“WE’RE STICKING OUR NECKS OUT AT VTM, AND REAPING THE REWARDS”

HET CONCLAAF

Coming up with a format that ends up swaying the general elections? No easy feat. But that was exactly what the VTM programme Het Conclaaf managed to pull off. With special credit to interviewer and producer Eric Goens, who persuaded the leaders of seven Flemish parties to spend a weekend together in a castle in the Ardennes, just before the elections.

“It’s like going on holiday for the first time with a group of friends,” Davy says. “You find out very quickly who takes the lead, who’s handy, who’s lazy and so on. And there’s always someone who surprises you – someone you thought you knew.” With this in mind, VTM came up with the idea to have the seven politicians not only debate each other, but also cook, tidy up and play sports.

832,000 Flemish viewers were glued to their screens, experiencing all the highs and lows – political and personal – from the front row. Even The New York Times reviewed it. “We don’t want to make too many political programmes, and hopefully we don’t have to have elections every year, but the things we do have to make waves.”

SINGLE BELLS

Flanders has no tradition of producing Christmas stories. Time for VTM to change that, Davy thought. So the channel developed its own fiction series, Single Bells, about 30-year-old Mina who can’t seem to find anyone to bring home for Christmas. Until her family takes charge and forces her to meet a new potential partner every day in the week before Christmas.

“Viewers are no longer used to waiting a week for the next instalment of a fiction series, so we decided to put out a new episode once a day,” Davy explains. But die-hard fans were able to watch the episodes in advance on streaming service Streamz, where the series premiered. “If something does well on Streamz, we know it will also get good ratings on VTM thanks to word of mouth. VTM and Streamz only make each other stronger.”

THE MASKED SINGER

“Suppose I told you that I have a secret,” Davy says. “I know something you don’t, and I make it very clear that I’m not going to tell you what it is. What would happen? Exactly, you’d get obsessed.” This is the basic principle behind the guessing game.

VTM’s popular guessing game in which famous Flemings, unrecognisable in elaborate costumes, take to the stage to sing in front of a jury and viewers at home. With 1.5 million viewers and a 63 percent market share, it’s the biggest hit in VTM’s history, with young and old arguing over who could be in those suits for weeks on end.

“Families watch it together on Friday nights, which is the ultimate goal for a family channel like VTM,” Davy says, beaming with pride. “And when you hear that school parties are doing their own versions of The Masked Singer, you feel VTM’s incredible ability to bring people together.”

DE VERRADERS

Originally a Dutch format, De Verraders has been a smash hit in Flanders for three years running. “It’s incredible,” Davy says of the success. “With the third season, we sometimes had a 50 percent market share on Sunday evenings.” The concept is simple: 20 celebrities (actors, athletes, singers, influencers, etc.) play a game in which loyal allies face off against a group of traitors. These traitors not only sabotage group challenges by day, but also ‘kill’ allies who might blow their cover by night.

“The format is taking the world by storm,” Davy says, “but I think our version is very good. The creative team behind the programme is dialled in, so it’s just getting better and better.” In other words, viewers can expect even more intrigue and drama in Season 4.