Everywhere I looked, I saw Libelle and Margriet fans enjoying the local pastry speciality. On stage, editors-in-chief Hilmar Mulder and Helene van Santen were beaming at the audience. Even though the country had been strongly divided by the elections, the Winterfair at the Brabanthallen in November was one big party. Over seventy thousand readers attended, often accompanied by a daughter or friend.

Our brands reach 1.2 million people every day. Libelle continues to be the largest media brand for Dutch women. The teams behind our magazines continue to innovate and improve, whether it concerns events, sites, paper or organisation. For instance, as little as five years ago a collaboration between Libelle and Margriet would have been unthinkable. Now, the editing teams were standing side by side at the first successful event after the COVID pandemic and all of our women’s publications joined forces to organise an election cafe. 

In a market under pressure, we were brave enough to make bold choices. For us, 2023 was the year of joined forces and digital acceleration, but also of cherishing print.

To name but a few things: new, easier-to-find games in the Donald Duck app greatly improved the interaction between the weekly magazine and the app. To encourage reading, we made an easy-to-read Libello for men and we added an AI-based astro oracle to the site. Whether it concerns our addictive podcasts, videos or entertainment and health content: we are and will continue to be the clear market leader. With a firm foundation in print and an enormously increased digital reach.

Imagine you like great interiors and love to read about home trends and ideas. On the vtwonen website, you see an article by your favourite stylist, who uses inspiring pictures and practical tips to show how you can easily apply the latest trends in your home. Your eye is drawn to a stunning side table that perfectly matches your couch. Without a moment’s hesitation, you order the table directly via the website.

The above example illustrates how powerful DPG Media’s Special Interest Media (SIM) are. The SIM brands focus on catering to consumers within specific areas of interest. Tweakers, vtwonen, Autoweek, Ouders van Nu and De Ondernemer have been the authorities within their respective domains for years. On the one hand, they cater to enthusiasts – those looking for the latest news, inspiration and interaction – but also to advice seekers considering their next purchase and looking for reliable recommendations.

In 2023, we took big steps in strengthening the position of our brands as authorities. For instance, we introduced new editorial formats such as

Beste Koopgids (a best buy guide), we invested in a completely new technology platform (Jupiter), and we continued to improve our destinations for purchases, such as the Tweakers Pricewatch.

The result: both our reach and usage grew strongly, which shows that our Special Interest Media brands are increasingly being found by consumers.