50 million euros less income, annually by 2029. The picture painted by the research by consultancy firm PMP of the Flemish private broadcasters VTM and Play is bleak.
That is why the channels are sounding the alarm: “Costs are rising, while our income continues to decline. We have been feeling that pressure for years,” says Dirk Lodewyckx, general manager of TV, Radio and Streaming at DPG Media. “If no action is taken, the Flemish private broadcasters risk being structurally loss-making from 2026.”
The reason for these poor figures is unfair competition from international tech giants. Think of Netflix, Google and Amazon, but TikTok also plays a role.
The tech giants are flooding the advertising market. They do not have to adhere to the strict advertising restrictions that apply to Flemish private channels. The latter therefore miss out on around 20 million euros per year, because advertisers prefer to invest elsewhere.
Things are also going wrong on the distribution side. The so-called cord cutting causes users to cancel their traditional television subscription and switch to streaming services. About 600,000 cable subscriptions will be canceled in the coming years. On the other hand, there is a loss of 31 million euros in distribution income.
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