DPG Media and Groupe Rossel finalise acquisition RTL Belgium
DPG Media and Groupe Rossel are pleased to announce that the acquisition of RTL Belgium has been finalised. From now on, they can work together on a strong future journey that focuses on the further digital transformation of RTL Belgium.
In June 2021, DPG Media and Groupe Rossel announced their acquisition plans which have finally been clinched today: DPG Media and Groupe Rossel each have a 50% share in RTL Belgium, the parent company of television channels RTL TVI, Club RTL & Plug RTL, the radio stations Bel RTL & Radio Contact and their digital derivatives, the streaming service RTLplay, the news platform RTL Info and the advertising sales house IP Belgium.
The acquisition fits in with the ambition to structurally strengthen the media landscape in French-speaking Belgium. An accelerated digital transformation of the radio and television stations of RTL Belgium will therefore be pursued. After all, long-form and short-form online video content are rapidly developing segments and on the radio side, there are also opportunities in the development of digital radio and podcasting.
The digital transformation also opens up a whole range of new opportunities for advertisers: in future, a more efficient and innovative digital product range will be made.
Experienced tandem
The new shareholders are no strangers to one another. Groupe Rossel and DPG Media ran Mediafin together for thirteen years. Mediafin is the publisher of De Tijd and their advertising departments have been working together for years.
Bernard Marchant, CEO Groupe Rossel: “A change of shareholders is an important step for a company. Our project for RTL Belgium is ambitious and proactive. The strong and complementary partnership that we have with DPG Media gives the RTL Belgium teams the opportunity to seize opportunities and to exploit them in a rapidly changing media landscape. We are very pleased to be able to get going.”
Kris Vervaet, CEO DPG Media Belgium: “We are looking forward to sharing our passion and expertise with our colleagues at RTL Belgium. DPG Media has invested a great deal in digital transformation. We can now make that knowledge and those tools available to RTL Belgium. The need for a cross-media and digital offering for both consumers and advertisers is growing rapidly, both in the North and in the South of the country. Here we can join forces to make RTL Belgium's offerings and brands even stronger, and to grow further in a rapidly changing media world.”
Philippe Delusinne, CEO RTL Belgium: “Just like my entire management team, I am very pleased to be able to welcome the new shareholders today. Thanks to convergences and synergies that we are now jointly going to develop with DPG Media Group and Groupe Rossel, we will be able to effectuate faster adjustments that are crucial to meeting the challenges facing our industry. I would like to thank our partners at RTL Group for their trust and for the results we have achieved through them: all our media are thriving. A new road lies ahead for RTL Belgium: we are ready!”