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.

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, France and the United Kingdom, now Italy too has succumbed to Homo universalis.

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.

Fantastic news from New York! The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes (Dutch title: Restaurant Misverstand) has won the prestigious International Emmy Award in the category Non-Scripted Entertainment. The heartwarming VRT 1 program triumphed over strong competitors: South Africa’s Die Brug, Mexico’s Me Caigo De Risa, and Australia’s The Summit. The International Emmy Awards honor the best television programs produced and broadcast outside the United States.

Filming of This is not a murder mystery, a brand new fiction series by Panenka for VRT, is currently wrapping up in Flanders. Directed by Hans Herbots, This is not a murder mystery is a visually stunning and surprising whodunit, with a surreal twist. The series will be shown on VRT in 2025, but we are already sharing some special photos from the set. This is not a murder mystery is a co-production with Panenka, VRT, RTL, Proximus, New8 and Deadpan Pictures.

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.