A new project led by VRT, named NewsTAPAS, has been approved for funding by Google DNI. The project aims to address the growing need for an automated and personalised presentation of news articles. The project team exists of a unique collaboration of VRT with a multimedia publisher (Roularta), an AI start-up (ML2Grow) and imec research groups (SMIT and IDLab). The project will start on May 1st and will last one and a half year.

In order to better inform its readers, VRT NWS is experimenting with a new web application, based on artificial intelligence, that allows readers to receive a personalised news offer. The experiment is part of the European research project CPN, led by VRT Innovation, that aims to build a software platform that allows European media organizations to personalise their news content.

Since 2006, Studio Brussels organises the yearly charity event Music for Life, an initiative to raise money during the “Warmest Week”. Studio Brussel calls on their listeners to set up a campaign for a cause that lies close to their hearts. Since 2017, these campaigners are able to share their stories with the Warmest Week app, record videos with the radio presenters and call in live during a broadcast. These are the innovations and projects behind Music for Life.

From the 4th of December till the 6th of December, ICT 2018 is taking place in Vienna, a research and innovation event that focuses on the European Union’s priorities in the digital transformation of society and industry. VRT Innovation will be present with various projects in the large exhibition hall. ICT 2018 will have four main components converging around the theme Imagine Digital – Connect Europe: Conference, Exhibition, Networking opportunities and Innovation and Startups forum.

To listen to a VRT radio station, or relisten to the latest VRT news, you no longer need to use your hands. The arrival of smart speakers allows you to access media content simply by using your voice. Communication with such smart speakers is currently mainly still in English, but the VRT already explores the possibilities, focussing so far on voice-controlled radio and news. In this way, the VRT intends to be immediately ‘up and running’ when Dutch-language smart speakers become available.

The future of television: more interactive and to be experienced from multiple viewpoints. Within the Horizon2020 ImmersiaTV project, VRT Innovation was responsible for the development of the concept, in which we defined the requirements of end users and profesional users, and the execution of the live pilot use cases. 

The Wall of Moments is an application developed within the innovation department of VRT. It emphasizes the value of interaction and co-creation in the future experience of media. From the charity event Music for Life to the World Cup: here you can find an overview on the cases and next steps of this interaction tool.

IBC is coming! This year, the annual trade show takes place from the 13th till the 18th of September in Amsterdam. Especially VRT Sandbox will be represented this year with the Sandbox Hub, a network that aims to build a European network for media innovation. Here, you will have an overview of where to find our colleagues.

Brace yourselves, the IBC-conference is coming. VRT Sandbox has already begun writing a wishlist of innovations they want to discover in the RAI. Unique this year is that they are able to add On-Hertz, the startup of VRT intrapreneur Renaud Schoonbroodt to that list.

The FLAME summer school allowed students to experiment with media applications in a smart city environment and become mobile journalists for a day.