be local champions ourselves, with productions that are relatable to domestic audiences, like Ferry. We’re not just exporting Hollywood to the world. Squid Game, which was made by an unknown independent creator in South Korea, became our biggest hit. Entertainment is a huge market, so there will always be a lot of competition. The trend in streaming is towards consolidation, but I think there’s more than enough room for great local stories, which also means there’s room for local players like Videoland and Streamz. We hope that Netflix will always be people’s first subscription, but we will co-exist.”

“It will be interesting to see how games and interactivity are going to change the way we tell stories. You won’t be able to ‘play’ every movie you watch, but gaming elements and interactive experiences will give you a lot more influence.”

“We’ve been around for 10 years now. I never quite realised that the Netherlands is the only country where a local streaming service has managed to secure the second largest market share. Nowhere else in Europe has a local player managed to do that. So that’s something we’re very proud of. We’ve seen rapid growth, even in the past year, bucking all trends.”

“Our focus has been on exclusive local content from the very beginning. In addition, you can watch all our TV broadcasts on demand. There are fantastic international TV series, films and documentaries being made, but local productions always perform better. At the end of the day, I think people want local stories.”

“They’re working on a law that will require international players to invest in local productions. We’re already seeing that those major competitors are copying our themes, but we can do it better. These international giants normally play a global game with their content, while we are used to making local programmes that have to pay for themselves. Streaming consolidation is already in full swing. There’s so much content out there, and people have limited time. When the dust settles, I think every country will have about three international streamers and one local player.”

“We want to become number one by continuing to invest in local content and expanding across a wider range of genres. Mocro Maffia and reality TV, which made us big, are primarily targeted at younger demographics. We’re now investing in high-end drama, like our upcoming series Máxima, which is aimed at a wider Dutch audience. We’re also increasingly investing in documentaries. Meanwhile, we’re looking at how to integrate news and current affairs, and we want to add comedy and expand our sports offering. The goal is to keep growing by diversifying our content and appealing to a wider range of viewers in the Netherlands.”

“If you want to do streaming well, you need a radically different mindset, because your competitors have no legacy. So as a company, you’re faced with a very steep learning curve. I’ve replaced almost my entire management team and 60% of the layer below. All content decisions for TV and streaming are made by Peter van der Vorst and his team. What hasn’t changed is our dedication to craftsmanship: we’ve invested in our own creative unit, which has developed formats like B&B Vol Liefde and De Verraders. We’re seeing very few hits based on new ideas out there, so I’m proud of what those creators do for our TV channels and Videoland.”

“Deciding to launch VTM GO was absolutely nerve-racking. We wanted to meet consumers where they live, so we were the first to abandon traditional TV programming. Our viewers can watch whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want. This allowed VTM GO to hit the ground running and become the undisputed market leader in Flanders, a position it has held for the past four years. Every month, one million people use the app.”

“It’s our duty to convert VTM’s current market position in the analogue world to the digital realm, which is a massive challenge. Because in the analogue world, there are only three of us: VRT, Play and VTM. But online there are hundreds – even thousands – of providers. And yet we also want to be the digital market leader in video entertainment in Flanders.”

“Is there a gap in the market for a local player in Flanders? That’s the question. And the answer is a resounding yes, provided you offer something different from the global players. That’s why Streamz changed its course last year, opting for a strategic focus on much more high-quality local content, from drama to documentaries. And the strategy is working: Streamz has become complementary to Netflix, giving Flemish consumers a reason to have more than one subscription.”

“The best international content might be on Netflix, but the best Flemish dramas are on Streamz. This is already being backed up by the viewing figures: nine of the ten most watched productions on Streamz are Flemish. Our long-standing disadvantage as a small language area may now be working in our favour – people want to be moved by local stories. They want to laugh at homegrown jokes and be enthralled by true crime set in their own backyard. These productions resonate much more with our viewers’ own experiences because they’re more real, authentic and relevant.

“Every global streaming service is looking at its bottom line these days. They’re investing much less in local productions, and Flanders is no different. But with the huge amount of content that’s available, it’s harder to stand out. A decade ago, TV channels could get away with the occasional hour of ‘filler’, but now people are quick to grab the remote to see what’s on Netflix or Disney+. Viewers have set the bar high, not just for content quality but also in terms of technology and business. So we all need to brace ourselves. Being in this chair has never been this challenging, but it’s also never been this much fun.”