VRT and European broadcasters launch Northern Star Project to back ambitious new children’s drama

Tuesday, 16 June, 2026 - Five leading Northern European public service broadcasters - VRT (Flanders), BBC (United Kingdom), DR (Denmark), NPO (Netherlands) and NRK (Norway) - have formed the Northern Star Project, a new partnership to support the creation of ambitious children’s dramas for audiences aged 7+.

The first initiative is a development strand for original scripted live-action dramas for young audiences. Projects will be jointly developed, shaped and co-commissioned by all five broadcasters for audiences across Northern Europe. Full details will be announced at the Children’s Media Conference (CMC) in July.

Anne Dreesen, head of children's content at VRT: “By joining the Northern Star Project, VRT is investing in the future of children’s storytelling in Europe. At a time when global competition is intensifying, we believe Europe’s strength lies in collaboration. In bringing together our creativity, diversity and shared public values to create ambitious, high‑quality drama for young audiences. Together, we can build a more connected and resilient ecosystem for children's content across Europe.”

The collaboration brings together funding, expertise and commissioning power across five markets, with the aim of developing and delivering distinctive content that resonates with children across Northern Europe.

Northern Star reflects a shared long-term commitment to investing in distinctive European children’s content that can travel across borders while remaining rooted in local storytelling.

Nikki Peeters

Communications lead VRT international

 

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VRT is the public broadcaster of the Flemish Community in Belgium. It is geared towards all Flemings, in all their uniqueness and diversity. The VRT presents high-quality and distinctive content in the areas of information, culture, education, entertainment and sports. With its three television channels, five radio stations and various digital channels, the VRT reaches 90% of all Flemish people every week. In this way, the VRT can be relevant, have a social impact, contribute to a pluralistic debate and strengthen democracy. The VRT stimulates people to experience culture and language, and propagates the Flemish identity. The VRT is future-oriented and focuses on innovation and digitization. The broadcaster plays an important role in the Flemish media ecosystem and cooperates with numerous national and international partners from various fields. 
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Bob Vermeir
Communication manager and corporate spokesperson at VRT
+32 476 80 92 67
+ 32 2 741 58 98
bob.vermeir@vrt.be

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