Five insights about the news of tomorrow: the most important innovation trends in news media

The report, commissioned by Sarah Geeroms, head of Future Media Hubs, actually consists of five reports. The five experts involved were led by Jo Caudron. These five analyses cover the future of news, Generation Z (today’s 13 to 28-year-olds), games and media, new technology and AI, and the tech ecosystem of companies in the entertainment, music, and media world. These five reports were summarized into five core trends.

1. Media Formats and Channels Are Changing

We already know that young readers and viewers read fewer articles on paper and consume more short messages on their mobile phones. We also know they watch fewer full news broadcasts and more short clips on TikTok. "We’ve known this for fifteen years, yet traditional media still create basic materials in a rather conventional way and then adapt them for other channels," says Jo Caudron. Classic examples include turning a news broadcast into a podcast, splitting a report into short viral videos, or creating a shorter version of a newspaper or magazine article for the website. "We’ve lost fifteen years," says Jo Caudron. "Young target groups expect fast, personalized content—sometimes driven by AI—on their mobile devices. Due to the inertia of almost every media company, this hasn’t happened. This means they remain relevant to those with old expectations about news, but there is a gap for younger audiences who expect something different."

2. New Gatekeepers

Influencers and platforms are becoming the gatekeepers of tomorrow. Jo Caudron contrasts traditional media with new alternative news channels: "Think of an influencer like Acid. There’s a strong sense of community around him because young people identify with him. Traditional media have never had such strong identification." Caudron argues that these alternative channels have managed to build and monetize tight communities, something traditional media have largely failed to do. Sarah Geeroms from Future Media Hubs adds: "When we have a million viewers for a Tom Waes program, the question is: what do we do with them? Are they just watching at home and then forgetting about it, or can we build a community around it?"

3. Making News for a Community

News will be increasingly intertwined with belonging to a community and relationships with others. Caudron explains that media winners of the future will be those who best understand their audience. "MrBeast, for instance, reaches hundreds of millions of people who feel like his friends. This is both a threat and an opportunity for traditional media." He suggests integrating influencers with traditional media faces to engage a new audience. "For instance, VRT could pair a news anchor with an influencer to discuss current events, blending professional journalism with the authenticity of influencers."

4. Declining Trust in Traditional Media

People are increasingly experiencing news fatigue and have less trust in traditional media. "The endless flow of negative news overwhelms people. They don’t want to follow news about Gaza or Trump anymore and disconnect. This affects not just young people but even those of my age," says Caudron.

5. AI Accelerates Digital Transformation in Media

Artificial intelligence will play a growing role in creating and distributing news. AI can make news more personal and assist journalists with repetitive tasks. The VRT already has a strong international reputation in technological innovation, with initiatives such as VRT Sandbox and Future Media Hubs. Sarah Geeroms confirms: "For example, some programs are already automatically subtitled. We are testing Microsoft CoPilot to save time on summarizing meetings and searching documents. We even created an editorial assistant that suggests headlines and summaries for journalists." Geeroms emphasizes the importance of sector-wide collaboration to improve AI applications. "We believe in working together to enhance the quality of AI tools, making us stronger in the role AI will soon play in our daily lives."

Article written by Benny Debruyne, author at Trends Kanaal Z