Flemish public broadcaster to gain greater freedom over digital advertising revenue
The board of directors of Flemish public broadcaster VRT is expected to approve the new management agreement, which the Flemish government gave provisional approval to last Friday. According to De Tijd, which obtained a copy of the agreement, the broadcaster will be permitted to generate up to 91.7 million euros in commercial income annually.
The management agreement will come into effect on 1 January 2026 and remain in place for five years. It sets out the broadcaster’s operational framework and funding arrangements.
Under the new terms, VRT will receive an annual public grant of 296.4 million euros, accounting for 60 per cent of its overall budget. The remaining 40 per cent must be secured through market-based income, primarily from advertising.
However, this comes with conditions: there is a cap on total advertising revenue - the overall advertising ceiling - as well as specific limits for different types of advertising - sub-ceilings - and restrictions on permitted advertising formats. VRT had been lobbying for greater flexibility in this regard.
In order to meet its funding target of around 40 per cent of its annual operating budget of 500 million euros, VRT enters into agreements with telecoms distributors such as Proximus and Telenet, sells merchandise and offers advertising space.
To prevent the broadcaster from encroaching too heavily on the territory of private media companies, a strict advertising ceiling remains in place.
The proposed agreement would enable VRT to generate up to 91.7 million euros in commercial revenue each year. Within this overall limit, two sub-limits apply: the ceiling on television advertising will increase from 18.7 million to 22 million euros, and the ceiling on digital advertising will rise from 2.5 million to 13 million euros.
While this appears to be a significant increase, the figures are not directly comparable, as the definition of digital advertising now covers a broader range of formats.
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) is the publicly funded radio and television broadcaster in Flanders. It is a publicly owned limited company established by the Flemish government, financed through tax revenues and its own commercial activities.
The broadcaster operates with full editorial and operational independence. It manages three television channels, six radio stations, additional digital offerings and has an extensive online and mobile presence.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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