RTL Belgium facing the decline of traditional television: towards a paid platform
The French-speaking Belgian audiovisual landscape is undergoing a major transformation. Guillaume Collard, the CEO of RTL Belgium, recently revealed concerning figures regarding the viewership of traditional television channels. Between 2022 and 2025, the group recorded a 25% drop in its viewers within its primary commercial target.
Faced with this reality, the media group is no longer hiding its intentions. The traditional business model, based primarily on television advertising, is showing clear signs of weakness. To remain competitive against digital giants and new consumption habits, RTL Belgium is considering launching its own paid streaming platform.
This strategy marks a major turning point for the company. The goal is to offer exclusive content accessible on demand, in order to win back an audience that is gradually abandoning the small screen in favor of online services. This transition to digital has become essential to ensure the group's long-term viability in the face of very strong international competition.
For Belgian viewers, this change could mean a new way of accessing the channel's flagship programs. If the project comes to fruition, it will be part of a global trend where traditional media outlets are attempting to reinvent themselves to survive in the streaming era. The sector will closely follow the development of this platform in the coming months.