Metro: 20 years and smaller format

The free newspaper Metro appeared in the early days of 2000. So in January 2020, it will be 20 years old. For the reader, this anniversary will be marked by a new layout and a smaller format: half Berliner. Purpose is here to make reading of the paper easier, especially in public transport were it is mainly distributed.

For perspective, Metro authenticated daily circulation was 95.256 copies in Dutch and 92.080 in French in 2018 (most recently available)

Newsbrands Rossel & HLN as parts of a Proximus subscription

Voo reportedly tried to combine l'Avenir (both are part of the Nethys group) with its own pack, but it seems it was not very successful. Now Proximus announces a deal with Rossel (le Soir) and DPG  (Het Laatste Nieuws). So around 1 million private subscribers to Internet services from Proximus will get free access to the paid versions of Le Soir or HLN as part of their Proximus subscriptions. Combinations are mutually exclusive (ie neither Proximus nor Rossel/DPG may propose the same deal to any other player - read: Telenet or any newsbrand publisher) for a period of 6 months, effective as of 01/12/2019. It wil be interesting to see to what extent such a combination is welcomed by consumers and if it will expand the reach of the participating newsbrands. For perspective, 22.129 Het Laatste Nieuws daily digital sales were authentifed in 2018, and 10.682 copies daily for Le Soir.

Bye bye Rondom, Passe-Partout strikes again

In Flemish Brabant, the free sheet Rondom will return to its previous name: Passe-Partout. This very name disappeared a few years ago, when Mediahuis decided to rebrand the different editions of Passe-Partout. But Mediahuis recently sold Rondom to another publisher "Primetime Communication Group". The latter decided to come back to the previous name for the publications of Vlaams Brabant. Noticeably Roularta also recently decided to come back to a previous name for their free sheets: so "Deze Week" reverts to its previous name "De Streekkrant".

Ventures digital inventory exclusively via Roularta Media

As of 01/01/2020, the display and video inventory of Editions Ventures (Elle, Marie Claire, Psychologies,...) will be sold by Roularta Media (Libelle, Femmes d’Aujourd’hui, Flair...). This combination will enable to design packages aimed at upscale female target segments. As Ventures is not part of CIM Internet today, it is not possible to precisely determine the level of incremental reach this combination is bringing on.

RTBF revamps the Auvio platform

RTBF has improved its Auvio offer. On the one hand, they enhanced the user-friendliness: multi-languages, HD, Chromecast compatibility and recommendation based on previous viewing behaviour. The publisher also reports enlarged content: series, new sports and documentaries. They also point out partnerships with AB group, Arte and Sonuma (AV archives) and the Auvio Kids section.

On a daily basis, RTBF audio and video reaches ±96.500 French-speaking adults 12+ and ±912.300 monthly or 21% penetration (CIM Internet October 2019).