Daily reach: online + print
3,643,000
1 in 4 Dutch people
The Netherlands
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The most significant news event of 2025 in the Netherlands:
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The murder of 17-year-old Lisa, the NATO summit in The Hague, the Marco Borsato trial and the fall of the cabinet — 2025 was exceptionally turbulent in the Netherlands. The year also saw a major political development when D66 emerged victorious in the elections on 29 October, narrowly defeating Geert Wilders’ PVV. A new cabinet, led by prime minister Rob Jetten (image), is set to chart a different course that will have an impact on every citizen.
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Image: © ANP/ Robin Utrecht
Subscribers
1,102,894
61% digital
39% print
Daily reach: online
2,379,000
News brands - national
News brands - regional
Radio stations
Towards a strong Mediahuis Nederland
Mediahuis Nederland, Mediahuis Noord and Mediahuis Limburg joined forces in 2025. This was a merger we carried out with full consideration for the human aspect: building one new club with a shared direction while respecting regional differences. With the Management Team, we developed a strategic plan to serve as the foundation. The core position: we’re not changing course, but our organisation is changing.
With the “First 100 Days” programme, HR offered structure to ensure teams were engaged with the change – from working arrangements to connecting people to our mission, vision and core values – with space for dialogue and reflection.
The new communications team, with colleagues from different regions and departments, made progress visible and ensured there was a recognisable rhythm of information. Through online and in-person updates, everyone was kept informed of strategic developments and had the chance to put questions to the board and management. In early 2025, we also launched the Connect intranet for the entire organisation.
The bi-weekly Mediahuis Memo has now become a regular fixture, with an open rate of 73%. We closed the year with MH100, a national meeting for our managers that enabled us to work on shared direction and connection as we build a stronger Mediahuis.
© Kevin Pieters - MH100 National Managers Meeting
More value for
digital subscribers
Since the end of June, subscribers of Mediahuis Nederland’s nine regional titles have also been able to read premium articles on NRC’s website and app. In turn, NRC subscribers have access to the content of the regional titles.
This feature has made the Digital Extra subscription more attractive and valuable to readers. In addition to NRC articles, regional subscribers get access to e-books and RouteYou. For De Telegraaf, there is also the new Crime newsletter, and we are trying out access to the online magazines.
Following our “Verijk je kijk” (Enrich Your View) campaigns in the summer and around the parliamentary elections, about 25% of regional subscribers activated their NRC access. Among NRC subscribers, the figure is 13%. Research shows that readers under 50 particularly appreciate the initiative.
The final print run,
the next chapter
2025 saw a decision that stirred up a lot of emotions as, after 132 years, the presses in Amsterdam came to a halt for the last time. For generations of printers, this place was more than a shop floor: it was a world of craftsmanship, rhythm and camaraderie, and so the farewell was a difficult one. At the same time there was pride, and people worked diligently right to the final minute. But the reality is that more and more readers are opting for digital news, while print runs have been falling for years. That calls for difficult choices to be made.
The transition was done carefully and without disruption to daily production. Twelve colleagues moved to the Leeuwarden presses, which took on an even more central role with hundreds of thousands more newspapers every day. Thorough preparation and close cooperation between newsrooms, printers, distribution and the project team ensured continuity for our readers.
This moment also illustrated what Mediahuis represents: respect for people, concern for quality and the desire to remain future-proof. That tradition will be continued with conviction in Leeuwarden.
© Marcel Molle
Cabinet fall creates stress test at launch of the new Telegraaf app
It’s 3 June 2025, early in the morning. After months of intense collaboration between TPS, B2C, B2B and the newsrooms, the climax is approaching: De Telegraaf’s revamped website and app are going live. At the same time, journalists are switching to a new editorial system. The tension in the “war room” is palpable.
The moment arrives and the button is pressed. The website goes live. Relief all round. It works.
But there’s no time to celebrate: the app also has to go live at 9.00. As the final checks are run, we hear rumours from The Hague that a cabinet collapse is in the air. The group leaders gather. Things could be about to move quickly.
There is hesitation. Do we persevere or postpone? A little after 8.30, the decision is made to push ahead. Again, everything goes as hoped.
In the old app, the update notification appears. And then, almost immediately, a message from parliamentary correspondents: the cabinet has fallen.
It’s the ultimate stress test: the biggest news spike of the year, while everything is still new. Heart rates rise, but the system holds firm. The reactions pour in as the country discovers our revamped site and app. Politics is in crisis and we’re off to a flying start.
NRC subscribers get access to New York Times
In March, all NRC subscribers were given unlimited access to coverage from the New York Times. This initiative underlines NRC’s mission not only to inform readers about what’s happening in the world, but also to help them understand through in-depth, independent journalism. Events in the United States evolve and accumulate rapidly and have a global impact. “That’s why we feel it’s more important than ever that our readers are as informed as possible,” said editor-in-chief Patricia Veldhuis.
The response rate was high, with more than half of subscribers activating their access code. Customer satisfaction among this group increased by 2%, while the number of cancellations fell across all subscription types. Importantly, the offer had no negative impact on the use of our own platforms. Indeed, the daily number of new subscribers doubled during the launch period.
This partnership strengthens NRC’s position as a journalistic brand that looks further and seeks depth, and shows that valuable extras actually contribute to lasting reader relationships.
© Tobias Naber
Mediahuis Radio goes full steam ahead
Mediahuis Radio’s market share grew most strongly of all the players on the Dutch market in 2025. In the main target group (20-59 years), the share rose by 24% to reach 11.9%. There was also healthy growth in the 13+ target group: rising by 16% to a 9.4% share.
Radio Veronica saw the biggest growth among Dutch radio stations. The number of listeners increased by 56%, from a 2.7% to a 4.2% share in the broad target group of 13+. Among 20- to 59-year-olds, the share rose by 53%, from 3.8% to 5.8%.
100%NL also had a strong year, with big peaks in reach thanks to campaigns such as the Trouwmarathon and the morning show campaigns Giorgio & Ingrids Zomervisite and Zonder Poen Op Pad. The station also recorded its best ever year on social media.
SLAM! also put in an impressive performance. With events like SLAM! ADE and the Parking Lottery, the station returned to the level it had been at before the loss of the national FM
SPILNEWS: journalism for a new generation
In June, we launched SPILNEWS with a clear ambition: to tackle news poverty among young people. Research shows that while they receive more information today than ever before, they feel under-informed and inadequately represented by existing news platforms.
SPILNEWS takes independent journalism to the platforms where young people consume their news. With the youngest newsroom in the Netherlands, we create content that connects with young people’s lives and provides fast interpretation of current topics. It’s not one-way traffic but journalism as conversation. Interaction is central, with an active community where young people read, react and help direct the news.
That approach worked. In very little time, SPILNEWS achieved a reach of 20,801 followers with 8 million views and 90,000 interactions a month. Such clear relevance to an audience that news media has traditionally struggled to reach proves that journalism, told and organised differently, can flourish in a social-first world.
SPILNEWS also developed commercial, off-platform propositions that fit this model. In part through collaboration with creators – with clear agreements and strict separation between editorial and commercial – brands can connect credibly and transparently with content that really reaches young people. The first campaigns show there is momentum here.
De SPILNEWS redactie