April 08, 2026
VRT at Supernova: European media reinventing themselves in the AI era
During the international technology and innovation event Supernova, VRT, together with international partners, looked ahead to how artificial intelligence is reshaping the European media landscape. VRT Sandbox, VRT’s accelerator programme, organised a panel discussion on the future of media. Panelists Ana Leticia Sigvartsen (Norwegian public broadcaster NRK), Antonia Kerle (British public broadcaster BBC), Peter Kofler (Danish Entrepreneurs, S9+ Coalition) and Bart Becks (European Innovation Council) explored the importance of collaboration and scale in the European media sector. The panel was co‑organised by Peter De Paepe, Head of VRT Sandbox, who shares three key insights.
The media sector at a structural turning point
The core message was clear: the European media sector is at a structural turning point. This is not a concern limited to public broadcasters; commercial players are also experiencing pressure on their reach, advertising models and relationship with audiences. Artificial intelligence intensifies this pressure, while at the same time creating new opportunities. Beyond efficiency gains, the technology is driving a fundamental shift in how the entire media sector operates, from editorial and production processes to the way content reaches audiences. Those who ignore AI risk losing both audiences and revenue to international platforms that are already investing in personalised distribution and more efficient production.
“AI is not changing the media sector step by step, but from the inside out,” says Peter. “That makes reliable journalism, strong editorial leadership and sufficient scale more important than ever, not only for public broadcasters, but for any player that wants to remain relevant in the European media landscape.”
Collaboration is no longer optional, but essential
A second key conclusion was that pilot projects alone are no longer sufficient. To truly integrate AI, organisations need to make structural choices, both technically and organisationally. At the same time, the traditional boundary between public and commercial media is becoming increasingly blurred, as innovation is more and more driven by shared technology, infrastructure, data and talent. Public broadcasters, commercial media companies, start-ups and scale-ups all have a role to play: no single actor can make this transition alone. Collaboration is more important than ever, as new AI systems are fundamentally changing how people discover and consume media.
“Those who innovate without collaborating will hit a dead end,” Peter says. “Europe’s greatest vulnerability is not a lack of creativity, but fragmentation. Without alignment, efforts remain local and fragmented.”
European scale as the key to a resilient media sector
The panel made clear that Europe’s real challenge is not whether the media sector can innovate, but whether it can coordinate innovation and scale it up. To remain resilient in the long term, joint investments are needed, along with shared infrastructure and strong partnerships between broadcasters, start-ups and investors.
“If European media want to remain relevant and democratic, they must invest at European scale now. This includes initiatives such as the proposed Future Media Initiative (FMI), which aims to stimulate and support European media innovation, as well as a new European acceleration programme for media, start-ups and scale-ups,” concludes Peter De Paepe.
