Audio & video
Peter van der Vorst
(54), director of content and strategy
Peter van der Vorst: “There is much more scope for collaboration”
RTL and VTM connect creatively
Following the integration of RTL, Peter van der Vorst became Director of Content and Strategy for the TV channels and streaming platforms in both countries where DPG Media operates. In that role, he is very much in the spotlight, but above all he sees enormous opportunities for co-productions. “We’re a good fit.”
As Director of Content at RTL Nederland, he was already used to it all. Negative publicity surrounding Temptation Island or The Voice, for example. Or the searing columns by Angela de Jong or Tina Nijkamp, to name just a couple. That comes with the job. The launch of the talk show RTL Tonight also attracted its fair share of criticism.
“The talk shows we broadcast before RTL Tonight performed below our channel average,” says Van der Vorst (54). “So you have to take action and try a new concept. That is always risky. The programme had a difficult start and the conclusion is that we tried to change too much at once.”
An excellent year
Despite the difficult start of RTL Tonight, it was an excellent year for RTL. “Videoland grew strongly and, last year, RTL 4 achieved the highest audience share in our history: 22.7%. That is due in large part to the arrival of Arjen Lubach. But B&B Vol Liefde also broke records on both RTL 4 and Videoland. And after four years of uncertainty about a new owner, we’re very happy to now be part of DPG Media. We’re a good fit.”
Media watchers generally focus on RTL 4, while gems are regularly born on RTL’s other channels too. “De Augurkenkoning has been promoted to RTL 4, but it did not start there. RTL 5 has now become the fourth-largest channel in the Netherlands because we have invested heavily in reality and crime programming. People also sometimes ask me why we still keep RTL 7 and 8 on air. Put simply: they are very lucrative channels. Compared with local originals, the foreign films and series we acquire for those channels are inexpensive and attract relatively strong viewing figures.”
“What works on linear TV must also work on streaming”
A new role
Van der Vorst, himself a producer and presenter for many years, was appointed Director of Content and Strategy for the TV channels and streaming platforms of both RTL in the Netherlands and VTM in Belgium at the end of 2025, following the integration process.
“In my new role, I’ll focus fully on collaboration between the two countries. That means, for example, making decisions on co-productions and exploring where we can work together in terms of facilities, procurement and creation. From this central role, it’s also interesting to see how, within DPG Media, we can translate TV formats into radio, podcasts or online – and vice versa. Sometimes that can be very simple. In December, the Q-Escape Room was shown daily on RTL 8, making it the market leader during daytime for the first time in its history. And at VTM, of course, they have long known how strong the link with radio stations can be.”
Collaboration between VTM and RTL has existed for years. “There is a great deal of collegial consultation and, for example, we already produced Lego Masters together. VTM also regularly acquired reality titles from us for VTM 2. Conversely, several Flemish series can also be seen on Videoland and RTL 5.”
“But there is much more we can do. Got Talent, for example, will become a full co-production, with jury members, talent and presenters from both countries. We’ll also be working together much more in drama. For example, we are developing a series with Flemish and Dutch actors set in the border region. A series such as Undercover has already shown in the past that this can work very well.”
A sense of kinship with the Flemish
As a child, Van der Vorst watched a great deal of television from across the border. “I was born in Breda and my parents mainly watched Flemish television. People from Brabant sometimes feel just a little more closely connected to the Flemish than to Dutch people from ‘above the rivers’. We used to go to Meersel-Dreef or Antwerp on day trips to go shopping.”
But the television business in Flanders is different from that in the Netherlands, he realises. “The larger size of the Dutch market and the much stronger local competition mean that RTL fills more hours each evening with new content – from six o’clock until midnight. Another striking difference is that in the Netherlands Saturday is an important television evening, whereas in Flanders traditionally much less emphasis is placed on it across all channels.”
“VTM and RTL also connect creatively. We’re both strongly focused on developing new formats with the potential to travel internationally. De Verraders can now be seen in more than thirty countries, as can The Floor. The Voice has been sold to 77 countries and the drama series Máxima to 85. Pandora was developed by the RTL Creative Unit and was shown in three countries straight away. Bestemming X started at VTM and now has several international editions. That revenue forms an increasingly important part of our turnover.”
Streaming first
Van der Vorst takes a streaming-first approach to everything he does. “What works on linear TV must also work on streaming.” B&B Vol Liefde is a strong example of this: more than one million people watch episodes in advance on Videoland. “Including live and catch-up viewing, that brings the total to almost three million viewers.”
“The reality of our profession is that success today is measured much more broadly than just the viewing figures from the previous evening. Of course those still matter, but the combined total of previews, live viewing and catch-up viewing across all our platforms is what ultimately determines the success of our content. In today’s media landscape, that’s the only metric that really counts. And fortunately, those results are excellent. Viewers clearly know where to find us.”
