Two more years for top cycle races on VTM

VTM-sports has reached an agreement on broadcasting rights of two top cycle races: Milan-San Remo and Tour of Lombardie. This reinforces the sport appeal of Medialaan on the Flemish TV scene for 2019 and 2020.

Video: new RTBF advertising regulations for Food products

As of March 1st,  all advertisers on RTBF video (TV and digital) for sugary drinks and manufactured food products must include in their ads the following mentions:

• « Pour votre santé, mangez au moins cinq fruits et légumes par jour » (To be in good health, better eat at least five fruits and vegetables every day)
• « Pour votre santé, pratiquez une activité physique régulière » (To be in good health, better practice regular physical activity) 
• « Pour votre santé, évitez de manger trop gras, trop sucré, trop salé » (To be in good health, better avoid eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt)
• « Pour votre santé, évitez de grignoter entre les repas » (To be in good health, avoid snacking between meals)

For 15 seconds or more spots the mention of the 4 messages above must appear once as a successive fixed text. For spots less than 15 seconds long, the mentions must be grouped by 2 maximum.

A rotation of 2 different versions of the spot, at least, will be planned for all campaigns and must be provided by the advertiser (the same spot = 2 versions of the spot minimum).

The duration of the mentions should be sufficient to ensure the legibility and the comprehension of the message according to the following rules of appearance:

The mentions must not be read orally in the spot, they must be fixed with a position, a size, a font, a color and a duration similar to the rules applicable to the educational slogans for the beer and alcohol commericals

 For instance :

• Location: horizontally in the lower part, as integral part of the visual

• Type of character: Arial - cursive

• Color: clearly distinguishable from the background color

• Minimum size of the character in proportion to the height of the image: 5%

• Duration: for spots longer than 10 seconds: a minimum of 5 seconds

This rule applies to classic TV spots and pre / mid roll on Auvio (this regulation does not involve sponsorship and radio).

This is a consequence of the new management contract of RTBF with the French-speaking authorities.

Original Flemish fiction on Instagram

"Instaverliefd' is the working title of a local production that is about to be visibile on Instagram within two months. The production house Eyeworks is currently shooting it somewhere in Anwerp. It is not clear yet if the programme will be then broadcast on linear TV or elsewhere and in that sense it is a first, at least for Instagram. 

"De Dag" has become (virtual) reality

As of January 2019 Telenet has launched a virtual reality experience "The Park" based on the Flemish series "De Dag". This VR-game involves 3 to 6 people, equipped with the necessary glasses, on the stage of "De Dag". They are supposed to play like the actors of a SWAT specialized in neutralizing hostage takers, but the experience also consists of resolving puzzles, all in connection with the universe of the programme.

On TV, “De Dag” may be watched on Play, Play More and on Vier. The programme has been sold to 32 countries to date.

DAB+ in all cars in Europe as of 2021

The real inception of DAB+ radio might be 2021. The new European Electronic Communications Code states that the radio set within any new car either sold or rented in the EU will be DAB+ enabled. This should be applicable within 2 years. At this stage, DAB is still marginal: according to the CIM Establishment Survey 2017-2018 only 6% of Belgians aged 18 and older claimed to listen to a DAB car radio.