Future Media Hubs, the international media network of 52 media organizations founded by the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, has enlisted digital transformation expert Jo Caudron to explore how people will consume news in the future and how journalists will produce it.

Red Sebastian will represent Belgium at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel (Switzerland). With the song 'Strobe lights' he managed to convince the viewers at home and the jury the most in the Belgian preselection Eurosong 2025. Red Sebastian received 132 points from the professional jury and 291 of the voting public, in total 423 points.

Eurosong is back, the contest that decides who will go to the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel for Belgium! The candidates are already known, but who will go to Switzerland for our country in May is not yet known. In the two semi-finals, we will get to know the candidates and their songs. Then, on Saturday 1 February, the viewers, together with the professional jury, will decide who will represent Belgium. But what actually happens behind the scenes before the candidates shine on stage? Editor-in-chief Cliff Vrancken, responsible for content, and Birgit Simal, producer and head of the Belgian delegation, share their experiences about the preparations for this ambitious project.

In December, VRT Sandbox celebrates its 10th anniversary. As VRT's innovation accelerator, it provides start-ups and young production houses with unique opportunities to develop, test, and scale innovative solutions. Over the past decade, many milestones have been achieved, marking VRT Sandbox as a critical player in media innovation. Head of Sandbox, Peter De Paepe, reflects on the journey of this transformative initiative.

From High Tides to The Backpack of Life: Flemish programs are conquering the world. Thanks to strong stories and creative formats, VRT succeeds in making local productions shine internationally. Since 2017, series such as Salamander, Hotel Beau Séjour, and Tabula Rasa have opened doors to a broader audience and led to the establishment of a new department: VRT Sales. Now, VRT continues this trend with innovative programs that resonate both locally and globally. The result? Flemish fiction and entertainment that transcend borders and put Flanders on the map as a creative player.

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings a lot of new opportunities for media companies to work more efficiently, accelerate production processes and scale their brands. But these new technologies also come with challenges and legal questions. Future Media Hubs discussed this during our SLUSH side event with 3 inspiring women active in the audiovisual sector on different levels.

Monday, December 2, 2024 - Great news: this evening, VRT programs Dertigers and Nothing To See (Dutch title: Niks te zien) won a Rose d'Or award. This comes just a week after the VRT 1 program The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, produced by Roses are Blue (the same production house as Nothing to see), won an International Emmy Award.