Kortrijk, once primarily known as a historic border city, is now the beating heart of the international gaming world. It’s no coincidence that the UNWRAP Festival, a place where technology and creativity intersect, is being held here for the fourth time. This year, in collaboration with VRT, UNWRAP developed a special program focusing on the growing integration of games and media. 

VRT and RTBF had the pleasure of hosting #Tafelspitz, an informal gathering of CEOs and European affairs managers from public broadcasters in Western and Northern Europe. Frederik Delaplace, Jean-Paul Philippot, and all participants discussed the future of public service media in Europe, exploring both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

The game format "Homo universalis" (international name: 99 to beat) is on a global conquest tour. After the successful format was already reproduced in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Vietnam and the United Kingdom, now France too has succumbed to Homo universalis or 99 à battre.

At the annual NEM Summit – this year at VRT – experts from all over Europe gathered to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the media sector. This year, the world of extended reality (XR) and the metaverse was chosen as the focus. The event, which examined innovations and ethical problems within these rapidly developing technologies, yielded important insights. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), the rise of always-on AI assistants, and the crucial role of ethics and accessibility were some of the major topics that were discussed. Below are the eight most significant insights from the conference.

VRT Studios is the beating heart of controversial VRT productions. The public broadcaster’s internal production house brings all the production teams from the different networks together under one roof.

The success of Knokke Off is too big to ignore. The first season, featuring Pommelien Thijs as the main star, was an unseen success on VRT MAX and VRT 1 in 2023. Even in the Netherlands, and worldwide through Netflix, the show scored high. Not only with young adults, for whom the programme was made in the first place, but with viewers of all ages. Meanwhile, the second season is in process. Scriptwriter Luk Wyns, music compiler Mounir Hathout and director Laura Van Haecke are letting us have a look behind the scenes. 

At times when disinformation and fake news are omnipresent, clear, correct and structured information is more important than ever. Since 2020, the VRT NEWS factcheck staff has been working hard to check whether statements are correct or not. Factchecking claims, verifying footage and countering online scams are part of everyday work. Spending a day with the journalists shows how big the impact of their work is on public opinion. 

VRT is not only an innovator in how it operates, but also on your TV screen, smartphone, tablet, computer and radio, where you’ll notice many novelties. Take a look in the future with three examples of production innovation.