In conversation with our CEO
Watch the interview in video or read the full interview below.
“We can never compromise on our trustworthiness and our journalistic values”
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Text: Indra Dewitte, Editor-in-Chief Het Belang van Limburg
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Images: © Frederik Beyens
In 2025, Mediahuis reached the milestone of 1 million digital subscribers. That means Gert Ysebaert can look back with satisfaction on the past year. The balance sheet is healthy and the digital transformation is on schedule – What more could the CEO of Mediahuis group want? But at the same time, there is the realisation that the golden age of print is over and the real stress test of the digital model is still to come. The transition continues at pace, with new developments in platforms, AI and ever-changing media habits. How do we remain relevant? That is the key question at the start of 2026, and it will also define the coming years.
“We ended the year strongly,” says Gert Ysebaert, sounding relaxed, almost relieved. “Financially, we’ve proved that we’re a resilient business that can adapt to circumstances. The most important milestone is the 1 million digital subscribers for the group. That shows that our digital growth is now outpacing the decline in print. The question is whether we can continue that pace of growth in the coming years.”
Gert Ysebaert & Indra Dewitte
How can we maintain our
digital growth?
“Today, the average print subscription still brings in more than a digital one. That’s the uneasy flip side to the digital success story. So it’s not just about having as many sub- scribers as possible, at any price. It’s more than ever about building sustainable relationships with the right subscribers: people who are loyal, engaged and willing to pay a realistic price for our journalism.”
“Broadly speaking, I believe there are three things we need to focus on. First of all, we must continue to increase the relevance of our journalism. That’s why within Mediahuis we’ve established the Signature Journalism programme, in which we work with each brand on the things that make us unique. A regional title has a different DNA from a broad popular title, and that’s different again from a niche brand. Every title serves as a distinct gateway to its consumer; there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ signature for the whole of Mediahuis. Collaboration between our titles is important, but at the same time we have to apply all our resources and our people on the things that set us apart.”
“Secondly, we have to increase the value of our subscriptions. That’s why we’ve already added the cycling and walking app RouteYou, we’re offering a better puzzle experience, and for some of our titles we offer digital access to the New York Times. The decision to put podcasts behind a paywall also adds to the value of a subscription. Just like the Plus subscription in Belgium and the Netherlands, whereby you get access to the great journalism of sister titles.”
“Finally, we must adapt much faster to rapidly changing consumer habits, especially among younger audiences. Their expectations, their news consumption and use of platforms are evolving quickly. They want news that is accessible, distinctive and delivered in formats that fit their daily routines. If we want to stay relevant for the next generation, we have to innovate more boldly and ensure that our journalism reaches them in the places and formats they actually use.”
Is this signature journalism our most important defence against the generic output of large language models and AI?
“Taboos don’t help us move forward. Within the limits of our journalistic and deontological guidelines, we have to be able to use AI. Ultimately, competition from AI models will depend on how we, as journalists, choose to use them. People will soon only be willing to pay for journalism created by humans. That human factor is crucial.”
Are we going to use AI to save money or to invest in stronger journalism?
“AI can help us free up time and resources for what matters: distinctive journalism. But where things can be more efficient or can be automated, we have to do that. There’s no sense in fighting it, because it’s coming. And you don’t really want to be left behind.”
Mediahuis is really committing to the implementation of AI, including with the AI Literacy Programme and experiments throughout the organisation. Should we see AI as a threat or an ally?
“If you fight against AI, you lose time. AI is becoming a commodity. The art is to apply the technology more smartly than others, so that it becomes a competitive advantage. That makes AI a strong ally.”
Where does print fit in this transition? Will the paper eventually disappear?
“This question has been asked for as long as I’ve been in this industry, and that’s quite a long time. The decline of print is a fact. We have to accept that. But I don’t see a fixed end date for the printed newspaper. As long as there is an audience and a market for it, we’ll produce it. The real question is whether we can keep the printed paper profitable. To achieve that, we need to be more efficient than we are today. Print automation and technology can help us.”
So print will be here for a while, but what about advertising? Is there still a future for it among our brands?
“Absolutely. We have a lot to offer advertisers. It’s just that the competition in the advertising market is fiercer than in the consumer market. We have to shift our focus from volume to trust, reliable data and a strong local context. I’m counting on advertisers to assume their responsibility too, and look further than big tech. Because they also benefit from a healthy local media ecosystem.”
“The art is to apply the technology more smartly than others, so that it becomes a competitive advantage. That’s how you make AI a strong ally”
Gert Ysebaert
And us? How independent are we from big tech?
“It depends how you define it. If Apple and Google were to pull the plug on their app stores tomorrow, we’d no longer reach our audience. So we have to work with them, while increasing our independence. We do that in two ways. First, as one of the largest publishers in Europe, by sitting directly at the table with a number of LLMs. Second, by better protecting our journalism. AI models too often use our content without permission. That’s theft and it has to stop. For that, we need better legislation, more technological support and clear licensing models. These should make it possible to enforce balanced and fair agreements.”
What does the journalism of the future look like for you?
“We’re living in unbelievably exciting times, especially as journalists. We have an unprecedented range of ways to tell our stories. You can produce podcasts and videos, you can use social media, you have a sparring partner in AI agents… that’s incredibly interesting, isn’t it? Anyone who says they don’t want to be part of that story is making it hard for themselves.”
“At the same time, our journalism needs to focus more than ever on being relevant to new audiences and a younger generation. Audiences are increasingly consuming news beyond our own platforms, so we have to be present in those other places consciously and intentionally. We also have to be more open to collaborations outside the traditional structure, and learn from creators and independent makers who are producing journalism outside our platforms. We don’t live on an island. Young people in particular trust creators more than institutions. It can be very refreshing to work with creators to make inroads in their community. Though I have to say here that we can never compromise on our trustworthiness and our journalistic values.”
Last question:
How do you deal with all this change?
“Embrace it. Not because you have no choice, but above all because it’s exciting to explore how these changes can help us to sustainably position our independent and trustworthy journalism in our society. By doing so, we don’t just survive this transition, we come out of it even stronger.”