News has a future beyond television

Ilse Openneer: “Television news still attracts strong viewing figures, but we also see that linear TV viewing is declining year on year. Audiences are moving across different platforms to meet their news needs. We want to be where the audience is, across all those platforms. That is why we have launched a major transformation, with digitalisation as a key part of it. The newsroom has started working in a different way, and we have completely renewed our editorial system and our studios.

“That transformation became urgent when the system we were using was on the verge of collapse. That was the moment to shift up a gear. We started with a blank sheet and mapped out what we needed to look like in order to be ready for the future. We introduced a new editing system, Adobe Premiere, and a different editorial system, Saga/Mimir. These systems do not run on servers, but in the cloud. That means you can access them from anywhere, including from home or on location. Everyone started working on laptops.

“After that, we rebuilt the studios and connected them to the new technology. First the RTL Z studio and, more recently, our large Studio 9. It was twelve years old and consisted of screens that gave us very little scope for mobility. The studio needed to become more flexible so that we could record there for different platforms. We can now move different LED screens around, and there are portrait screens too – a format that is also very useful for mobile viewing. To complete the transformation, we also overhauled the visual identity. The logo, the title sequence – everything is new.

“So it has been a real big bang for the newsroom, the technology, and the visual design. It was very demanding and far-reaching, but this was our opportunity to get it right in one go. The newsroom has also started working differently. In the past, everything led up to the evening bulletin. Now, online always comes first. The story is central. We now publish our own investigative stories in the morning; we no longer hold back the news. As a result, we reach far more people with a story.

“That includes younger people, who are much less likely to watch live television. We have social media accounts with a strong following. We have been making TikTok videos for a number of years and are growing rapidly there too. We are currently exploring how we can bring news to Videoland, where there is a huge young audience. For most people, a streaming service is a place to relax. It will be a challenge to get them to go there for news as well. So our work is far from finished. News on television certainly still has a future, alongside all those other platforms. It still allows us to reach a mass audience.”

Kim Herbots: “Our newsroom has also started working in a different way. Until last year, the emphasis was on our lunchtime news at one o’clock and our evening news at seven o’clock. The seven o’clock bulletin is still a key pillar, but digital has become the other key pillar. In the morning and late morning, we publish digitally via HLN, and in doing so feed the one o’clock news bulletin as much as possible. The interviews and live reports we include in the bulletin are then published on HLN.be in the afternoon. We do not have our own website; we were brought together with HLN to make it the biggest news site in Flanders, and that has succeeded.

“By the end of 2024, our news studio had already been extensively digitalised. The upper half of the studio became augmented reality. That allows us to show images at twice the size. We also regularly use augmented reality for explainers, where topics can be presented in 3D in the studio. That renewed studio was needed in order to tell stories better. Images now have far more impact and are more impressive for viewers. The seven o’clock news is our cathedral – it has to impress, in terms of content and certainly also visually. We want to make an impact.

“Another major change is still to come, because 2026 will be the year of the transition to a new editing platform and editorial system. For our colleagues at RTL Nieuws, that was an immense operation. We will begin ours at the end of the year.

“All this new technology helps us bring the news in the best possible way. We are becoming increasingly visible on other channels, such as social media and streaming. Our seven o’clock news also appears on the VTM GO streaming service, where it is often among the most-watched programmes. That’s encouraging. Since the start of this year, we’ve also been offering the news in segments, so viewers don’t have to watch the entire bulletin; they can choose which stories they want to see. We’re already seeing the effect of that in the viewing figures.

“Streaming is a necessary step if we want to reach as large an audience as possible. Eighteen-year-olds come into contact with us via TikTok and Instagram. We hope to build loyalty among over-30s via VTM GO, and ultimately through television. I certainly still believe in the future of news on television. Some things you simply want to see with your own eyes; a picture says more than a thousand words. There is lasting value in being able to check in with a trusted source like us at day’s end to see what has unfolded around the world – a need that won’t disappear.”