For the past two years, Bjorn Van de Velde has been leading the digital products department and, with a team of 110 employees, has transformed the public broadcaster VRT’s entire digital platform. VRT MAX evolved from a catch-up module into the beating digital heart of the organization by integrating all VRT radio brands in the central audio and videoplatform. Under the motto “You design it, you build it, you run it”, the production teams bear end-to-end responsibility for popular apps such as VRT NWS, VRT MAX, Sporza, the radio apps, Ketnet, VRT.be and more. Initial resistance was transformed into enthusiasm. The challenges are numerous. The public broadcaster stands at the crossroads of local developments and global forces. The average media user no longer exists; people watch and listen what, when and where they want, and the major technology and content platforms are taking an ever-increasing share of advertising and eyeballs. Cross-departmental collaboration between product teams, editorial teams, marketing and technology was crucial. Today, VRT MAX reaches 1.5 million digital media users per month, an increase of 32% compared to 2024. More than half use the fully redesigned VRT MAX tv app (+48%) and live radio rose by 23%. The Ketnet channel was also successfully integrated into VRT MAX with a whole new Kids zone to give children a safe corner to watch their programs, listen to podcasts or play games.
Will Bjorn Van de Velde, head of digital products VRT, become the CDO of the Year 2025?
