News consumption in Belgium remains stable

Belgians continue to follow the news in large numbers — via the printed newspaper, the digital newspaper, and online (website, app and video). This is confirmed by the latest results of the CIM Belgian Publishing Survey 2025. Despite shifts in media behaviour, overall news consumption in Belgium remains high, and Mediahuis remains the clear market leader, reaching 2.5 million daily news consumers.

Strong reach driven by trust and relevance

Every day, 4.2 million Belgians read a newspaper (print + digital), and 5.4 million Belgians come into contact with a news brand via print, website, app or video. Digital platforms add an additional 30% reach, with the strongest growth coming from the 25–54 age group, where total brand reach (combined print and digital newspaper, website, app and video) increases by around 40%.

The profile of online readers continues to evolve: their socio‑demographic characteristics increasingly mirror those of print readers, making overall news consumption broader and more consistent.

In Flanders, 6 in 10 newspaper readers (print + digital) and 7 in 10 total brand news consumers choose a Mediahuis title ; a clear confirmation of the strength and rootedness of these brands in the daily lives of Flemings.

Koen Verwee, CEO of Mediahuis Belgium: 

Independent journalism remains a cornerstone of a healthy society. That is why I am pleased that, thanks to our investments in high‑quality journalism, we remain the undisputed market leader in Flanders and attract 2.5 million Flemings every single day.

Results by brand

• De Standaard remains the largest among the quality newspapers, with nearly 600,000 daily news consumers. Its strong reach among an upscale audience and its balanced male–female distribution stand out.
• Nieuwsblad forms the backbone of Mediahuis’ broad reach, with 1.5 million daily news consumers.
• Gazet van Antwerpen reaches 670,000 daily news consumers.
• Het Belang van Limburg remains the number one title in Limburg, with nearly 500,000 daily news consumers.

The combined strength of Mediahuis’ mass‑market newspapers results in absolute market leadership in Antwerp and Limburg, both in print + digital and total brand reach.
These broad‑audience titles also score significantly well among higher social classes and show a balanced gender distribution.

Magazines continue to perform strongly

Mediahuis’ magazine brands maintain their position in the market. Billie remains the largest newspaper magazine in Flanders. DS Magazine and DS Weekblad perform exceptionally well among a highly upscale audience and clearly outperform the other selective newspaper magazines.

Valérie Morfitis, CEO of Ads & Data:

The CIM figures highlight not only the strong reach of our news brands but also the quality of the reader profile. This is extremely valuable for advertisers: through the Mediahuis titles, they reach a large, broad and increasingly upscale audience, in a reliable context. That makes these brands a powerful and relevant environment for maximising campaign impact.

With strong brands such as Nieuwsblad, De Standaard, Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Belang van Limburg and Billie, Mediahuis — through Ads & Data — confirms its position as a leading news publisher in Flanders and provides a powerful context for brands looking to build trust, visibility and relevance.